Customer Reviews

Cuisinart CI30-23CR Chef's Classic Enameled Cast Iron 9-1/4-Inch Square Grill Pan, Cardinal Red

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This pan can go from oven top to broiler to oven. Great to sear meat. Smaller size for those who cook for 1-2 people. Easy to clean and good looking.

I've been looking for a griddle/grill pan, but I have a ceramic top stove, so regular cast iron is a no-no. But after lots of searching, I found that enamel coated cast iron is okay to use, and had high remarks. I honed down my search, and found this Cuisenart grill pan to have all the attributes of the higher priced ones, and Amazon had the best price.....so I ordered it.
I got it 2 weeks ago, and it's quickly become my favorite pan. It grills burgers, fish & chicken beautifully. Even has a pour spout for excess grease (which drains away from the food, a big plus in the health department!).

With all the rain we've had, I haven't missed the outside grill at all. And it makes the best panini's, so you won't need another expensive thingy in your kitchen. Get your sandwich loaded up, put it onto this pan, and weigh it down with something (I use a bacon press, but you could use another heavy bottomed pan instead). Flip it once, and you'll end up with a wonderful crusty sandwich....evenly melted & amazing!

Tip: Preheat before using, but don't use this pan "dry". I pre-spray with Pam before heating, and spread butter or oil on the food I'm cooking.

Paint and construction are of excellent quality. Because of the low sides and being thinner, it is light for a cast iron pan. But still rugged. I paired it with an Emerilware 8" square panini iron and the two fit perfect together.
UPDATE REVIEW: The interior of the pan has permanantly blackened after a few uses. Not like my old porcelin dutch oven that cleans up in a breeze.
I say 3 stars now.

This 9-1/4" grill pan is fantastic. Not only does it fit well on your average cook top, it gets HOT (as it should) unlike other larger and heavier cast iron grill pans that need more BTU's than your average cook top can produce. Plus, it has an enameled finish available in different colors.

The combination of the rough "non-stick" coating and the grill pan make it impossible to clean with any reasonable effort. I grilled a steak, having washed the pan first and seasoned it with oil, was careful to keep the heat low to prevent burning, but the sauce stuck to this pan. That was yesterday. I followed the Cuisinart directions for cleaning with no results. A combination of soaking overnight with dishwashing detergent, heat, and rubbing with a plastic scraper got 90% off but the rest is still there, and its still soaking a day later.

A plain, smooth cast iron or enameled pan would have been clean a long time ago.

This grill pan is a good size if you're cooking for one or two people. So far I have used it 4 times and each time I've had problems with the food sticking to the pan so I can't say that I would recommend it.

This pan is easy to use and easy to clean. The food does not stick and the interior does not wear off when cleaned. It is fun to cook with and the food turns out beautifully. I love my grill pan!!!

I've been wanting a cast iron grill pan for while now, but wanted to make sure I was getting the best deal. Recently when I had several items to purchase using Amazon's 4-for-3 promotion I decided this was the best time to get it. I went with the Cardinal Red because I already have the Cuisinart Enameled Cast Iron 5-1/2-Quart Oval Covered Casserole in the same color.

Before my first use I followed the recommendations to wash it with a mild soap and dry immediately. I also seasoned it before cooking on it the first time to prevent sticking. Then last night I decided to cook up some top sirloins I had and being that the weather wasn't cooperating for the grill outdoors, this was the perfect solution. I like my steak well done, so it went into the pan first. One important thing to remember is to not turn it too soon; it needs to get a good sear otherwise it will stick. After mine had about fifteen minutes total in the pan, I moved it to the side and added the next one. Seven minutes on either side produced a perfectly cooked medium rare for the this one and by that time mine was perfectly well done. The grill pan gave not only beautiful looking grill marks, but also a great sear & crust.

Clean up was easy for me, I waited for the pan to cool a bit then put it in the sink with some hot water to soak. About 10 minutes later with scour sponge it wiped clean and then I just rinsed and dried it for next time.

I definitely think this pan will be getting regular use in our kitchen. It's the perfect size for 2 or possibly 3 people depending on the size of the meat or veggies being grilled.

Before using the grill I called Cuisinart to get their input on the best way to clean it. When I got through to Customer Service I was advised that they had no record of ever selling an enameled cast iron grill with the model number I provided?

I pointed out to them that I was looking at the Cuisinart website as we spoke, and the grill was listed on their website with a photo, model number, and price. I was advised they still could not find it either on their website, or in their computer. They provided me with another number to call that would be better able to address my questions.

When I called the number provided I was informed that they had referred me to a privately owned retail outlet, but that they would try to help me. I was finally advised that according to their records Cuisinart had never offer an enameled cast iron grill for sale?

As a last resort I sent an email to the Cuisinart Marketing Department that included the above info.

I was contacted the next day by two different people from Cuisinart who apoligized for the mix-up, and offered the following info concerning the care and cleaning of the grill:

"The interior is Porcelain enameled and it is dishwasher safe; as far as cleaning, it should be cleaned after every use and there is no need to oil it or season it. Food should clean easily because of the enameled surface unless it is so burned into the surface that it may take a lot of soaking to remove the residue".

So far I have used the grill four times, and it grills steaks and lamb chops just great. After each use I moved the grill off of the burner and added a little hot water to let it cool down and soak (I have a ceramic glass top electric range).

After the first soak I scrubbed the grill with a nylon kitchen brush with hot soapy water, then let it soak some more in hot water and dishwash soap.

After the next scrub the grill was pretty well cleaned. Then I ran it through my dishwashing machine and it came out very clean. It took a little extra effort to get it clean, but it was still a lot easier than cleaning my tabletop electric grill that has three large pieces to clean, and is a lot larger to work with in the sink.

I am very happy with the grill, and would buy it again if the one I have ever needed to be replaced (which I doubt will ever happen in my life time).

UPDATE:

OK, I have used this grill several times now, and am now having some issues with it. I set my ceramic glass top range at medium (5), and let it heat up for a few minutes before I start grilling. It seems that the more I use it, the harder it is to clean...even after overnight soaking in soapy water. Today I found that there is some blackened areas that just won't come clean. I tried Stove-top Easy Off, and that helped a little. The dish washing machine no longer gets it fully clean either. Also, today I noticed a small rust spot on the inside front side of the grill where it looks like some of the gray enameled chipped off? I only use a nylon brush to clean the grill, and tongs to put the meat in and take it out. So have no idea where that came from?

I bought this grill pan in a store because it was really cute and relatively light (as far as cast iron pans go). I already have a square Lodge grill pan (roughly the same size, but thicker and deeper) -- which I don't like to use because it's very heavy and just too hard on my hands to handle.

I was feeling a little guilty for buying another cast iron pan, but I am so glad I did! This pan heats up in seconds, and it allows me to warm up frozen items (veggie burgers, potato pancakes, little croissant appetizers, etc.) right on the stove, so I don't have to use the oven.

It took me only ONE minute to perfectly warm up some appetizers in that pan. But if I first defrosted them and warmed them in the oven, as the instructions said, altogether it's would have taken 40-45 minutes!

Also, the top ridges of the grooves in the bottom (the lines that come in contact with food) are very thin in this pan -- which makes the grill/burn marks more subtle. I prefer it that way because burned food (even if it's just grill marks) is not good for you. Also, the groves are rounded in the bottom (not square like in some other grill pans), which makes it easy to clean.

This pan is pretty and a delight to use. To prevent splatter, you can just cover it with anti-splatter cover (those round things made of metal mesh, with a handle). Because it's shallow, it will not work well for thick hunks of meat and fat burgers -- but I am trying not to eat those anyway (believe me, meat acidifies your body, and should be eaten only rarely and in small quantities).