Are you planning to give your family a treat of cheeseburgers, steak, or even sandwiches? We got you covered. All you require is a grill pan. It’s spacious, allowing you to cook your food faster, thus saving your time. Unlike other pans, a grill pan has raised edges. Whenever you cook using a grill pan, the food will have grill marks. You can use it for cooking a wide variety of food. For more information on how to use a grill pan on stove top, check below.
Table of Contents
How Can You Use It On A Stove Top
Set Your Grill Pan
The size of your grill pan will determine if you require one or two burners. If it’s small, place it on the stove. If it’s significant, you should set it across two burners of the same size to burn evenly. Suppose you don’t have a grill pan, and you are wondering which the best one is. Go for the cast-iron grill pan. Its ability to hold heat makes it perfect for stovetop grilling. Once you cook, the food will get classic grill marks.
Heat The Grill Pan
Turn on a burner to medium-high heat. Preheat your pan for five minutes. Don’t put the food until the entire surface of the pan is hot. You can test by flicking some water on the pan using your fingertips. If the water sizzles and evaporates quickly, the pan is hot enough.
Wipe The Grill
Have you ever cooked some food only for it to stick? You wouldn’t like the same experience again. Get a paper towel; bunch it up into a loose ball. Using a tong, dip it either in a canola or vegetable oil. Use it to rub across the surface of your preheated grill pan. The tong will protect you from burning your fingers.
Dry The Food
Pat the food that you intend to grill dry. Use a little olive oil to brush it. You can sprinkle some salt or pepper in your savoury food, depending on your taste.
Place The Food On Your Pan
Place the food on the preheated pan. After you grill it for some time, turn it over to allow the other side to cook. Once it’s ready, you can remove it. If you are grilling sausages or any other food that requires you to place several things on your grill pan, leave a space of at least 1.3 cm between them.
Clean Your Grill Pan
Once you are through, let your pan cool. Get some hot water and use a grill brush to scrub your pan. Before rinsing it, ensure that there are no traces of oil or burnt bits.
Rinse it thoroughly and dry it using a clean kitchen towel. An aluminium foil can be an excellent alternative if you don’t have a grill brush to scrub the grill pan.
How to Grill Chicken
Knowing how to Grill Chicken on the Stove is vital. Undercooked chicken can cause serious illness to your body. Follow the steps below to help you grill your chicken well.
Prepare The Chicken Pieces
Clean your hands and trim any excess fat or skin on your chicken. You can leave the skin only if some parts such as the thigh and wings have bones. Use cold water to wash the pieces. Dry them using a paper towel. You can defrost your chicken in a fridge or microwave at this stage.
If you have a re-sealable plastic freezer bag, place your chicken breast in it. Seal it and use a meat pounder to whack the chicken flat. It will help your chicken to cook evenly. Butterfly your chicken to allow it to lie flat on your grill. Marinate your chicken breast and leave it in the fridge for 4-12 hours.
You can make a rub using kosher salt-4 tsp. Ground cumin-2tsp. Chili powder-2 tsp. Dried cilantro- 2 tsp. Onion flakes-2 tsp. You can rub on your chicken legs and thighs.
Grill The Chicken
Clean the grill pan using a grill brush. Note that some pieces will require direct heat, while others will require indirect heat. For instance, breasts and wings will require a direct heat of about 176 degrees Celsius. Legs and bone-in thighs require indirect medium heat. For a boneless thigh, you can use direct high heat of up to 450-650 degrees F.
Wipe down the grill using a paper towel or even an oily brush. Place your chicken on the grill. On the hottest part of the grill, place the bone-in pieces for 4 minutes then turn over to the other side. Transfer your meat to the cooler part to finish cooking. Cover the grill to allow the chicken to cook well. Covering will allow it to retain enough heat making your chicken retain moisture. Different cuts of your chicken will take different time to cook. For instance, boneless chicken thighs will take 8-10 minutes. You only need to turn once. Chicken wings will take 18-20 minutes, while the bone-in piece will take 30-40 minutes.
Finishing And Serving
Testing for doneness is vital since the chicken requires cooking fully before eating. Take a meat thermometer and stick it on the chicken. If the temperature of your boneless piece is 74 degrees C, your meat is ready. The bone-in piece’s temperature should be 82 degrees C. If you lack a meat thermometer, alternatively, you can cut the chicken open. If it’s opaque, your meat is ready. Remove the meat and let it to cool.
When serving, ensure that your meat doesn’t come into contact with anything that touches the raw chicken. That includes the cutting board, brushes, and a knife. Wash anything you use when preparing or cooking with hot water and soap before re-using them again. You can serve your chicken with a sauce later based on your preference.
Types of Stove/Cooktops That You Can Use For Your Grill Pans
There are different types of grill pans that you can use on various stovetops. If you are looking for one, consider the one made from an enamelled cast iron. Its heat retention is superb and doesn’t require special care. Cleaning is easy and doesn’t rust quickly. Now that you bought a grill pan, what type of stove/cookware do you require? Check the three below.
Induction Cooktop
If you are looking for a modern cooktop, buy an induction cooktop. It’s the fastest option, and it’s safe for your kids. It’s comfortable to use even during summer since it will not add extra heat to your kitchen. It’s energy-efficient and, at the same time, offers excellent precision. Unfortunately, if you use normal cast iron, the chances of scratching the surface of your induction cooktop are high. That’s why an enamel induction grill pan is suitable. It has a coating on an enamel cast iron layer that prevents your grill pan from scratching the induction cooktop.
Electric Stove
It’s affordable and faster to clean. It’s convenient, especially if you want to cook light food like spaghetti. It’s easy to use and often it comes with special futures. Unfortunately, you can’t use it with some cookware such as cast iron pan. It heats slowly, yet the cast iron is heavy. Use a grill pan made of a lighter material if you want to use an electric stove.
Glass Top Stoves
You can change its heating levels quickly, making it favourable for many chefs. You will not waste time waiting for it to preheat since it heats up faster and cools quickly. It also cooks with precise heat, making it convenient. Its delicate nature makes it easy for iron cast grill pan to scratch it. Those made from glass and ceramic should not be used on the glass top. Use any other type of grill pan.
FAQ:
- Is It Possible To Grill Lots Chickens At Once?
Yes, you can. Place the chicken breasts in such a way that they will face the same direction. That will allow you to have enough space to fit more.
- When Grilling My Chicken What Do I Require?
Apart from a sharp knife and a cutting board, you need a grill, brush, and grill thongs. You can opt to have marinades or seasonings. For testing, if the meat is ready, a meat thermometer is highly recommended.
Conclusion
One of the benefits of using a grill pan is that it’s spacious and leaves the food with some grill marks. Before putting the food on the grill pan, first, preheat the grill pan. Ensure that it’s hot enough. If you put a little water using your fingers and the water sizzles and dries quickly, then the grill pan is ready. Also, wipe the grill using some oil to ensure that the food doesn’t stick. When preparing the chicken, always marinate inside the fridge. Never expose the pieces of meat to the same type of temperature. Some pieces may require direct heat, while the other requires indirect heat. Knowing how long each part takes to cook thoroughly is vital to avoid overcooking or undercooking. Whenever you are serving your chicken, clean the utensils you used with the raw chicken first.