Calphalon Contemporary Hard-Anodized Aluminum Nonstick Cookware, Square Grill Pan, 11-inch, Black

Once or twice a week I broil a small steak, lamb chop, etc. in my little counter-top toaster/broiler. The results have been adequate, but not consistent. But it beat plain pan-cooking, which ruins the meat ... and I definitely was not interested in another outdoor grill for a variety of reasons involving biting insects and a fire I once started on the balcony of my 3rd floor apartment.Years ago a friend gave me a very expensive, gourmet quality cast-iron grill pan, but it took two hands to lift and needed a lot of care, so I wound up giving it to an energetic young man who grilled a great deal, and he was thrilled to have it. I don't know what prompted me to try another grill pan. But I read the reviews and asked a question or two, and decided to give this one a try.The pan arrived 2-3 days after I ordered it. It's a nice weight - sturdy but not too heavy like cast iron. I read the instructions, washed it in gentle liquid detergent, dried it and rubbed a little canola oil onto the ribbed cooking surface with a paper towel. This only has to be done once, before first use.This is a generous pan. It could handle 3-4 chops, or a large sirloin, or two grilled sandwiches. I had only one little personal-size New York steak, so I preheated the pan for several minutes on medium until the rim felt hot, then put on my seasoned steak. It sizzled - a very satisfying sound which never happened with the toaster-broiler. I gave it 3 minutes on a side (I like it pretty rare) and removed it to a plate to rest for ten minutes. Beautiful grill marks! Evenly cooked, juicy and tender. And so easy! Later, when the pan had cooled, I could have popped it in the dishwasher, but it took only a few seconds to handwash with a non-abrasive Dobie and prop it up in the dish drain. No sticky rack to soak, no greasy drip pan. And no burns from reaching into the toaster oven.I have owned this pan for 48 hours, used it once, and am in love with it. It's wonderful. It will simplify and improve my cooking experience. This is the kind of quality item I would give to a friend as a gift. I can't wait to try salmon, lamb chop, pork chop, etc. Other reviewers mentioned grilled cheese, shrimp, and so on. I'll try them all as time goes by.The pan's an all-round winner. I'm so glad I treated myself to it.

Things you need to know about me -- I am a novice at using an indoor grill pan but I am determined to get better.Things I've found out:Write to the other reviewers of this pan ... they are extremely helpful in sharing their expertise. YEAH Amazon!If you're a novice, order the indoor grill cookbooks that are offered on Amazon. Extremely cheap and helpful. I picked up 2 based on the ones with "top" reviews. I'm very happy with my purchase.Put 2-3 drops of EVOO (if you must) on your pan, use a paper towel to disperse across the ridges before heating. If you marinate the veggies in salad dressing, etc. stuff that's oil based, then for sure use no extra oil for cooking. Last time we used NO oil, just salt, pepper & Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb when done.We don't heat our pans up to a high heat. I go medium high and monitor keeping it cooking by adjusting the temp as necessary. That works well for me.We have a pecking order for what to put on the grill and when. If there's chicken, it goes first, we slice it thin and it's done quickly. Then the zuchinni, asparagus, dry veggies like that. When that's done to suit us, we put on the wetter veggies like tomatoes, mushrooms (whole), and we tried some pineapple on there too. We do all of this in a matter of minutes so keeping things warm is not a problem.Most important thing I've found ... don't be tempted to keep moving stuff around on the grill pan. It's fun but by doing that you don't get the grill marks. Let it be ... it cooks so much better and looks really neat when it's "starving for attention." HA!Go to Calphalon website for recipes. I had no idea they were there until nosing around on it the other day. Trying that is going to be my next adventure.Our pan is new so we're not having any problems with the peeling of the coating, etc. Hopefully we never will but we also follow all care instructions for the Calphalon - especially the cool down of the pans before washing.Conclusion (about time): Still learning but having a great time doing it!

I purchased the Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick 11-Inch Square Grill Pan a month ago. It is better then I expected. The anodized surface is smooth and nonstick. Unlike Teflon which is easily scratched, this coating feels rigid and build to last.I dont know how they do it, as its all metal parts (pan, connectors and handle), but even when the pan is very hot, the handle remains cool and easy to grab.Unlike some other grill pans, the ridges in this pan are smooth and rounded, and not sharp. So when I put some oil in this pan, it easily spreads across. Yet the ridges are not too low, so when I grill meat, it remains dry as the emitted fluids have sufficient gaps to flow into.Usually soap and water is sufficient to keep it clean after some grilling. But be careful if you plan to use stronger cleaning agents, my wife used a Cold Action Grease And Oil Remover and the color faded from some parts of pan.All in all its a good grill pan, and I recommend it.

well have used it three times on med-high so far and have had no issues with it at all. pretty much non-stick overall. the first time i actually put light olive oil on it to cook steaks and other times i did not, pan was pretty easy to handwash without much scrubbing at all each time. Cooks hot dogs great and evenly since they don't roll on this pan. Steaks cooked great too, not as good as a real grill but, a lot better than when cooked on other pans for sure, even better than cooking them on my cast iron pan. Overall am quite happy with this purchase and am now delighted than the first green grill pan i bought of another brand before this here one turned out to be trash!

Great when you can't BBQ

Está muy bien, la calidad muy buena. Un poco grande para lo que yo esperaba, pero aprovecho para asar varias cosas a la vez. A la hora del lavado es una maravilla. No se le pega nada y es múy fácil y rapido lavarlo

Buenísimo.. No se pega nada, 👍👍

Justo lo esperado, buen material

Excelente