Tuesday, 07 February 2012

• Cast Iron Skillet Grill Insert

  

   One of these days I will learn not to put more on my life’s plate than what I can handle and by then I’ll have a nice wooden box padded with lovely pillow lining to rest in too. Since all plans to get a third January entry never materialized I managed to crawl over to the home PC to take on my latest product review; A cast iron skillet insert called: Pan Grill-It.
  

  

  Ever since man first set his cave on fire after he used some dead animal skin to install a door so the wife would quit harping on how they were behind all the neighbors, there has been some effort to find alternative ways to cook indoors, but emulate that mouth watering charcoal-y goodness. I suppose that’s sort of where the guys came from when they sent me this product from jolly old Michigan, just right for my 12 inch cast iron skillet.

  

  The perfect opportunity to test this grill imitator was on my wife’s birthday where I told her to find whatever manner of edible delight she wished to consume and with no surprise, it was shrimp.  Which is fine because unless you just don’t eat cockroaches of the ocean, it is quite a wonderful way to prepare them. She actually requested them cooked two ways, one beer battered and the other grilled, but you’ll just have to be lucky to try in person how wonderful the version not pictured today is. 

  One thing recommended by the site is to always marinate before cooking, but you can actually just cook it raw if the insert or cooking surface is properly oiled with your preferred cooking spray applied before you place them on the hot surface.

  

  As far as cooking time, you’re going to have to just stay in the kitchen and go with your best judgment.  After following the directions to heat up pan on high and then reduce to medium you won’t have to wait too long for it to cook, taking care to flip them every 30 seconds or so.

  After we cooked them I slathered on a generous layer of teriyaki glaze and it was mighty fine.  The end result isn’t so much of a grilled look, but more steamed since you can burn shrimp easily if it is left cooking too long.  There was actually more noticeable grill lines on some chicken we cooked for a guest who was allergic to shell fish, though not near as much as you might see with that famous plug in mean grilling machine.

  

  However, I wanted to try at least one more item before I wrote this review and since I did not want to spend almost two hours cooking like the previous time. I went with the good old lazy standard: hot dogs. The results here resembled the typical grilled food more than the others. There’s really not much you can do if you are still looking for that charred taste, though liquid smoke (a real cooking product) can help a little in that area.  As far as prepping our dogs… we pre-cooked them in a can of cheap beer for a couple of mins for extra manly flavor.

  

  

  I’m not going to be a dog nazi and tell you what to serve on them, but for those who want to know what’s in the picture, it’s mustard, southwest ranch and Parmesan cheese mix.  The side is wax beans, mixed vegetables and mushrooms cooked in a spiced tomato sauce.

  As far as the final verdict on Pan Grill-It; it does work, pretty much as promised. Even cleaning is relatively easy where all you need to do is use hot water (never use soap with cast iron,ever) to scrub it clean.  The only thing is, I’m not sure it is worth everyone’s budget at the $24.95 and $6.95 for shipping asking price.

  Personally, if you are going to spend this much on something that is supposed to resemble the outdoor experience I’d suggest weighing all alternatives first.  If you take the plunge, it can be ordered here. In the mean time, if you want to see me entertain in real life, I will be performing in the Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde the week of Feb. 13 in Ardmore OK. Check out their site here.

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