Le Creuset Signature Cast Iron 26cm Square Grillit Coastal Blue

Le Creuset products are always fantastic- there is a reason they have been popular for 50 years.The drawback is that everything is so expensive, so I was happy to snap up this grill pan when it was on sale.I have the flame color already and purchased the light blue color for the beach home. Grills - great, especially for for porterhouse steaks or salmon steaks. Cleanup is challenging unless you let it soak or use one of those spray degreasers.It is VERY heavy ( about 5-6 lbs). As a woman with small wrists and hands, I find it difficult to lift easily with one hand,which is I am taking off 1 star.

I was a bit hesitant with the initial purchase, simply because cast iron is so heavy. It was recommended to me by various cooking enthusiasts friends of mine that swore by it. The esthetics of the brand is very appealing, offering various bright colors to spice up your kitchen. I went with the flame orange, and after a couple of years of use the exterior enamel has resisted chipping and cracking as promised. I love the grill marks that we are able to achieve on our steaks and the versatility of being able to start the cooking on the stove and then move to higher temperatures in the oven etc. I ended up buying a second square skillet from the official website in the color sage light green. The handle is a bit longer, and the top half circle is a larger cut out half ... MoreI was a bit hesitant with the initial purchase, simply because cast iron is so heavy. It was recommended to me by various cooking enthusiasts friends of mine that swore by it. The esthetics of the brand is very appealing, offering various bright colors to spice up your kitchen. I went with the flame orange, and after a couple of years of use the exterior enamel has resisted chipping and cracking as promised. I love the grill marks that we are able to achieve on our steaks and the versatility of being able to start the cooking on the stove and then move to higher temperatures in the oven etc. I ended up buying a second square skillet from the official website in the color sage light green. The handle is a bit longer, and the top half circle is a larger cut out half moon shape handle versus a solid piece shown in this picture. I did not notice any difference in the quality of cooking. A tip from the sales person was to christen the skill with some fatty bacon and avoid soap.

Browns Beautifully

I'm not great at outdoor grilling but I have now mastered indoor grilling, thanks to this pan. I love the tall sides and the spout for poring out the drippings. I also use the press, which is a separate purchase but a great addition.I do agree with other reviewers that clean up is a nightmare. I even bought the Le Creuset brush that is recommended and it really wasn't any better than the one I had.Great grilling but horrible clean up, that about sums up my personal experience.

Excellent

This is my first Le Creuset pan and I wanted to grill inside on my gas cooktop.I read the booklet completely and followed all directions. I grilled pineapple slices, marinaded shrimp, and filet mignon over 2 days. Everything grilled perfectly. Pan clean up was a breeze. Be sure to set the empty pan on medium heat first, test with a sprinkle of water that it is hot, brush vegetable oil on the surface of the pan, add food only turning once. I found turning down the heat to medium low during cooking worked out the best. Beautiful grill marks. After plating the food, I moved the pan to a cool burner for a few minutes then transferred it to the sink to soak in hot water. Later, after rinsing out the pan, I wiped away any remaining food residue with a wet paper towel. ... MoreThis is my first Le Creuset pan and I wanted to grill inside on my gas cooktop.I read the booklet completely and followed all directions. I grilled pineapple slices, marinaded shrimp, and filet mignon over 2 days. Everything grilled perfectly. Pan clean up was a breeze. Be sure to set the empty pan on medium heat first, test with a sprinkle of water that it is hot, brush vegetable oil on the surface of the pan, add food only turning once. I found turning down the heat to medium low during cooking worked out the best. Beautiful grill marks. After plating the food, I moved the pan to a cool burner for a few minutes then transferred it to the sink to soak in hot water. Later, after rinsing out the pan, I wiped away any remaining food residue with a wet paper towel. Then added dish soap and water, rinsed and air dried. I highly recommend this grill pan.

Fabulous Grill that will be used a lot!

I highly recommend this grill. I originally purchased the double burner grill at WS that just came out which I also love. However, I wanted a smaller grill and I wanted the high sides because of the heat that would surround the food. I found that the double burner grill works great for larger quantities of food, however, took forever when I grilled a chicken breast with the bone in. This smaller grill is great for reheating leftovers, grilling vegetables--I grilled zucchini, onions, mushrooms, eggplant, bell peppers, and tomatoes. I used it for grilling hamburgers, shrimp, chicken fajitas, steak fajitias, and chicken tenders. It cooked evenly, tasted as good or better than an outdoor grill. As far as clean up, I have found with Le Creuset that despite their claims, ... MoreI highly recommend this grill. I originally purchased the double burner grill at WS that just came out which I also love. However, I wanted a smaller grill and I wanted the high sides because of the heat that would surround the food. I found that the double burner grill works great for larger quantities of food, however, took forever when I grilled a chicken breast with the bone in. This smaller grill is great for reheating leftovers, grilling vegetables--I grilled zucchini, onions, mushrooms, eggplant, bell peppers, and tomatoes. I used it for grilling hamburgers, shrimp, chicken fajitas, steak fajitias, and chicken tenders. It cooked evenly, tasted as good or better than an outdoor grill. As far as clean up, I have found with Le Creuset that despite their claims, it's still a good idea to season their grills. I get a bit creative with all of the spices and sauces that I use to saute' my food so it can be a bit of a mess which naturally caramelizes. However, with much googling and research, I learned that if you put the grill pan on the stove top, fill it with water and bring it to a boil and then let it cool that way, anything will come right off in the sink. It does become more and more nonstick with use hence my suggestion to season the pan anyway. What I learned (from the internet) was to lightly oil the grill and put it in a 225 degree oven for 25 minutes when I first buy it and then after each use for about 15 uses to get a nice patina of nonstick on the enamel. I highly recommend this particular pan because of the enamel coating and the ease of use. The handles of course get hot. My barbequed chicken bone in and skin were fantastic.

Finally got cleaning tip

I used this pan to partially cook steaks on the stove top, then moved into oven at higher temp to finish off. Because I used some spices and Worcestershire sauce on the steaks, it really created a mess on the bottom of the pan. Even the nylon brush had no effect in getting the gook out. Then read on the internet how to get this cleaned up, and it worked like a charm. Add vinegar and baking soda to warm water and let it sit for a few hours. The fizzing action of combining the ingredients really loosened the stuck on spices and sauce. I was not going to buy any more Le Creuset because of this sticking issue, but now that I have a last resort to clean hard to remove grime. Plus, I am not going to put this in the oven at high heat anymore. Learned my lesson.

Grills very nicely, terrible clean up

I really want to love this pan. It was purchased to replace a long-used Cuisinart grill pan that started to lose its anodized coating. I've used this Le Creuset pan over a dozen times to grill chicken breasts and hamburgers. The first time, I mistakenly basted the grilled chicken with BBQ sauce as it was finishing grilling in the pan on the stove. The BBQ sauce ended up sticking to the pan and was a real pain to clean.Yes, I did follow the instructions in the booklet before first use. Wash in warm soapy water and dry and pan is ready to use. No mention of adding light layer of oil and putting in the oven to cure so I didn't do that. Only one time was it easy to clean and that is when I soaked it in soapy water right away and used a nylon brush to scrub it. Not ... MoreI really want to love this pan. It was purchased to replace a long-used Cuisinart grill pan that started to lose its anodized coating. I've used this Le Creuset pan over a dozen times to grill chicken breasts and hamburgers. The first time, I mistakenly basted the grilled chicken with BBQ sauce as it was finishing grilling in the pan on the stove. The BBQ sauce ended up sticking to the pan and was a real pain to clean.Yes, I did follow the instructions in the booklet before first use. Wash in warm soapy water and dry and pan is ready to use. No mention of adding light layer of oil and putting in the oven to cure so I didn't do that. Only one time was it easy to clean and that is when I soaked it in soapy water right away and used a nylon brush to scrub it. Not everyone can clean a pan within 15 minutes of grilling foods as you're usually eating. Now it's sitting on my range with burger remains still stuck in between the grill lines from two days ago after trying to clean three times now. I know the brown patina will eventually arrive yet what's on my pan is stuck on burger meat. I was only using medium-low heat as I have a professional range with gas burners here at home and this pan heats up fast.Plus, this pan is pretty small so barely holds 2 burgers or 2 chicken breasts which is ok since there are only two of us. I expect more from the Le Creuset line. I also have an off-brand non-stick grill pan that can't be used with higher than medium heat which is why I wanted this one for searing and good grill marks. The off-brand cleans up far nicer than this one. If you like to spend time cleaning pans, buy this one.

I wouldn’t but anymore of their products. WASTE OF MONEY.

I bought a 3 piece Skillet set from this company because I heard a lot of good reviews about Le Creuset products and I decided to buy these pans, pots and other accessories for my new home. I was in the process of packing and moving, did not use new pans right away, and only when I moved into my a new house in June, I decided to start using my "new and good quality Skillet Set", I tried to cook delicious dinner (steak) and what was the disappointment when everything stuck to the pan and dinner was completely ruined and thrown in the garbage. A couple of days later, after reading the instructions again carefully, I decided to try cooking chicken and vegetables, the result was the same, again ruining the food and my mood. I have a beautiful, professional gas range ... MoreI bought a 3 piece Skillet set from this company because I heard a lot of good reviews about Le Creuset products and I decided to buy these pans, pots and other accessories for my new home. I was in the process of packing and moving, did not use new pans right away, and only when I moved into my a new house in June, I decided to start using my "new and good quality Skillet Set", I tried to cook delicious dinner (steak) and what was the disappointment when everything stuck to the pan and dinner was completely ruined and thrown in the garbage. A couple of days later, after reading the instructions again carefully, I decided to try cooking chicken and vegetables, the result was the same, again ruining the food and my mood. I have a beautiful, professional gas range from Bosch and this set (as said on website and instruction) would be perfect.I was Disappointed in these pans, and I bought not only this set, also pots and other accessories, I spent almost a thousand dollars on all the products. I wrote to the customer service with explanations and attached pictures and asked to return the money back for products that do not meet the promised quality and price, they replied to me with a copy of a link to the police and said that they will not refund money. I wouldn't buy anymore of their products. WAST OF MONEY.So I decided to share my negative experience of product quality and customer service.

Love this grill pan!

I love this pan and Le Creuset! This grill pan is a nice size for daily meals. Small enough to be stored easily and a good size for dinner for 3 or 4. If you were cooking for a large meal you may want something larger. We like to cook on our grill but having a grill pan gives us nice options for cooking inside and is easier for vegetables etc.I cannot overstate how much I love how easy it is to clean this pan and Le Creuset in general. If you are on the fence, go for it! If I had known how easy these pans were to clean, I would have bought them years ago. The only downside is that the pans are heavy but it is a small price to pay.

MY BEST LE CREUSET TOOL FOR COOKING

I have had the signature square skillet for sometime now. I use it almost daily to cook meats. especially steak, grilled vegetables. Everything comes out wonderfully well with the beautifully created grill marks that makes the food look magnificent. When I first got it I didn't know how to clean and condition it properly and it just sat in the cupboard. Then I looked on line and found the proper method for cleaning. Ever since it's been a joy to cook with this absolutely wonderful pan. I highly recommend it.