This is a review of the Cuisinart GreenGourmet eco friendly 11 inch square grill pan. If you want to get the Cuisinart Green Gourmet pan, Click Here.
The Cuisinart GreenGourmet grilling pan, as its name suggests, is supposedly manufactured in a way that is friendlier to the environment and thus following the ‘green’ trend that is quite popular today. However, the Cuisinart grill pan is not only marketed as a product that is good for our environment, it’s also marketed as a product that is good for our cooking too.
As for the eco friendly aspect, the Cuisinart GreenGourmet pans are manufactured in a way that reduces carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming. Both the stainless steel handle and the packaging are made from recycled materials, and the Cuisinart ceramica nonstick coating is allegedly free of PTFE and PFOA – substances believed to have a negative impact on one’s health and well being.
However, the fact that a product is eco friendly does not mean that people should rush to get it. All these ‘green’ aspects of the Cuisinart grill pan can be great for marketing, but eventually the customers are going to judge the Cuisinart green pan based on how well it functions as a grilling pan.
On its first few uses, the Cuisinart GreenGourmet square grill pan actually performs quite well. The pan heats up fairly quickly, and the heat is distributed evenly across the surface, without any hot or cold spots that would ruin your food. In addition, the nonstick surface of the Cuisinart grill pan does prevent the food from sticking, making it relatively easy to clean the pan grill.
Another thing that adds to the versatility of the grill pan is the fact that the pan is broiler and oven safe, meaning it can basically go directly into the oven with no problem whatsoever. On the other hand, you’ll have to hand wash the Cuisinart Green Gourmet grilling pan since the GreenGourmet cookware products are not dishwasher safe, including this Cuisinart green pan.
While in its first ten or so uses the Cuisinart grill pan would probably serve you well, the nonstick coating of the grilling pan just doesn’t seem to last. Eventually, you’ll end up with a pan that causes almost any food to stick to its ‘nonstick’ surface. Seasoning the Cuisinart square grill pan usually won’t help much once the nonstick surface loses its effectiveness.
It’s not rare for nonstick cookware to deteriorate with time, but some products are better than others. You can either pick a heavy cast iron pan that can last much longer than the average grill pas that isn’t made of cast iron, like the Cuisinart GreenGourmet eco friendly 11 inch square grill pan. Or you can look for a nonstick grilling pan that has a more durable nonstick coating.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I also have a Green Pan and I LOVE it. I bought a few different eco pans to try out and Green pan was the best and Earth Pan was the worst. I am also addicted to my George Forman Grill and I know the coating on it isn’t that safe. So, I called Green Pan and they said they are developing an electric eco grill that should be out “in a few months”…yay! Now, I just hope their new grill has the removable grill pieces like the new Forman evolution so it can be easily washed….keeping fingers crossed!
This may be a gimmick, but I have a whole set of GreenPans which are the original safe alternative to Teflon. They perform fantastically well under all sorts of family abuse (I have 4 kids). They heat evenly and nothing sticks EVER. I love the fact that they’re safe for our family and I tossed out the Teflon with no objections from anyone!
It looks more like a gimmick product to me, but I admit that it’s unfair that I critize this eco-friedly cuisinart grill pan without actually trying it.
It’s just that I have tried a couple of those nonstick pans and they usually don’t last long, so I’ve decided to try a cast iron pan.