Not a grill pan, but I must admit, I LOVE my George Foreman grill and use it several times a week, mostly for fish and vegetables, but I have used it for meat as well. I have the model that has removable plates so it's easier to wash.

I picked up a cast iron grill pan in Emeril's line from wherever, when it was on sale. My expectations weren't very high, since it wasn't the greatest brand. Didn't think I'd come to rely on it every week! The ridges are nice and sharp, not rounded and dull like most of the non-stick versions. A cast-iron press for the top layer makes grilling even faster!

I like my lodge grill pan. They are kind of annoying to clean, but I highly doubt that has anything to do with the brand...

I have a Staub grill pan and absolutely love it! I had some growing pains with it as far as cleaning goes, but once I learned the kosher salt trick it is my "go to" pan from September - April. I live in Michigan, so I am not brave enough to grill outside in a foot of snow.

Definitely CAST IRON. On a student budget, forget about *brands* & head to the thrift store or consignment shop & grab the first one you see. You'll pay a fraction of the retail price & still have a quality grill for your grandkids to inherit. And, if you're lucky & it's been taken care of, it'll come preseasoned. (bonus pts for that score). Oh...and don't let a lil surface rust put you off. That is easily remedied. Plus, once seasoned, they are a DREAM to clean.

Here in the Deep South, we grill year round as well. Even during the cold spells, dh will brave the elements to fire up the grill. However, when temps drop below 45, my wimpy self is grillin indoors on cast iron.There's NOTHING comparable for indoor grilling and I've tested them all (all of which were gifts btw, because everyone knows we are grillin fools).

If you have to buy new, Lodge is a good bet for not being terribly expensive, but the recommendation for a used one is good. Putting a used CI pan in a bath of Coca-Cola to cover it will strip off the old stuff, then wash with soap and water, rinse well and after towel drying, put it on the stove at very low heat to dry it out completely. Then proceed to season as per Lodge instructions.

A good dry rubdown with lots of kosher salt after use will remove stuck on stuff. DO NOT WASH IN WATER AFTER IT IS SEASONED. A lot of folks don't realize that heating up an iron pan before using it does all the disinfecting you need if you have scrubbed it well with salt..

I had a bunch of kids in summer camp once who hated washing dishes in the wooks, sterilizing at all that, so I showed them how to clean the CI dutch oven and they loved it. They even insisted on taking it on canoe trips.

Teflon sucks. Cast iron rocks.

Lodge should be fine unless you are on a Kosher/Halal diet, as their prea-seasoned pans/grills may have been cured with pork fat. Their pots used to be Kosher but they moved away from that some time ago....

Agree. Cast iron rocks in so many ways. Love my Lodge!

i have to say i love the thrift store idea and as a fellow student im a big believer in saving. why not give homegoods a try. i love it there and everything there is a bargain.

I got a great cast iron grill pan that flips over to a flat top griddle at World Market. I think it was ~$20 or somesuch. It fits over 2 burners, so you can cook a family sized meal if needs be. Highly recommend it if you are on a budget.

My husband and I (also on cheap grad student budgets) have been rocking the cast iron one from Ikea (can't recall the name) for several years and it hasn't let us down yet. I think we spent around $20 on it. Sometimes I do wish it had a lid for capturing heat, though. Usually we just steal the lid off of our Lodge oven and use that to cover the food, which tends to work pretty well.

the weekend before last I wanted to server grilled fruit kabobs for dessert, and so I went out and bought not 1 but 2 Lodge grill pans. The first one was not big enough to cover both burners. I'm totally in love with the larger one. Lodge makes a 16 inch one and a 20 inch version, I went with the 20 inches, to span both burners on my electric stove.

I first grill the salmon (honey mustard glazed) for the entree. Then after a quick cool down, and clean, I kabobed the fruit, and grilled it (then drizzled a peach infused white balsamic vinegar when it came off the grill). Totally an awesome meal.

I have one recommendation, take the burner pans out, and put down a sheet of aluminum foil down, then put the burner plates back in and then the grill on top of them, it'll help clean up.

From Lodge's website:

Lodge sprays vegetable oil onto the cookware, then bakes it on at high temperatures to create a natural, easy-release cooking surface for everything from Skillets, to Grill Pans, Camp Dutch Ovens and our Restaurant quality serving pieces.