I’ve Used Our Place’s Cast Iron Grill Pan Since the Start of Summer and I Don’t Plan on Stopping Anytime Soon
When it comes to trendy cookware of the early 2020s, Our Place is a huge player in the realm of viral cooking must-haves. The beloved cookware brand, known for its simple but thoughtful design and muted color palette, was founded in 2019 by Shiza Shahid. Since its founding, however, the company has expanded its products tremendously and skyrocketed to stovetop fame across social media. One scroll through food TikTok will often lead to at least one influencer using Our Place’s most famous and versatile product, The Always Pan. The brand also sells a wide array of cookware, including The Perfect Pot and Oven Pan, and accessories like utensils, knives, and even linens, many of which we’ve tested ourselves and loved.
What’s So Great About the Our Place Cast Iron Hot Grill?
- Versatile grill pan that works on the stove, in the oven, and under the broiler.
- Comes in six muted shades that go beautifully from cooktop to tabletop.
- Retails for $95 with a limited lifetime warranty.
Most recently, Our Place released the Cast Iron Hot Grill, a medium-sized grill pan that you can use for indoor and outdoor cooking, and, yes, is available in all of the brand’s traditional shades. I tested out the grill pan for a few months, and have cooked everything from bread to flank steak to get firsthand experience with the pan’s versatility, durability, and overall quality. Here’s my honest review of the Our Place Cast Iron Hot Grill.
What Is the Our Place Cast Iron Hot Grill?
The Cast Iron Hot Grill is one of Our Place’s newest cookware products; it launched at the start of summer 2023. It’s a round grill cast iron pan with two side handles that you can use on the stove or in the oven, giving you versatility in terms of your cooking method and extending the grilling season beyond spring and summer. Below are some of the characteristics of the pan that are worth taking note of if you’re looking for a reliable grill pan that you can use all year round.
Our Place Cast Iron Hot Grill Features
- Dimensions: The pan measures 14.2 inches in diameter from “handle to handle,” per the brand’s website. The outer diameter of the pan is 10.5 inches and it’s about 1.6 inches in height. The pan is a bit hefty, weighing about 6.7 pounds, and there are two handles on the sides to help with transporting the pan from stove to oven to table.
- Appearance: The pan is made from durable cast iron with an enamel coating and matte black interior. The outside is shiny and comes in shades of sage, blue salt, char, steam, lavender, and spice.
- Functionality: The pan doesn’t require seasoning, like with traditional cast iron skillets, so you can get right to cooking. The product isn’t dishwasher-safe and should be thoroughly cleaned by hand in between uses. The pan can withstand heat up to 500°F in the oven and broiler, and works with gas, electric, induction, and ceramic cooktops. The brand also recommends using nonabrasive cleaning products and avoiding using coarse or metal tools that may scratch the pan.
My Honest Review of Our Place’s Cast Iron Hot Grill
As a home cook and food editor, I always thought that a grill pan was an unnecessary piece of cookware. I wasn’t against them in any way, but if I had to choose between a traditional skillet or a grill pan, I’d go with the former for the versatility. That said, though, I have truly enjoyed the time I’ve spent with this pan! The pan is super durable and versatile, and I like that it comes in a range of different shades. Although many home cooks can survive in the kitchen without a grill pan, there are a number of benefits to having one on hand — especially if you love a good grill-mark moment.
One of my first ventures with this pan was when I used it to test various methods for tenderizing steak in a recent Skills Showdown. Although this could technically be done in a traditional skillet, using a grill pan has its advantages. The ridges of the grill pan not only created visually appealing grill marks on the flank steaks I prepared, but it also helped provide a good amount of flavorful char to the steaks. I like my steak done medium, and particularly love when it has a bit of texture and crispness on the outside as well.
Additionally, I fell more in love with this pan after making this recipe for pan con tomate. Although this is a dish that can be prepared with various toasting mechanisms, I think that for a dish as simple as pan con tomate, it was worth pulling out the Grill Pan to toast the bread. With a little bit of olive oil to help with the process, the bread toasted amazingly well — even better than it would in a traditional toaster. Toasters can toast bread in slightly uneven areas, but the pan’s even heat distribution ensured the slices were toasted thoroughly.
Who Should Buy the Our Place Cast Iron Hot Grill?
Our Place’s Cast Iron Hot Grill is great for anyone who cooks, but particularly those who like grilled or grilling-adjacent foods, and for those who might not have the ability to use a traditional gas or charcoal grill whether it’s because of their space, budget, or geographical location. Who wants to spend hundreds of dollars on a traditional grill that they can only use for a few months out of the year?
I’d also emphasize that the Grill Pan is also perfect for those who, like me, don’t consider themselves grilling pros, but rather just home cooks who like to grill. This pan is great for bread or grilled vegetables to more hearty foods like steak or grilled salmon. This way, you can enjoy all of your favorite dishes without having to wait for summer to arrive again — or you know, actually going out and getting an extra-large grill.
Buy: Our Place Cast Iron Hot Grill, $95