In addition to durability and versatility, cast iron griddle also offer health benefits.  Cooking with cast iron adds trace amounts of iron to your food, which can be beneficial for people with iron deficiencies.  The even heat distribution of these   Cast griddle pans also means you can cook with less oil, resulting in healthier, tastier meals.

Best for: Almost any food that needs frying, browning, or searing. Because it’s ovenproof, stainless is also a good choice for foods that you start on the stovetop and then move to the oven to finish, like thick pork chops.

The details: Nitahara says that 95 percent of the pans used in the CIA’s teaching kitchens are stainless steel because they can take a lot of punishment. “The only time we don’t use them is on egg day, when we use nonstick,” he says. He adds that the shiny surface of a stainless pan makes it easy to see whether your food is browning.

In CR’s tests of stainless steel pans, we measure heating evenness by cooking pancakes, and we gauge how evenly a pan sautés by cooking potatoes until they’re tender. We also conduct a cleaning test to see how easy it is to remove cooked-on food. You’d think that all stainless pans would be about the same to clean, but our tests show that some require a lot more scrubbing than others.

Here are two recommended stainless steel pans from CR’s tests.

    All in all, a cast iron griddle is a versatile and durable tool that can be used to grill a variety of foods, from vegetables to seafood.  Knowing how to properly clean and maintain your cast iron griddle will ensure that it continues to provide excellent cooking results for years to come.  Whether you're an experienced cook or a novice cook, a cast iron griddle is a valuable addition to your kitchen.

Outdoor Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Everyone can appreciate a good frying pan—especially when they turn out your favorite pork chops or soft scrambled eggs. A well-equipped kitchen typically contains several different varieties of frying pans or skillets, including cast iron, stainless steel, and nonstick. (We're not counting the other essential pots and pans you should have, too, like a saucepan, heavy-bottomed pot, or even a wok). Here is how to use, clean, and care for each.