Calphalon Unison 12" Round Griddle and Grill Pans
The Calphalon 12 inch round griddle and 12 inch round grill pans are both great pans for cooking, sautéing and grilling foods easily using the nonstick coating of both pans.
Ease of Use/Performance: 23/25
Convenience/Storage 22/25
Appearance/Design 21/25
How much I enjoy 24/25
Total: 90/100
The Calphalon Unison 12 inch round grill and 12 inch round griddle make the perfect pair of pans for grilling and cooking foods in the kitchen. Both pans are low sided, made from 4 mm thick aluminum with a non stick coating for cooking with or without oil or butter.
I received two Calphalon Unison 12 inch round pans and decided to lump them into one review due to their similarities. Both pans are 12 inches in diameter with the low sides and non stick coating but the coating is different on the two types I received.
The grill pans non stick coating is a bit rougher than the Slide non stick pan I received, Calphalon offers two versions of the griddle. One version the Slide Nonstick is smoother and the Sear is the rougher non stick coating that is more for searing meats.
The second pan is a grill pan with raised ridges on the inside to give food like meats a grilled effect as well as cook the foods more like an outdoor grill would. Both pans have 1 1/2 inch sides and a long 10 inch brushed cast iron handle that does an excellent job of staying cool.
The handles are securely riveted to the pans side with three large rivets that make for a tough way to attach the handles and three means extra stability. The pans are a common size so lids from Calphalon or other manufacturers should fit, I found a glass lid from T-Fal that fit perfectly.
The pans are coated with a non stick surface that really does make the pans work without any kind of oil or butter for cooking things like steaks, chicken or fish. Other foods like raw vegetables may need a little oil but the pans coating does allow you to use less.
The grill has the small dents all along the bottom of the pan about an eighth of an inch tall and rounded with the base a quarter of an inch wide. These grills make your food cook much like, but not exactly like using an outdoor grill for that grilled effect to your food.
Meats cook very well with it, kind of like a grill without the added flavor a charcoal grill or even a gas grill gives. I prefer using a charcoal grill, one day I'll build me a nice one, but until then my old grill in the yard and pans like these are the best I can do indoors during the winter.
The grill pan worked great for searing and grilling meats like steaks and chicken but fish fillets did not do quite as well, the grill is better for meats like pork, beef and chicken. Fish worked but it worked even better in the griddle with its flat surface, the grill just did not cook the thinner fish all that well.
I used the grill pan to cook some chicken breasts, hamburgers, steaks, zucchini and green tomatoes as well as a few types of fish. I did not try thicker cuts of fish which would probably be better than the thinner fillets I used like flounder, Pollock and perch.
Thicker cuts of fish like salmon or tuna would probably be great as the pan worked great for thicker foods like steaks and those chicken breasts. Thinner foods tended to not cook well using the grill pan because the thinner foods did not get the time to heat up evenly.
The grill pan is all about getting those grill lines and does cook meats very well but for thinner foods you may want to try out the griddle pan. The griddle pan comes in two versions, Sear and Slide nonstick, I received the Slide non stick which is great for all around cooking.
You can use the lower sided griddle pan for cooking eggs, omelets, pancakes, sautéing and other cooking like risotto or sauces. This pan makes fantastic omelets for two and is great for things like fried vegetables or sautéed mushrooms and onions.
The griddle pans low sides make using a spatula easy but the sides are tall enough to keep liquids like risotto in the pan. You can cook using oils and butter as well as liquids but the pan is non stick and cooking using no oils or fats works for some foods.
I tried cooking some zucchini without using oil and they did cook well but just a touch of olive oil really brought out the flavor. The pans are great and cooking with them is easy, you simply preheat the pans to the temperature you want to use and when the pans are hot enough to melt butter to bubbling you're ready to go.
The pans work fantastically with my new gas range but would work well with an electric range due to the very flat bottom on both pans. The pan and griddle will not work on an induction stove top as they are not steel or iron but are safe for oven use as well as the stove top.
I used the pans, both grill and griddle, for some recipes that seared and cooked foods and then finished cooking them in the oven which worked great. Both pans do a nice job of searing and then you can finish foods like chicken breasts or roasts inside the oven.
The pans handles are all metal so they are safe for both stovetop and oven use but they will get hot in the oven so hot pads are needed when removing. The pans work great as those dual cooking for both stovetop and right into the oven foods or even just for keeping foods hot till you serve.
The pans non stick nature means cleanup is also very easy and the pans are dishwasher safe but clean up easily just using soapy water and a little elbow grease. When grilling I did have to scrub a little to get some of the burnt on drippings but this was also easy to clean off with a non metallic scrub pad.
The non stick coating can be scratched if you use a metallic scrub pad like an SOS pad or even metal cooking utensils. You should only use non metal utensils when cooking, personally I would recommend silicone covered tools.
When you purchase these more expensive pans using those cheaper plastic and nylon utensils just does not make sense if they have the possibility of scratching the non stick surface. Silicone covered spatulas, tongs and spoons make the most sense and are easier on the non stick coating as well as those plastic fibered scrubber pads.
The instructions on the cardboard packaging also note that you should not use those aerosol sprays on the pans as they can build up on the pans. They are not all an oil so they can become a burnt on mess, instead use oil and if you only need a very little try oil in a misting spray bottle.
I have tried a good variety of foods on the pans and really enjoy the non stick coating and short sides, these pans make a fantastic set and are very reasonably priced. I highly recommend the Calphalon Unison grill and griddle pans that make great larger sized pans for everyday cooking.