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Pans, skillets and Dutch Ovens
The Big Green Egg is an amazing grill that allows you to cook almost everything you could cook in your kitchen but outside. You shouldn’t think of the Egg as just a barbecue; it’s much more. Using pans, skillets and Dutch ovens on your Egg will allow you to cook dishes such as smoked chilli con carne, sauté vegetables, and bake sweet and savoury dishes.
A pan of one form or another will also help with heat retention and distribution, giving you better cooking results while still getting all the barbecue flavour.
Types of pans, skillets and Dutch ovens
Traditionally, people cook on their grills with pans made of cast iron. Cast iron can easily withstand the heat from a Big Green Egg, so it’s a great material to use. However, there are many other materials used, and in many forms:
- Cast iron skillets – we use the skillets from Big Green Egg. Their construction is great and they’re sized to fit the different Egg sizes. Over time, they will build up an almost non-stick layer. We use these pans all the time.
- Wrought iron – similar to cast iron, but thinner and lighter. We love the range of Solidteknics pans even though they are quite costly. We now use them as our main frying pans inside the house, and those that fit the Egg, out on the grills. The Bigga skillets are particularly useful. They have a new range with small handles.
- Stainless steel pans work brilliantly and clean up nicely. Solidteknics have some superb pans for the Egg.
- Tefal Ingenio – you’ll have seen us using these a lot. We love the detachable handles that allow you to use them easily in the Egg. We recommend the stainless steel sets as they are far more durable. We even use the non-stick pans, but are very careful to keep the temperature down so as not to damage the coating.
Cast Iron Skillets
A cast iron skillet is a great addition to a Big Green Egg. It will allow you to sauté, sear, bake…
For a long time I would tell people to pop to TK Max and buy any old cast iron pan and then cut the handle off to make it fit into the Egg. Then, I bought my first Big Green Egg skillet. They may cost a little more, but they’re finished much better, and their handles are useful. Because they are finished so nicely, over time, you will build up a layer of seasoning that effectively makes the pan almost nonstick (even if you wash them).
Lots of people will tell you never to use detergent on your cast iron pans. With these we find you can wash them with detergent, just dry them thoroughly afterwards and maybe add a thin wipe of oil.
Cooking using a cast iron skillet
A cast iron skillet can be used both over direct and indirect heat. They can be used up to very high temps too. You’ll often find me using a skillet to sear a rib-eye steak when I want a full-surface sear. Typically, we’ll use them for frying, and their solid construction means you get a lovely, even heat.
Our favourite cast iron skillet
Big Green Egg sell two skillets. The small skillet is 27cm diameter, and the large 36cm. For me the smaller one is the most versatile, leaving you space to cook other items on a large Big Green Egg.
Steel pans
When Big Green Egg first launched the Solidteknics pans, we were sent a set to try. They’re lighter than a cast iron pan but still very solid. We had the quenched range to try. Straight from the bag (they come shipped each in a cotton bag), they were non-stick. The pan requires you to reseason them, but they have improved over time. They are so good; we’ve recently bought quite a few extras.Â
There is another player in this market. Sadly it’s Kamado Joe. They sell a range of Karbon Steel pans. The ones to look out for are the half-moon set. As their name suggests, they are designed to fit the Classic Joe in two half-moon shapes. They also happen to fit the large Big Green Egg brilliantly. We own a set, and they’re very good; well, the solid one is, I’ve never used the perforated one. The beauty of these is you get much more space (half your grill) to cook other things. Â
Cooking using a steel pan
Both the KJ and the Solidteknics pans are very solid. They’re not going to bend or buckle with heat. You can treat them like you would a cast iron pan, they’re just a bit lighter.Â
Our favourite steel pan
This is a tough call. I’m going to plump for two. I get most use out of the smaller Bigga Solidteknics pan. However, even though I use it way less, I love the design of the KJ Karbon Steel half-moon solid pan.Â
Dutch Ovens
A Dutch oven is typically a cast iron pot with a cast iron lid, and they vary in size and lid shape.
The one pictured has handles for the lid on the sides, and is very flat. The advantage of this is that the lid can be used in its own right as a skillet, and the whole Dutch oven can be inverted, using the main part as a lid, which is particularly handy when baking bread.
Other versions may have a lip around the lid. This feature is there to allow you to place burning coals on to the lid, therefore heating the pot from the top.
Big Green Egg’s Dutch oven has a handle in the middle of the lid, meaning you can’t use it upside down, but it is easier to remove the lid.
Cooking using a Dutch Oven
Most people will use a Dutch oven if they want to make a Chilli Con Carne on the Big Green Egg. With the lid removed, the ingredients can be cooked and smoked at the same time. The smoke adds a beautiful richness.Â
Our favourite Dutch Oven
We own four Dutch Ovens, two enamelled Big Green Egg ones, a cast iron Big Green Egg oven, and a Lodge one. The Lodge is our favourite (if now very expensive), as it’s the most versatile, having the flat lid, which is perfect for baking.Â
Tefal Ingenio Pans
We discovered these pans on our quest to find quality compact pans for our campervan initially and then latterly the Minimax, which always travels with us. We loved them from the first time we used them. Our range of pans has grown over the years and the beauty is they can be used both indoors and outdoors. We usually stop at Auchan, in Calais, before we head home on the Eurotunnel and we’ve found Auchan have a good stock and there’s often a bargain to be had!
Cooking using a Tefal Pan
The frying pans are great for cooking dishes that need to be inverted after cooking eg Tarte Tatin or Spanish Tortilla. Just ensure that your plate is slightly bigger than the pan; a quick 180° flip and your dish is turned out and ready to eat. They are also perfect for cooking a paella.
The saucepans are great when you want to cook a sauce on the Egg as you don’t risk burning yourself on a hot handle, as the handles detach. They also take us less space inside the grill so you can use alongside other pans.
Our Favourite Tefal
That’s tough as we have quite an extensive range now, which we use both indoors and outdoors. However, if we could only pick one, it would be the stainless steel saucepans and matching non-stick fyring pans, which just edge it as they are so versatile.
Mrs Meat Smoke Fire’s Opinion on Pots & Pans
Nic does pretty much all the cooking in our house and subsequently I do most of the clearing up. For what it’s worth, here’s what influences my opinion on different types of pan.
- How easy are they to clean?
- I find the wrought iron, stainless steel, non-stick and enamel pans easier to clean.
- Controversially, I prefer to soak cast iron pans overnight, this makes removing any residual food stuck to the pan so much easier. Make sure you place them on a cloth to dry; they leave rust marks on your kitchen surface!
- How easy are they to store?
- I prefer pans that can be stacked inside one another to optimise storage.
- How heavy are they?
- This makes cast iron pans my least favourite. They’re just generally a bit more cumbersome to manoeuvre and make more of a mess in the sink when you’re washing up.
Whilst the Solidteknic skillets are an investment; they are easy to clean, stack and handle and are fast becoming my favourites. I also love the fact you can cook and serve food at the table in the same pan, which saves on the amount of washing up. A big win for me!
