Grilled to order

With a grill skillet, your meal will be ready in a couple of minutes flat. It’s healthier than dunking your food in the frying pan and easier toiling over an oven. Rochelle Pinto tells more.

If you're on a diet, chances are you've been advised to grill your meats and vegetables. With a grill skillet, your meal will be ready in a couple of minutes flat. It's healthier than dunking your food in the frying pan and easier toiling over an oven.

Multi-purpose
The traditional skillet was about eight to 10 inches in diameter with flared sides and a flat base. This was used for everything from sautéing to frying, making it a multi-purpose gadget to own.

The grill skillet has an added advantage as the bottom is shaped exactly like your oven grill with a ribbed surface. This allows you to grill vegetables and even light meats like chicken and fish with minimal energy invested.

Oil-free
When it comes to outdoor cooking, cast-iron skillets work best. But you can up the health ante by purchasing a grill skillet with a non-stick coating so that you can minimise the usage of oil. But like all non-stick utensils, avoid using sharp metal utensils when cooking with the grill.

Wooden spatulas work best as they do not scratch the surface and damage the coating. Even when washing the skillet, first allow hot water to soak in it which will dislodge most food particles stuck to the surface. This way you won't have to use a heavy hand when cleaning it.