Does anyone have any idea what this pan is called? It has a bottom dish and a rack that sits on top with several “legs”. It has a cover. There is a hole in the center of both the bottom part and the rack. I'm told it's from Argentina. I'm not sure how to use it and I can’t find anything online.
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I think, from the picture, the lid will sit on the upper tier, but is that right, or does it enclose the lower tray as well (in which case it might be useful for steaming)?– Chris HSep 29, 2021 at 12:30
2 Answers
It looks like a "smokeless" stove top grill very similar to the one my mother used to have. Unfortunately I can't find any pictures online but the setup is the same.
You put it on a burner and add water to the lower plate. Food goes on the perforated plate, and you put the cover on to prevent heat from escaping. Fat drips onto the bottom plate with water, so it doesn't burn and doesn't create smoke.
I don't believe it's a Korean grill plate; in those usually the center is closed, both for creating a hot spot and to prevent grease from falling on top of the burner. In the one from the question the food doesn't go directly on top of the burner, it cooks like in an oven not with direct heat.
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That’s what I'm thinking, although I'm wondering if the water on the bottom is to catch drips rather than steam the food since it's open on the bottom. Sep 29, 2021 at 0:09
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@LizHonig you're right, I remember now; it was called a smokeless grill. I changed my answer to reflect that. I remember having food that was quite dry (from cooking for too long) so definitely not a steamer :)– LucianoSep 29, 2021 at 7:56
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It sounds rather like a way of cooking foods that wouldn't normally work on top of a stove, when that's all you've got. Here's something similar on Amazon; that has a drip tray but also what looks like a more solid top than in the question– Chris HSep 29, 2021 at 10:37
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Another related item, without the drip tray or lid: barbecue veg pan (chestnut pans are similar). I say related because in the same way you could grill things that wouldn't go on a wire rack– Chris HSep 29, 2021 at 10:39
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@ChrisH indeed, more like the one in your first comment. It's a marketing trick as it doesn't "grill" as much, since it's indirect heat - It won't grill much without the lid– LucianoSep 29, 2021 at 12:26
This is stuff for the Korean BBQ grill. Pieces of meat that are prepped properly are grilled on this stuff. The fire is placed under the dish of the pan. Just look at this pic:
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2I'm not certain this is correct. Your image shows a largely- solid surface with openings around the outside only. The one in the question shows an even distribution of holes leaving very little surface area to brown the meat. Do you have another example that has a more similar perforation pattern?– Catija ♦Sep 28, 2021 at 23:15
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Additionally, the pan in the original post is enamelled. That would never be the case for a Korean BBQ pan.– SneftelSep 29, 2021 at 9:26
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I've got a similar thing to this with a stone (granite IIRC) top, usable for Korean barbecue and similar techniques but also as a mini pizza stone (@sneftel). It's hard to see how the perforated one in the question is similar– Chris HSep 29, 2021 at 10:34
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@Catija I had a similar one. It's not important if think my answer is wrong, just say it and I delete it.– ALINSep 29, 2021 at 11:45
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Opinions on the matter vary, but I think it can be better to keep a plausible but wrong answer.– Chris HSep 29, 2021 at 12:34