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Grill marks are largely about aesthetics over flavor, and we prefer that our food gets full contact with a smooth cook surface so we can maximize the Maillard (searing) reaction over the whole piece of food. To us, grill marks only make sense when you're cooking over fire and the smoke can impart flavors into your food.

 

Grill marks look appealing—after all our brains are wired to salivate even at the thought of a golden-browned, crispy exterior—but they're largely about aesthetics over flavor. When you use a grill pan, you're essentially only searing a fraction of your food's surface.

 

More Contact Means More Flavor

We intentionally make all our cast iron products, including our griddles, with smooth, machined cooking surfaces (like vintage cast iron). Surfaces like these allow a cook to maximize the Maillard reaction—a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that gives browned food its incredible flavor and aromas. Cast iron gets ripping hot and stays hot even as your food comes into contact with the surface.

Full contact of food with skillet = more Maillard reaction = more flavor.

When Grill Marks Make Sense

Now, don't get us wrong. Grill marks do have their place—on an actual grill. When you're cooking over fire or charcoal, those spaces between the grates allow smoke and flames to interact directly with your food, imparting unique flavors. Plus, with the intense heat of wood or charcoal, you can often achieve the Maillard reaction on both the hot grates and the spaces in between. 

But on your stovetop? Those grill marks are just for show.

 

Field Philosophy: Own Less, Love it More

At Field Company, we believe in owning fewer, better things. So we tend to prefer tools that are versatile and timeless, over more niche gadgets. For us, a smooth cast iron pan can do it all—sear, sauté, bake, simmer, roast, braise and more.

For those times you’re trying to render fat away from your food, or you really just love how grill marks look, we recommend turning to an outdoor grill, not a grill pan.

 

Read More

We're not the only ones who feel this way about grill marks, here’s a round up of other voices in our community weighing in on the topic:

  • Serious Eats: Do Grill Pans Actually Mimic Grilling? | Ask The Food Lab
  • Gear Patrol: 9 Grilling Mistakes You’re Probably Making (and How to Fix Them)
  • Amazing Ribs: What’s a Proper Sear and Why Grill Marks Are Overrated

 

In conversation with our friend and renowned chef, Samin Nostrat, she agreed: "In general I’m not into grill marks. What’s the point? The key is to get everything brown and rendered, and grill marks mean you only got halfway there."

 In other words, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

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