The stainless steel plancha: a trendy plancha with nuanced qualities
The stainless steel plancha is prized for its easy cleaning — though not without the odd indelible cooking mark…
The stainless steel plancha is easy to clean in every nook and cranny and carries no risk of corrosion. The stainless steel plate is folded from a single piece with a hole at the front for draining juices and fats into the collection tray. The cooking surface is cleaned by scraping with a spatula, using water and degreaser. That said, there is no point battling away at stubborn brownish marks. When heated, stainless steel turns brown. These cooking stains are indelible. A little white vinegar helps to neutralise odours at the end of cleaning.
The stainless steel plate heats up quickly, but struggles to hold its heat.
The stainless steel plate is relatively thin: just 3 or 4 mm thick. As it is in direct contact with the heat source, the temperature rise is very fast. The electric stainless steel plancha may well be fitted with the very best electric heating elements, but the stainless steel plate does not have good thermal inertia. The thermostat kicks in regularly to keep the plate at the desired temperature. Gas models (butane/propane), which are often more powerful, risk warping the stainless steel plate. In any event, by its very composition, stainless steel is a very good insulator, but not a good heat conductor. It therefore cannot store heat optimally for quality contact cooking.
The enamel plancha will be your ally if cooking quality comes top of your list.
The enamel plancha looks as good as new after a quick and easy clean!
The Roller Grill PL 400 enamel plancha / PL 600 collection is a range of enamelled steel planchas. Like the stainless steel plancha, the relatively thin enamel plate (5 mm thick) is folded and curved from a single piece. Every inch of the cooking surface gets a thorough clean, without exception! Juices and fats are channelled at the front of the plate into the collection tray. This solid enamel is highly resistant to abrasion and close to diamond in hardness. The enamel plancha is cleaned with a sponge and washing-up liquid. The most stubborn cooking residues can be removed with a metal spatula without leaving any scratches on the plate. A little white vinegar, a wipe with a soft cloth, and the enamel plancha regains all its shine, just like on day one!
The enamelled plancha offers better cooking quality with a thicker plate.
Roller Grill also manufactures a range of PSR 400 enamelled planchas / PSR 600 / PSR 900 of professional quality. The 10 mm thick steel plate is coated with a solid enamel. The enamelling is identical to that of the PL 400 / PL 600 collection. This enamel makes the plate perfectly smooth, ideal for quality contact cooking. Heat transfer to the product being cooked is all the better for it! Enamel withstands very high temperatures. With star-shaped burners or Incoloy heating elements, the enamelled plancha of sufficient thickness can be used at high power for cooking large cuts of meat or quickly searing king prawns or scallops.
Between the stainless steel plancha and the enamel plancha, there is really no need to hesitate any longer: the enamelled plancha will give you complete satisfaction when it comes to both cooking and cleaning!
To find out more:
- Chrome plancha or teppanyaki: what’s the difference?
- What is the best stainless steel plancha ?