The product we used:
Indoor cooking with an outdoor flavor
The Marujyu-Kanaami ceramic far-infrared barbecue grill mesh is a simple tool used for cooking indoors while getting similar results to grilling outdoors on a typical outdoor grill. The white ceramic bottom of the mesh, when heated over a gas stove, emits far-infrared radiation. It's said that far-infrared radiation allows the mesh to cook food more evenly than more conventional cooking methods.
But, grilling indoors on a gas stove is a bit unconventional, so what's it like?
Toast
Making toast with the grill is a breeze. Delicious and crispy. One challenge we had: our gas stove focuses fire near the center, rather than fanning it out towards the edges. As a consequence, although our bread got toasted, there are clear signs of uneven grilling. Something to keep in mind if your gas stove similarly focuses fire closer to the center of the stove.
Meat
As we mentioned in a previous article for the Mennen ceramic grill mesh, you probably don't want to cook fatty meat on this mesh. Even leaner meat such as the beef pictured above dripped some fat onto our gas stove, filling our studio with smoke in the process. It also left a bit of a mess behind. If you plan to cook meat with the grill, be prepared to keep the room well ventilated and prepare some clean-up goods ahead of time.
However, in spite of the smoke and mess, the meat we grill tasted great. If you are prepared to deal with trade-offs, you'll be rewarded with grilled meat that tastes like you cooked it over charcoal outside.
Fish
Grilled fish is a classic Japanese breakfast food. If your fish is fatty, everything we said about meat applies here. Be prepared for the trade-offs and you'll enjoy the experience. Grilled fish for breakfast is a great way to dip your toes into Japanese cuisine. Just add miso soup and rice and you have the staple Japanese breakfast to start your day.
How to Use
Using the grill is fairly straightforward. One thing to keep in mind is that you really want to heat using the far-infrared radiation from the ceramic bottom of the mesh. To do that, first set your gas stove on medium-high to heat the ceramic, making sure to place the ceramic side down (don't place food on it). Once you bring it to temperature, turn the heat down to keep the mesh hot.
After you're finished cooking, you can clean the mesh with water. Once you're done, place the grill back on the stove and heat it up to burn off any moisture soaked up by the ceramic coating.
Caution
- The ceramic portions of the mesh will warp with use and exposure to heat. That is part of the normal wear-and-tear of this kind of kitchen tool.
- Don't scrape or scrub the ceramic portion of the mesh with steel wool, knives, or any other hard objects.
- The Marujyu-Kanaami Ceramic Far-Infrared Barbecue Grill Mesh isn't dishwasher safe. Washing it in the dishwasher may cause the ceramic to come off.
- Don't soak in water for an extended period. Doing so may cause rusting or the ceramic coating to come off.
- Don't store the mesh while it is still wet. Doing so may cause the coating to separate into powder form. Remember to burn off moisture as in the instructions in section How to Use
About Imperfections in the Ceramic Portions of the Mesh
The ceramic coating on new meshes frequently have small cracks or small pits as pictured above. That is part of the nature of the material itself. Meshes with such imperfections are not considered defective and are safe to use.
