The possession of a fully operational oven is a luxury that is out of reach for some people. Yet who doesn’t love baked goodies? Everyone rejoices when they catch a whiff of the tantalizing aroma of freshly baked treats.
Even if you don’t have an oven or a microwave, you don’t have to worry about not being able to enjoy delicious baked goods because you can use a regular stovetop or a grill instead!
So to answer the question, YES you can put a baking pan on the grill.
Your grill functions in a manner that is very similar to that of an oven in many respects. It is completely enclosed, has a space for cooking, and a heating element built into it. Because it recreates the conditions of an oven, it makes it incredibly simple to bake the most mouthwatering recipes ever conceived of.
Baking on the grill may appear unconventional and extremely strange, but in practice, it’s not all that strange at all. Because the majority of backyard grills come with a lid, closing the lid makes the grill behave similarly to an oven in that it generates heat and ensures that the heat continues to circulate throughout the area that is packed.
When you use your baking pan on the grill, there are a few things that you need to make sure of, specifically:
Contents
Factors to Keep in Mind When Using Your Baking Pan On The Grill
Here are some factors you need to keep in mind when using a baking pan on the grill:
Choose the Right Baking Pan
To begin, you will need to select the appropriate baking pan for the dish. Your choice of ceramic, glass, or metal for your baking dish is fine. If you are going to bake something on the grill, it is strongly recommended that you make use of a pan made of solid metal.
Pans made of glass or ceramic pose a greater danger because there is a greater possibility that they will shatter when subjected to temperatures that are extremely high. Always err on the side of caution so as to avoid remorse in the future.
Between nine and twelve inches in diameter is the standard size for a pan. For cakes, you should use regular round metal pans, and for brownies, you should use square metal pans. You don’t need anything more elaborate.
Set the Right Temperature
When cooking food on a grill, you should always go for foods that have been charred and have marks from the grill. However, this is one thing that you most certainly do not want on top of your cake or your brownies. In order to prevent your cake from getting grill marks, you must make sure that it is heated using indirect heat. It is necessary to bring the temperature of your grill up to the level specified by the recipe you are following.
When compared to a gas or electric grill, a grill that uses charcoal can be trickier to use when it comes to measuring and controlling the temperature of the cooking area. Turning off the burner allows for greater temperature control once the grill has reached the desired temperature and has been heated to the appropriate level.
In order to keep your baked goods from getting scorched, you need to have complete and unwavering command over the temperature throughout the baking process. Indirect heat is the most effective method for accomplishing this goal.
If your grill has two burners, you can use both of them to bring the grill up to the desired temperature, at which point you can turn off one burner and adjust the other to keep the temperature at the desired level. Maintaining the temperature won’t be much of a challenge for you if you are a baker who enjoys their hobby.
Get a Metal Rack for your Grill
Since we have determined that secondary heating is the best option, another helpful hint is to either set the pan filled with batter on the burners that are turned off or place a metal rack on the grill and then place the pan filled with batter on top of the metal rack.
In order for us to have a better understanding of the reasoning behind this, we need to travel through time and find a science lesson from sixth grade that focuses on heat and currents. If you recall, the heat source causes the molecules of air directly above it to get warmer. The particles of heated air expand and move upwards, while the particles of cool air contract and move downwards.
This cycle, also known as convectional currents, is formed when heated molecules expand and rise away from the source of heat, causing them to become less dense in the process. The molecules that are colder and denser are the ones that are dragged down, and when they approach the source of the heat, they begin to rise again.
Because of this cycle, the air in a confined space rotates continuously and keeps the temperature constant. This process will continue to recur on its own until the air in a particular location has been heated uniformly.
Therefore, if you make use of buffers such as racks, supports, or extra baking pans, you won’t have to worry about your cake becoming burnt! Your cake will rise, be light and airy, and retain its moisture if you bake it in a grill that has warm air.
Set a Timer to Avoid Burning the Cake
Put the cake on a timer so that you can keep an eye on it. Because every recipe calls for a unique temperature and a unique amount of time, you need to make sure that you follow the instructions exactly as written.
You always have the option to check the food later, and if necessary, you can “bake” it on the grill for a bit longer. You can use a toothpick to test the doneness of your cake by inserting it into the cake in several different locations and observing whether or not the toothpick emerges clean and dry.
If the toothpick is removed from the cake with batter on it, you will need to continue cooking the cake for a few more minutes.
How to Line the Pan
It is very necessary to line the baking pan in order to bake anything on a grill using a baking pan.
First, you will need to coat the bottom and the sides of the pan with butter or oil, and then you will need to dust it with flour. This prevents the cake from adhering to the pan while it’s baking.
Lining papers, which are often referred to as butter papers, are available and fulfill the same function as the original. In addition, the use of these sheets prevents the cake from adhering to the bottom or the edges of the pan while it is being cooked.
Baking Other Super-Easy Dishes on a Grill
There is no need for you to be concerned about being restricted to only preparing food that can be cooked leisurely on a grill. On a grill, you can also use pots and pans to prepare food.
It is important to keep in mind that the temperature of a grill can get quite high, so it is best to steer clear of using thin pans because the grill’s hot spots can increase the possibility of food being scorched. If you have a baking pan made of stainless steel, you can certainly use it on the grill to bake some of your favorite treats.
You should begin by baking simple goods, and when you do so, you should remember that this is not the time to use your most favored baking pan. In order to save as much fuel as possible, you should only use your grill for baking once in a great while.
Either bake the food directly above the flame (for foods that are typically baked at temperatures higher than 400 degrees Fahrenheit) or use a gas grill. If you want to keep from ruining your baked goods by setting them too close to a burner that has been turned on, the best piece of advice is to make use of indirect heat. In the same way that you would with an oven, you need to make sure to preheat your grill and keep the lid on it for the entirety of the baking process.
In addition to cakes, the following are some other extremely simple dishes that can be baked using a grill.
Pizza
You can make pizza in your baking pan on your grill. We are confident that this pizza will be superior to any other pizza you have tried because it will have crispy edges, the cheese will melt, and there will be no grill marks. If you want to feed all of your family and friends, you can bake a pizza that is as large as your grill.
In the same way that you would with an oven, you will need to preheat your grill. If you plan on cooking a pizza with a diameter of 16 inches, you will need to preheat your grill at high heat (between 500 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least 13 to 14 minutes.
Start by greasing the bottom of your pizza pan to prepare it. Then proceed to add the pizza dough, the toppings, and most importantly, the mouthwatering cheese! The trick is to keep the pizza pan elevated above the barbecue grate so that the bottom crust of the pizza does not get scorched. This will prevent the pizza from falling through the grates.
This trick can be accomplished with the assistance of a few unused cookie cutters or food cans. Maintain a 90-degree rotation of the pizza pan every three to four minutes. You will need to lift the lid of the grill and give the pizza a check at regular intervals of ten minutes.
French Fries
At the outdoor barbecue party you are throwing, you are going to need a tasty accompaniment for the grilled hot dogs and burgers that are being char-grilled. You can make your very own mouthwatering French fries or tater tots instead of purchasing chips already packaged in a store, if you prefer.
You can achieve this with the use of a baking pan! Allow the grill to preheat for about 20 minutes over direct medium heat (450 degrees Fahrenheit). When the baking pan is heated, put the potatoes that have been cut into it.
Make care to flip the fries on a consistent basis so that they get crispy on both sides. If you are making tater tots, give the baking pan a little shimmy every five to ten minutes so that the tots can be rolled onto a new side and get crunchier.
Quiche
Who doesn’t wake up in the morning wishing they might have a tasty chicken or vegetable quiche? On the grill, you may also bake delectable foods to have for breakfast. For this purpose, the best choice is to use a baking pan made of cast iron.
A baking pan made of cast iron has walls that are relatively thick, which helps to guarantee that the food bakes evenly across the pan. Just keep in mind that the key to success here is to take things “slow and low.” This means that you bake the food on the grill at an extremely slow speed and at an extremely low temperature.
It will take some time to set, so make sure not to rush the process; if you do, the crust could end up being burned.
A quiche should be cooked at a temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit using indirect heat for thirty to forty minutes. If you want the bottom layer to be flaky, you must first bake the crust without any filling in it. In a baking dish made of cast iron, place the pie crust to start forming the quiche.
After that, place a sheet of aluminum foil on top of it, followed by some pie weights in the center, so that the crust can maintain its flat shape. After the blind baking process is complete, remove the foil and the weights from the baking dish in a very gentle manner. Now, fill the crust with the filling, and proceed with the baking procedure in the same manner as you would if you were using an oven.
Brownies
There has never been an easier time to bake brownies; all you need is a grill and a baking tray made of either cast iron or aluminum. If you bake your brownies in an oven, they run the risk of getting burnt, but if you bake them on the grill, they are more likely to come out warm and gooey.
Your backyard will smell like chocolate for days after you make some ooey-gooey, mouthwatering brownies for the kids to eat at the end of your party that you held outside.
These brownies should be cooked on the grill over indirect heat at a medium-low temperature (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 45 minutes. Using a baking pan made of cast iron or a baking pan made of disposable aluminum and elevating it on the grill with the help of small food cans is the method that yields the best results.
This will extend the total cooking time, which will prevent your brownies from becoming overcooked. Do not attempt to rush things in order to ensure that they come out perfectly gooey and delicious rather than hard and charred! Raising the temperature will only cause them to catch fire.
Read more here about whether or not you can use a grill pan on a stove with a glass top.
The Bottom Line
Baking pans can most certainly be used on a grill; all that is required is that the appropriate temperature be selected and that the appropriate baking pan be used. On the grill, you can bake anything, including sweet treats like cakes and brownies, as well as savory snacks like burgers and hot dogs.
You no longer need an oven to prepare the shepherd’s pie using the top-secret recipe passed down through your family, the savory biscuits, and the delicious pretzels that have been buttered. To prepare mouthwatering delicacies for your next party or get together, all you need is your grill and the hints and tips that we have just given you to get started.
FAQs
Can you put a cooking pan on the grill?
If you have a grill and a cast iron skillet, you will never have to turn on your oven again during the summer. On the coals, a cast-iron skillet is equally as capable of doing everything that it is able to accomplish on a stovetop or in an oven.
Can you put an aluminum pan on the grill?
Aluminum has a high capacity for absorbing heat, which enables it to reduce the temperature within the grill by around 30 degrees and to distribute heat evenly throughout the surface. The shift in temperature is mostly due to the metal pan, however the addition of water to the pan causes it to absorb additional heat and contributes to the temperature falling even lower.
Can you put a casserole dish on the grill?
You do not need to make any adjustments to the recipes in order to bake dishes like casseroles, pies, brownies, pizza, or coffee cake on a gas or charcoal grill. You can bake these dishes just as you would in the oven of your indoor kitchen.
Can you put a pan on a gas grill?
Yes, you may use your cast iron skillet on a barbecue. Just remember to heat the skillet for around five to ten minutes before you start cooking. If you do not do this, the food will not cook evenly.
Can you put a Pyrex pan on the grill?
Yes, Pyrex® glass can withstand cooking temperatures ranging from an average of 446 degrees Fahrenheit to a maximum of 914 degrees Fahrenheit. Glassware is able to withstand both extremely hot and cold temperatures; however, if the temperature is rapidly changed, the glassware may shatter. In addition, if you use glassware in the smoker, cleanup might be a little more difficult.