Perhaps one of the oldest and most fundamental materials used to make cookware, ceramics have played an important part in culinary history. Starting back in 20,000 B.C., pottery made from clay provided many different cultures around the globe with an easy, economical, and very versatile method of cooking food. Today with all the different materials we use to make cookware, ceramics have managed to slip into the background and become a bit forgotten (that is, with the exception of the pizza stone).

While brainstorming new products, we decided it was time for ceramics to make a comeback, and what better place to reappear than the grill? We designed a set of durable, affordable, non-stick ceramic cookware and appropriately named them the Flame-Friendly™ Ceramic Grillware. We took some of the most popular grill tools: woks, grids, pans, and griddles and transformed them into beautiful, glazed pieces perfect for cooking on your backyard barbecue. Whether you’re cooking breakfast, stir fry, or grilled chicken, ceramics are a great way to cook food efficiently – without making a huge mess.

It’s in the Name

As the name suggests, these pans and grids are no stranger to extreme heat. In fact, all ceramic products are born in the flames of a kiln, which burns 4 to 5 times hotter than your average barbecue. Tools are sculpted from clay and baked in the kiln to harden and set. After the initial tool has been shaped and fired, it goes through a non-stick coating process and a secondary baking to create a glazed finish. After the secondary bake, the ceramic products are finished and ready to be used on the grill.

Benefits of Ceramics

Not only are glazed ceramic pans beautiful when they’re finished, but they’re highly functional as well. Ceramic cookware has the capability of conducting heat more evenly and for longer periods of time than other materials. This makes them the perfect candidate for cooking on the grill, where hot spots and indirect cooking can demand tools that not only heat evenly, but also retain heat better.

The Flame-Friendly™ ceramics feature a glazed non-stick finish that prevents food from sticking. This makes the pans, griddles, and woks much easier to clean and a pleasure to cook with. Unlike other non-stick pans and tools, this non-stick glazed finish is heat safe above temperatures of 550° F/287° C. Ordinary non-stick cookware can be coated with chemical compounds like PTFE and PFOA, which can start to break down at these temperatures and cause off flavors or even lead to adverse health effects. These pots and pans also tend to scratch easy during cleanup or storage. Ceramic pans have a much more durable and lasting finish that is significantly more resistant.

Think of ceramic cookware as similar to cast iron cooking, but more convenient. Ceramics and cast iron share a few beneficial qualities: excellent heat retention and a solid, durable construction. Unlike cast-iron however, ceramic cookware requires little maintenance and can be cleaned without the need to hand dry or re-season.

What does the Flame-Friendly™ line include?

The Flame-Friendly™ grill wok is perfect for stir fry, or any other combination of meat and vegetables. The wok also helps you to create more room on your grill by using vertical space that normally would be wasted.

The Flame-Friendly™ griddle is your non-stick answer for breakfast on the grill. Whether its pigs-in-a-blanket, or eggs with country potatoes, this griddle makes breakfast easy to cook and less of a mess.

Grill grids are great for large amounts of food, whether it’s meat or veggies. Combine the functionality of a large grill grid with the non-stick power of glazed ceramics and you’ve got one the perfect tool to cook anything that would normally fall through the grill grates.

The Flame-Friendly™ grilling pan works great for finely cut ingredients that normally would slip through the grill grates. Smaller proteins such as fryer chickens, pork or beef tenderloin, or coulotte roasts also work well in this pan.

If you’re looking for a new set of durable, attractive, and convenient grill tools – consider the Flame-Friendly™ line of ceramic cookware. These tools are so easy to use and clean you’ll wonder why ceramics didn’t make it to the grill sooner!

Daniel Replogle

Daniel does business development and marketing at The Companion Group. When he isn’t writing you can find him rock climbing or doing ceramic artwork.