Posted by STP on June 30, 2006 at 18:56:14:
In Reply to: Grill cooking surfaces?? posted by Dave on June 29, 2006 at 17:24:37:
Cast iron has the best thermal performance. But since it's iron it rusts easily. Cast iron pans can easily last many lifetimes with minimal care, but when used on a grill where the temps are high enough to destroy any protective seasoning, they require more than minimal care. In my opinion though, plain cast iron is by far the best grill cooking surface there is.
PCI, or Porcelain-coated Cast Iron is a compromise - you keep the thermal performance at the expense of a stickier surface and also shorter lifespan since the porcelain will eventually crack and flake. These are very good if you are willing to be careful when cleaning them.
Good stainless steel essentially lasts forever and will take on a seasoning that helps keep it less sticky than PCI. The downside to stainless is it doesn't have the thermal performance that cast iron has. However, if you get heavy stainless rod or barstock grates, these do perform very well. They are also very expensive. The top-end grills out there typically have stainless bar stock grates. Also keep in mind that there isn't just one kind of stainless steel. There are many different grades, so just because you see a grill with heavy stainless grates doesn't mean that they're as good as another brand's.