In Episode 009, Taryn speaks with Chef Leigh Anderson from the recipe website Craving California. While typically grilling is an outdoor activity, Leigh talks about how to take grilling indoors using a grill pan! She tells listeners how to clean a cast iron grill pan and gives a number of tips and tricks for grilling indoors. The two women also discuss a whole host of grilling recipes for grill pans, like grilled chicken thighs, grilled snap peas, and one of Leigh’s favorites, peel and eat shrimp. Listen in for a ton of grilling recipe ideas you can make when you take your grilling indoors!
Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast player. Or scroll down to read a full transcript.
Guest Details
Connect with Leigh from Craving California
Bio: Leigh is a formally trained private chef living in Los Angeles. She created her recipe website, Craving California, to share all her favorite recipes as well as culinary tips and tricks she’s learned working for over ten years in the food industry. Her site has been featured in many publications, such as Buzzfeed, CNN, Reader’s Digest, and Food52.
Resources Mentioned
The following are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Lodge Cast Iron Reversible Grill/Griddle
- Lodge Cast Iron Grill Pan
- Metal Dish Scrubber
- Dawn Dish Soap
- Old Bay Seasoning
Recipes Mentioned
These are some of the recipes mentioned by Leigh in the episode. They are all on her website, Craving California, except where noted.
- Poultry Burger with Zucchini & Feta
- Grilled Swordfish Kabobs
- Grilled Peel N Eat Shrimp
- Grilled Corn on the Cob (Hot Pan Kitchen)
- Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
- Grilled Chicken Thighs with Salsa Verde
- Homemade Hummus
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Roasted Snap Peas
Transcript
Taryn Solie: Hey grillers! This week’s episode is a fun one and will be great for those of you who are dying to grill but might not have the funds or the space to get one. I talk to Leigh Anderson from Craving California all about how to grill on a grill pan. It’s not something I’m well-versed in, so I appreciated her sharing her tips and tricks.
Before we get into the episode, if you like the podcast please subscribe to it on whatever podcasting platform you listen in from. It really helps the podcast be seen by other people who love grilling as much as you do! Now, let’s get to the episode.
Taryn Solie: Hello everyone. Today on the podcast, we have Leigh Anderson. Leigh is a formerly trained private chef living in Los Angeles. She created her recipe website, Craing California, to share all her favorite recipes, as well as culinary tips and tricks she’s learned working for over 10 years in the food industry. Her site has been featured in many publications, such as Buzzfeed, CNN, Reader’s Digest and Food 52. Leigh, welcome to the podcast.
Leigh Anderson: Thank you for having me.
Taryn Solie: Thank you for being here. I’m real excited for our conversation, which is going to be centered around grilling indoors. But before we get into that, I’d love to have you explain a little bit about your food background and how you became a chef.
Leigh Anderson: Yeah. So I always loved cooking since I was a really ah, young kid. And then I kind of figured out after high school, that culinary school was an option and it was so exciting. What I learned. This was a thing you could go to college to learn how to cook. Um, so I did that. I went to Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena here in, California. And then I started working in restaurants and that was really intense. I did that for a while and, um, eventually it got into private cheffing, which I loved, um, and private cheffing kind of freed up some time for me, which gave me the time to start Craving California.
Taryn Solie: That’s great. So how long were you cooking in restaurants for?
Leigh Anderson: I think that part of it was about five years total.
Taryn Solie: Wow.
Leigh Anderson: Yeah. Um, I was a line cook at a few different restaurants in LA. And it was really intense, like, um, fast paced work environment. It was intense and fun, but, um, kind of a lot.
Taryn Solie: But a lot that’s- yes, I could see that would be the case. And then what is it that you like about being more of like a personal chef and what really does that entail?
Leigh Anderson: It can be so many different things. Um, I started out, um, working for families, really. I worked for a family that had a couple of kids. They were really awesome, but they really just needed help like meal prepping. So that was kind of my first experience. Um, and I did that on my day off from cooking in restaurants.
And I would just stock them up. I mean, they were really healthy, but sometimes they just wanted like, you know, healthy- quote, unquote healthy, like chicken tenders, like something that’s easy for the kids. Um, so I did that a little bit and then I also did, um, some more, like, I guess like higher end working in, um, uh, big like estates, I guess you would call it, um, for these like really kind of like fancy families that, um, entertain a lot.
That was just sort of like the next level up from private chef. Um, my first job, which was more of the meal prepping side, but, um, and then I do, I did catering and private events. It’s such a great, um, place to work in the food industry without having to be in a restaurant. You get so much more flexibility.
You can get paid so much more. Um, and it’s really fun here. It’s it was my first experience, um, having my own business. So, I really enjoyed it.
Taryn Solie: And I could see where that the flexibility would be really nice as well.
Leigh Anderson: Yeah. And I still have, you know, pick up private cheffing jobs on the side. Every once in a while to this day, I have a catering job coming up in May that I’m already thinking about. So.
Taryn Solie: Oh, fun. So then, so you’re a private chef. And then how did you get into grilling? Was that a focus when you went to school or is that something you learned over time?
Leigh Anderson: It was something I learned over time. It wasn’t, I don’t even think we did, like, a grilling course in culinary school that I can think of, although it would have been really valuable.
Taryn Solie: Right!
Leigh Anderson: Yeah. But in, um, so my first restaurant job, I actually worked my way up from a prep cook to working the meat station, which involves setting up a charcoal grill every night.
Taryn Solie: Oh, wow.
Leigh Anderson: Right on the line. Um, we actually had a small Lodge charcoal grill, and I would have to keep that going. And we would, um, yeah, grill meats on it during service. So that was probably my first like official grilling, um, experience. And then going into private chefing was really awesome because I worked for families that had the most unbelievable outdoor kitchens. Like just- you’ve never seen anything like this. It’s incredible. Um, both gas powered and also charcoal.
Some of them have pizza ovens and that kind of thing. Um, but having a family, that has like the outdoor kitchen is amazing because it’s, you basically have an entire extra kitchen. Um, so if you’re cooking for a lot of people at once, um, you have multiple places where you can have, um, pans and things like that. It frees up so much space in the kitchen. Which a lot of times during events is the most valuable resource, is just space.
Taryn Solie: Yes. In general, even when you’re cooking, just in your own kitchen. It’s like, get everything off the couter! I need the space.
Leigh Anderson: Exactly.
Taryn Solie: So space is a good kind of point to bring up, because I know you had mentioned to me previously in our conversations that you live an apartment. And so that’s not a place you can easily grill. So how do you, right, how do you grill in your apartment?
Leigh Anderson: So I grill in my apartment using a grill pan. Um, I’m a really big fan of a grill pan. There is just, no, even my apartment has a very small balcony, but there’s just no way we’re ever going to be able to like, manage a grill out there.
Taryn Solie: Yeah.
Leigh Anderson: Um, so with the grill pan, I find that you can really do almost any grilling that’s meant to be on an outdoor barbecue, right on your stove top. It’s awesome.
Taryn Solie: And what grill pan do you have?
Leigh Anderson: I love the one by Lodge and it’s, it’s the, actually the skillet. So it takes up two burners on your stove top. They have regular pans that have like the high sides, like a traditional cast iron pan. Um, but I really recommend the skillet one. It’s double-sided, so one side is flat. I think technically you could like cook pancakes on that side. And then the other side has the grill, um, the grooves that you need for those good grill marks.
Taryn Solie: What is it that you like about having a larger surface area?
Leigh Anderson: I like, so with the high sided one, the pan version, if you are doing- cooking them more than, two burgers or one small steak. Like that’s kind of all you’re going to get into that pan because it gets- you get that overcrowding really easily. But with the flat one, um, it doesn’t have that buildup on the side. So you don’t get that like heat trapped in which can kind of cause your st- um, meat or whatever you’re grilling to like get steamy.
So you have so much more space, so much more surface area. It’s great for kebabs. There- you’re not going to have to trim down a skewer to fit inside of a pan.
Taryn Solie: Oh yeah.
Leigh Anderson: And it takes up two burners. So you have a lot of control over- you might have like a hotter spot in the front where you have that big burner. And then if you have the smaller burner in the back, um, that can be, you have, um, a little more control over the heat that way.
Taryn Solie: Yeah. So then how does that, I was, that was going to be one of my questions because I think most stoves have the small burner in the back and the big burner in the front. So then does the pan, I’m assuming it’s like a cast iron.
Leigh Anderson: Yes, it is cast iron.
Taryn Solie: Okay. Um, it’s, it’s just heating, like it has like a hotspot where the burner is. Right. So it’s not heating the entire pan necessarily evenly, like cast iron doesn’t necessarily work like that.
Leigh Anderson: Right.
Taryn Solie: Okay. Okay. So interesting. Okay. So then have you tried other pans? Are you- like Lodge is like your tried and true classic?
Leigh Anderson: I haven’t tried other, I actually have used the, um, Le Cruset. They have those cast iron enamel pans.
Taryn Solie: Yeah.
Leigh Anderson: Those are great. They’re just more delicate. Um, whereas the Lodge like pure cast iron is pretty much indestructable. Um, And with grilling, there tends to be some of that carbon buildup that you get, like after you’ve cooked things.
And I find with the regular traditional cast iron, you can really go in and scrub it and you’re not going to damage that enamel layer. That’s the, um, Le Cruset like enamel pants have. The Lodge pans are also so inexpensive. I just think they’re really accessible for everyone. Um, I think they’re under a hundred dollars.
Taryn Solie: Okay.
Leigh Anderson: Whereas some of the, some of the other brands are amazing, but they can get to be pretty pricey.
Taryn Solie: Yeah. Well, and I think, yes, that can be a barrier. Definitely, is, is the price of some of those types of pans.
Leigh Anderson: Yeah.
Taryn Solie: So now you mentioned scrubbing and I’m going to ask how you clean before we get into what you like to cook, I’m going to ask you how you clean the- because that’s, that can be a hurdle for people. It can be a hurdle for me. I’m not, I love cooking on cast iron, but I don’t like cleaning cast iron. Cause I feel like I don’t do it right. So how do you clean your cast iron griddle?
Leigh Anderson: Okay. I feel like a few years ago. And even still now, there was this big wave of information about cast iron pans where everyone was like, you can never put soap in it. You have to just wipe it out with a paper towel.
Taryn Solie: Right! Yeah.
Leigh Anderson: Yeah. And it’s not, it’s sort of true, but I think, uh, some people are starting to admit like, no, it’s okay. You can actually use a little bit of soap now and then. Um, and I, so I kind of take that, um, approach with the cast iron grill pan. Um, because it has all of those, like raised, I’m saying grooves but they’re like raised.
Taryn Solie: The grates. Kind of like the grate things, yeah.
Leigh Anderson: It’s creates so much space for like things to get stuck and carbon buildup. So I am pretty aggressive with cleaning my cast iron pans. So I go in with a metal scrubby and even some Dawn dish soap. Something like a really, um, a degreaser. And I give it a really good scrub when I’m done with it once it’s cool. And then, like a cast iron pan while it’s- if it’s wet in the sink, dry it off, put it back on the stove top, put the burners on, get it super dry and then go in with a neutral oil and just re- to keep that season on it.
Taryn Solie: Yeah.
Leigh Anderson: But I would say if I’m being perfectly honest, I am pretty aggressive with cleaning it when I’m done, because otherwise it really can hold on to whatever you grilled. Um.
Taryn Solie: The buildup.
Leigh Anderson: Yeah, the buildup. And then the next time you use it, it gets really smoky in your kitchen. Um, and so it kind of becomes not fun to use. So I’m pretty aggressive with how I, um, clean it and mine’s in great condition to this day.
Taryn Solie: Okay. Good. So then, because I have had that happen where it gets a little smoky on me and I’m like, what is happening? Um, when you go back and put the oil, what oil do you use when you are like kind of reseasoning it?
Leigh Anderson: I just use a high heat neutral oil. So if I’ve got a little canola oil in the cabinet, um, I’ve heard flax oil is the best. It is a little stinky. So, um, when you- if you coat flax oil, just know it’s going to be- next time you turn up, turn your burners on and heat up that pan, it kind of has a funky smell. So I don’t use that one anymore, but, um, yeah, anything- no olive oil.
You want something with high heat.
Taryn Solie: That would make sense. And then are you, for this kind of like griddle type pan that we’re talking about, are you oiling both, like, all over the pan-
Leigh Anderson: Yes.
Taryn Solie: -or just the side that you’re using?
Leigh Anderson: No I use- I do both sides. Um, yeah.
Taryn Solie: That makes sense. Okay. So now, okay. We talked about cleaning, which I think really is one of the biggest hurdles for this pan. What sort of things do you like cooking on it? And then also what are some kind of like tips you have for both fi- this is like a three-part question- for both finding and, um, using a grill pan.
Leigh Anderson: Okay. So my favorite things to cook on it would be like any kind of burger. I especially have been really into like, um, sort of not beef burgers lately, but like chicken burger. I love like a chicken burger that has feta cheese and, and shredded zucchini in it. Um, I love a kebab. I love fish on the grill pan. Oh, the best thing is honestly grilled bread. Um, this is all the restaurants I worked in. We would serve, um, it would be like hummus and really good quality bread, just like grilled. And you get those grill marks and it’s just so flavorful and kind of smoky. Um.
Taryn Solie: Are you oiling the bread before you grill it?
Leigh Anderson: Yeah, well, olive oil or a little butter, and then rub it with some garlic, right as soon as it comes off and it’s still warm, delicious. Um, yeah, pretty much anything that you would take outside to grill you can do, um, on a grill pan. And then-
Taryn Solie: Is there anything that you think you could grill, like you shouldn’t grill on a grill pan that you could on a regular grill.
Leigh Anderson: Um, let’s see. Not really.
Taryn Solie: Okay. As opposed to like space, like you probably wouldn’t do like baby back ribs or something on.
Leigh Anderson: Yes, you’re absolutely. Right. Anything that you need a ton of space for. Um, the other thing you have to keep in mind, I guess, is that like things with, um, sticky, glazes and marinades, the marinade is going to drip onto the pan.
So in like on a regular grill, it drips maybe into the coals and it’s not as big of an issue and you’re outside of things, get smoky. It’s not as big of a deal. But I would say I hold back on like really saucy and marinades and stuff like that. You can always do a grill, um, and then add like more marinate or glaze after, because yeah, things that have, I guess that would is a good one that I avoid is like things sugary, um.
Taryn Solie: Like barbeque sauces type stuff.
Leigh Anderson: Yes. Or I love miso salmon and it has like miso and honey and soy sauce. And it’s so good, but that is probably going to be tough on a grill pan. It, things can stick pretty easily.
Taryn Solie: That would make sense. And it would make for difficult cleanup. For sure. So then what other sort of tips? So that’s a great tip. What other sort of tips do you have for cooking on a grill pan?
Leigh Anderson: The most important thing, um, really, when you get started is just really preheating that pan, um, well. So give it five to eight minutes on the burner to really let the heat, the pan absorb all of that heat and distribute as easily as it’s going to.
And then figuring out where those hotspots are. So maybe the front of the pan with that big burner is going to be where you start and you sear things there and you get those grill marks. And then if you need a little more time, um, you can sort of transfer it to the back of the pan. Um, or depending on your stovetop you might have even heat the whole way through it just kind of depends. You have to learn your specific pan and stove top.
Taryn Solie: And then how- do you have a recommended method for figuring that out? Or is it just cooking on it or like, can you not touch it, but you know, like hand over the, the pan?
You could definitely hand over the pan. Um, that is going to be a really accurate way to figure that out. Or just a little trial and error.
No, that makes sense. For sure. Anything else that somebody should know when cooking with a grill pan?
Leigh Anderson: I think we’ve covered most of my tips.
Taryn Solie: Okay, good. Yeah. Good. And then, so you mentioned some of your, like recipes that you like to grill. Do you have anything. Like specifically that you’re loving. That is like, yes, I want this as like my go-to.
Leigh Anderson: Okay. I’m so excited for summer.
Taryn Solie: I know, me too.
Leigh Anderson: It feels like it’s right around the corner. I know we’re skipping over spring in my mind, but my- I’m from Maryland, originally. I grew up in Maryland and one of my favorite things is peel and eat shrimp. And so I love to do a peel and eat shrimp on the grill or grill pan with old bay and butter and lemon juice.
And then, uh, you just- I mean, I don’t know if everyone knows what peel and eat shrimp is, but you just peel the shells off. And they’re like coated in the, in the, um, old bay spice. And it’s so delicious. And that’s kind of like one of my summertime go tos. Love doing shrimp on the grill they’re, um, so easy and delicious. They cook super fast.
Taryn Solie: So are you sh- they do, shrimp cook very fast and you, you have to watch them. You can’t, they’re not something you can just, like, put on the grill or grill pan and walk away from. You have to like, stay with it. Um, so are you seasoning them with the shells on?
Leigh Anderson: Mm-hmm.
Taryn Solie: Okay. And then the seasoning, cause I’m not- I usually get- the shrimp that I tend to get tends to be already peeled and deveined type of thing. Is there, what kind of, is the benefit to having the shells on? Is it just like added flavor or is just kind of like a Maryland thing where it’s like, that’s how it always used to be?
Leigh Anderson: Probably a little bit of both of those things. The shells, I think- normally a peel and eat shrimp is steamed. Um, and I think maybe the shells protect them a little bit and hold in some of that moisture possibly.
Um, it’s also just something, when you eat it, it’s messy and fun. I think in Maryland, we love to like put down butcher paper and have beers and get really messy and have the same- it’s the same culture as like, eating crabs, steamed blue crab.
Taryn Solie: Yeah.
Leigh Anderson: Um, so it might just be that it’s fun to be messy. Um, but with the grilling, it really actually like protects the shrimp a little bit because it gives you that barrier to, um, protect them a little bit so they don’t totally over cook.
Taryn Solie: Yeah.
Leigh Anderson: Um, and again, like holds in all of the juices and moisture that kind of want to leak out when you’re cooking something.
Taryn Solie: Sure.
Leigh Anderson: So, yeah, and it just provides like a little bit of that, like char on the outside, it gives a little bit of smokiness. Um, so I’ve just love-
Taryn Solie: It sounds so good. I think I’m getting hungry. So then what, what would you serve with that? Like what is it, what were some, because I feel like we talk a lot about what to serve on the grill, but like, you wouldn’t normally just eat shrimp. So like, what- Do you have, like some serving suggestions for what people can have with that?
Leigh Anderson: I would do corn on the grill and then I would do like a big pasta salad, a cold pasta salad with good summer tomatoes and feta cheese and peppers, just like a really classic pasta salad. That’s my fave.
Taryn Solie: Yeah.
Leigh Anderson: And some beers, ice, cold beer. Or white wine, something like that.
Taryn Solie: Something along those lines. Yes. You can’t go wrong. No, that’s that sounds really good. So what would you recommend maybe for somebody who is new to cooking with a grill pan or on the grill in general, what would be- besides the shrimp, which I do think could be a good option for a beginner. Um, what are some kind of like beginner type recipes that would be good for it- particularly indoor grilling,
Leigh Anderson: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are, I mean, that’s one of my favorite meats to eat and cook, um, regardless of technique.
Taryn Solie: Me too.
Leigh Anderson: Yeah, they are so forgiving. You can really cook them- I mean, you can cook them way beyond what they, as far as they need to be cooked and they’re still juicy and delicious. You can season them so many different ways. I love to do like a chicken shwarma, um, spice, grill them and serve them with pita bread and hummus and tzatziki. Um, and like a cucumber salad or you can do like a really simple, um, spice rub and then serve them with like a chimichurri after they come off the grill, you put like a really nice fresh sauce. Um, that is just like, you really can’t go wrong with boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Taryn Solie: Yeah, they’re- and you’re right they’re so- they’re really, really easy and forgiving and can be seasoned. Like, they’re kind of a blank canvas. I mean, you just can kind of like throw whatever you want at them and they will still taste pretty good. I love it.
Leigh Anderson: They’re amazing. Yeah. They’re the best.
Taryn Solie: Yes, for sure. So we’ve, um, we’re kind of getting to the end of the interview, but I want to, I have two last things, one, we’re- we kind of skipped right into summer, but it’s still spring. So do you have kind of like a spring grilling recipe that you love?
Leigh Anderson: Yeah, I feel like I just talked about like all different meats and fish and protein, but vegetables are also so good on the grill and the grill pan. I have this recipe on my website for roasted snap peas, which the recipe is actually for snap peas in the oven, but you could totally toss them in a little bit of olive oil, salt, and then throw them on the grill. And they are so good this way. I serve them with like a salted yogurt and some spicy chili oil.
That’s delicious. Um, yes, spring to me is just like all about the veggies. So you could do, I mean, it’s a little early, but any kind of squash, anything like that. Um, late summer, early spring, um, Yeah, you can’t go wrong.
Taryn Solie: I have not had grilled snap peas. So I, well, I have some in my fridge. I might have to go try those. That sounds really delicious.
Leigh Anderson: It’s surprising. I always thought snap peas were something you would only want to like, um,
Taryn Solie: Eat fresh.
Leigh Anderson: Eat fresh or blanche. But, um, they’re really good with a little char, a little roast on them. They’re delicious.
Taryn Solie: Oh, I love it. And then last question, you already talked about the shrimp, which I love, but do you have another kind of like classic, like thing you’re really looking forward to grilling, um, that you like particularly indoor grilling?
Leigh Anderson: I would say, um, probably just like a good cheeseburger. I know that’s really simple, but, um, I think like moving to California, and especially Los Angeles, just made me appreciate a cheeseburger so much. This is like where the cheeseburger was invented and they do it so well here. Just really simple, um, really simple cheeseburgers with a good fun, a good like thousand island kind of sauce and maybe some grilled onions that is just, you can’t go wrong.
Taryn Solie: I love grilled onions on a burger. It’s so good. I love it. Well, this has been so fun. I want to give you a chance to tell people where they can connect with you online.
Leigh Anderson: I am pretty much Craving California everywhere. My socials, um, TikTok, and Instagram are where you can mostly find me. It’s Craving underscore California. And yeah, I’m always sharing new recipes and all kinds of tips and tricks.
Taryn Solie: And you have great Instagram reels. Cause I was looking at them this morning and I was like, oh, these are so fun. And like the, the dishes looks so delicious. So go check out her reels, they’re really good.
Leigh Anderson: Thank you.
Taryn Solie: You’re welcome. So thank you for being here. I really appreciate it. This has been so much fun.
Leigh Anderson: Thanks for having me.
Taryn Solie: I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode! If you’ve ever wanted to try grilling indoors on a grill pan you’ve now got lots of tips for how to get started. Be sure and check out the show notes page for some of the recipes Leigh and I discussed, including her peel and eat shrimp! To get to it, you can go to my recipe website Hot Pan Kitchen dot com and click Podcast in the main menu, or just click the link that’s provided on whatever platform you’re listening to this podcast on. Thank you for tuning in today and until next time, keep grilling like a mother.
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