Swiss Diamond Grill Pan 7 Day Challenge

Diamonds are a pan's best friend

Let me start off with this: Swiss Diamond is the perfect gift to give or to treat yourself to! Made in Switzerland using the highest-grade materials, with layers of diamond particles (yes, DIAMONDS), the pans evenly distribute heat and last longer than other leading brands. Diamonds are also naturally non-stick, which is amazing for people like us who don’t like cleaning!

The Challenge: 7 days cooking using one Swiss Diamond Grill Pan

Now that I’ve (very) briefly described the Swiss Diamond cookware, I can show you what it can really do. I challenged myself to cook a variety of meals with just the grill pan and nothing else. For a week I cooked with the Swiss Diamond Shallow Grill Pan, and wow, what an honour! From the simplest meals to the more advanced, it seemed I didn’t need anything more than this one piece of cookware to make delicious breakfasts, dinners and even desserts; and to top it off, cleaning was quick and effortless!

Day 1: Halloumi on Toast

It was Monday, and all I could find was some left overs (I still didn’t get to do my weekly shop). So for lunch, my meal consisted of grilled halloumi on toast, with a side of avocado, green leaves, sundried tomatoes and a drizzle of honey. Before you know it I managed to make a delicious grilled halloumi toastie! Even the bread toasted beautifully on the grill!

Recipe:

• Bread of your choice
• Halloumi
• Avocado
• Sundried tomato (I usually buy the dried tomatoes with no oil, and drizzled it myself in a olive oil and balsamic vinegar).
• Lemon
• Greens of your choice (Rocket is my favourite)
• Drizzle of honey on the halloumi

Grill the halloumi on the pan, a minute on each side – honestly, you don’t need to add a drop of oil – when they say non-stick they truly mean non-stick! I toasted the bread on the grill too, and when it was all ready, I added my sliced avocado and drizzled honey for the salty sweet taste! Oh and a squeeze of lemon is always good! Using the pan was so simple, I couldn’t wait to cook more with it!

Day 2: Crispy Skin Salmon with Asparagus and Bell Peppers

The next meal was crispy skin salmon with a side of veg. I preheated the pan and placed the veggies on one side and the salmon, skin side down on the other. Without adding any oil, the salmon began crisping up and after 4 minutes on each side, I lifted it off the pan effortlessly. It was beautifully crisp on the outside and flaky on the inside. I found it cooked evenly, especially after I put it on the side of the pan and not in the centre, showing off how the pan really distributed heat well. The pan was so easy to clean after, making the whole process of this meal so effortless!!!

Recipe:

• Salmon fillet
• Asparagus
• Bell peppers

I cleaned the salmon, and along with the veggies, placed it skin side down on the preheated Swiss Diamond grill. After a few minutes, you should hear popping sounds - that’s the sound you are looking for when the skin starts crisping up. Leave for a further minute and flip over for a further 3-4 minutes depending on how cooked you like your salmon. In less than 10 minutes, I made a hearty, healthy, mouth watering salmon meal that looked and tasted delicious!

Day 3: Breakfast Waffles

Next challenge… Breakfast waffles! I was sceptical about making the waffles on the pan without any extra oils (to test out the non stick feature) but if you haven’t guessed it already, I’m going to be praising the pan AGAIN! SUCCESS with my next venture; Breakfast waffles!! Cooking was effortless and the movement within the pan was so easy, I could twist, turn and flip without a struggle! A tasty breakfast was ready and paired with yogurt, and fruits, it was a real treat that I’ll definitely be making again and again.

Recipe: (Jamie Oliver inspired recipe)

• 220g Self raising flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 300ml organic Milk
• 2 organic eggs
• 100g melted and cooled butter
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Optional: Honey or maple syrup for sweeter waffles.

Mix the eggs, milk and butter together till uniform. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the egg mix and mix until a smooth batter forms. Do not over mix, as the waffles could come out tough. Spread the batter across the grill to make a large waffle or make little individual ones. Cook on each side for around 6 minutes on medium heat. Serve with fruit of your choice and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey!

Day 4: Sumac Lamb with Grilled Tomatoes

A quiet Wednesday meant I also didn’t want to cook anything extravagant but wanted to eat something healthy and scrumptious! With a man in the household, meat was on the menu and what’s better than a nice juicy steak cooked on the grill! Quick, easy and delicious it took 10min from start to finish!

Recipe: Sumac Lamb with grilled tomatoes (inspired by Donnay Hay)

• 1 shoulderback lamb
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp sumac
• Handful of tomatoes

First, I marinated the lamb for around 10min in the olive oil and sumac. I preheated the grill and cooked the lamb for 4min on each side for a medium rare piece. I also placed the tomatoes on the grill to char them a little bit for extra flavour. Place the lamb on your serving plate and let it rest for 5min before I cut and served. Simple and delicious.

Day 5: Grilled Bananas

Did I mention I was going to make a dessert on the grill pan too? A little bit of an inspiration from camping, I made grilled bananas covered with dark chocolate.

Recipe:

• Bananas
• Dark chocolate

Cut the bananas and place on the preheated grill pan on medium heat. Remove and drizzle melted chocolate on top.

Day 6: Minced Turkey Burgers

For Saturday lunch, I decided to make delicious healthy burgers. I was super excited to get going, especially after a week cooking with the grill, I got to know how beautifully easy it was to cook with. Easy easy easy and delicious is all I can say.

Recipe: Courgette Turkey Burgers (inspired by Ottolenghi)

• 500g minced turkey
• 1 large courgette, coarsely grated (about 200g in total)
• 40g spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 medium free-range egg
• 2 tbsp chopped mint
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp course ground black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 1 juice of lemon

Although it looks like a lot of ingredients, it is so simple to make. In a bowl, grate the courgette and add in the mint, garlic, coriander and all the spices. Add the egg and mince, and mix till combined. Take a small handful for a patty, flattening it out and throwing it onto the grill. Note there is no oil here! It doesn’t need it!! J Make classic burgers or salad burgers… the choice is yours! (I froze the left over mince for another burger day)

Day 7: Roast Chicken - Yes, using the grill pan!

My last meal for the week, but only the beginning of a lifelong friendship with the grill, a Sunday chicken roast! Yes, the grill also goes into the oven and can withstand temperatures up to 240 degrees!

Recipe: Sunday Roast Chicken

• 1 Chicken (cut into half)
• Handful of rosemary
• Handful of Baby Potatoes
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 lemon
• Pinch of salt

Again, I left all the work for the grill and very little for me. All I had to do was marinate the chicken and potatoes with the olive oil, rosemary, lemon and its juice!

The Verdict

I have to say, the grill made these meals so easy and simple to make. It was effortless and the versatility it had and the different meals I could make with it meant delicious food with ease. I didn’t use any other pot or pan. Just the grill. It fit perfectly in my draw, cleaning was easier than ever! And the non-stick feature meant I had no use for greasing or oiling! It still amazes me how I have managed to make a variety of meals from breakfasts to desserts all with one grill! I love love love this grill, and cant wait to continue using it and showing it off to my family and friends when they come over for a meal!

Win Your Money Back with Swiss Diamond

Everten is running a competition where you have the chance to win your money back on your purchase! Simply purchase any Swiss Diamond cookware throughout the month of September and October 2016 to be automatically entered to win your money back (to the maximum value of $500)! For more details click here