It looks like a fancy trivet. However, you absolutely can’t use it as one, since the darn thing will just absorb the heat and burn your table surface anyway. That’s because the Flagship Light is actually a cast iron cookware that lets you transform any compatible frying pan into a makeshift grill, allowing you to barbecue steaks and burgers from the comfort of your stovetop.
Designed to go inside any frying pan between 10 and 12 inches in diameter, the accessory puts a layer of cast iron grates on the skillet’s surface, allowing you to cook with dry heat instead of having to cook your food in boiling oil or water like you normally do on a stovetop. That way, you can cook similar to how food cooks on one of those indoor grills without having a dedicated appliance take up valuable space in your countertop.
The Flagship Light is a cast iron cookware that measures 8.5 x 0.4 inches (diameter x thickness), with a smooth polished bottom and a grooved top section with sloped draining channels. The smooth bottom ensures it sits flush against the surface of the frying pan in order to absorb its heat, while the grooved top creates those grill marks found in barbecue dishes and directs any oil towards the pan away from your food. According to the outfit, the bottom sits completely flush with the frying pan, sealing out any of the drained liquids for optimum heat transfer the whole time you’re cooking.
How efficient is it? We’re not entirely sure. Considering heat transfers from the stove burner to the frying pan to the grilling cookware, it does feel a bit more inefficient. Given how well cast iron tends to absorb and retain heat, though, it’s probably not so bad, especially if you’re interested in indoor grilling without having to keep one of those large George Foreman things in the counter. Suffice to say, we have feeling it will work well enough for most people’s needs.
The Flagship Light can cook, pretty much, anything you will normally cook in an indoor grill, from steaks and burgers to vegetables and seafoods to everything in between. Since heat only comes from one side, though, it only manages to cook one side at a time similar to a traditional outdoor grill, so you will need to flip your food over if you want even cooking on both sides. Just like any grill, cooking with dry heat should help preserve the food’s flavors better, keeping it tastier and juicier compared to frying and stewing.
They also offer an optional accessory called the Flagship Grip, which is, basically, a pliers-style tool that grabs onto the side of the cookware, allowing you to easily take it off the frying pan even while it’s still hot. It’s made from stainless steel with non-slip silicon inserts. And yes, you can probably use tongs or some other grabbing tool you have in the kitchen, in case you opt not to get it.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Flagship Light. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at $49.