You Need a Grill Pan In Your Life. Here Are 6 Stellar Options.

There are many pans you don't need, like a cast-iron pan shaped like the state Texas, for one example.

There a few pans you do need that you probably have: a large non-stick pan, a small non-stick pan, and a large cast-iron pan.

And there is one pan that you do need and you most definitely probably don't have: a grill pan.

(I know so much about pans because I literally wrote the book on them: A Man, A Pan, A Plan.)

So why a grill pan?

Well, some people have the good fortune of living in places where idyllic weather patterns allow for year-round grilling. Whoop-de-freakin’-do for them.

The rest of us, save for a few maniacs who grill during snow squalls (author included), suffer through winter without that deeply satisfying charbroiled flavor.

Unless, that is, a grill pan resides in the kitchen. Manufacturers offer nonstick and cast-iron versions, the latter of which tend to hold up better over time but pose the same cleaning hassles as regular ol’ cast-iron pans.

It’s up to you to decide which one you want to pick. Just don’t go without one.

To help you with your all-important decision, here are six excellent options that range in price and consider how much—and what—you cook. After you find the one that's right for you all that's left to do is use it to make some incredible meals.