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- Verified Buyer
MY OLD GRIDDLE NEEDED TO BE THROWN OUT. ORDERED THIS ON. NICE HEAVY WEIGHT AND REVERSIBLE FOR STEAKS OR PANCAKESWe have purchased several pieces of cast iron cooking pans lately to use when we are on a camping trip with ourpropane cook stove. This griddle is exceptional in value. It is large enough to place many strips of bacon, several eggs, and even some cut up potatoes to cook all at one time. Cleanup was easy. Wipe off or pour of grease, a quickwash and dry, and ready to be used again. It was a super good price. I got it for several $$ less as it was a returned item or slightly damaged item. It came from the Warehouse. There was no damage as far as I can see. No scratches or dents. It looks absolutely new. Even the box was in perfect condition. I am so pleased Amazon offers slightly used items like this griddle from their Warehouse. I have not purchased 1 item from the Warehouse that did not appear to be in any condition other than perfect. Items from the Warehouse arrive at the usual fastAmazon shipping time. Very pleased with this item.I bought this grill a year ago, and it has just gotten better every time I use it. I use the flat surface for pancakes and sandwiches, and the other side for grilling. Others have talked about the grill being warped, my was not.My stove is kind of strange, one burner is hotter than the other, so I have to adjust the burners accordingly when making pancakes and sandwiches so they don't burn. I have a large wok lid that I use when making grilled cheese sandwiches, they turn out perfectly.As far as the grill side, this grill makes perfect steak, chops, chicken, and shrimp. I have used it for shish-kebab and the only thing you have to do, just like an outdoor grill, is soak the sticks if you are using wood. I made grilled loin lamb chops by putting water soaked fresh rosemary sprigs on the grill and then grilling the lamb on top of that. The lamb took on the wonderful flavor of the rosemary. I also cooked skewered shrimp for shrimp salad.I live in an apartment, and I have a pretty good fan over my stove. I make sure the kitchen window is open, and with just that I very rarely have much smoke. When my fan broke, I just opened more windows.How do I clean it? I clean it with milk dish soap and water. I have a stiff plastic brush that I use on the grill side if a little meat has stuck to it. Then, I put the grill back on the stove, turn the burners on and leave it until all the water has evaporated. I have no issues with rust, and the grill is getting more and more non-stick the more I use it.I’ve used it exactly once. Food stuck to it awfully, and it doesn’t fit in the sink. However, it feels like it’s a good weight. I need to try it again.Initial and updated later review; For all of you wondering about the extremely wrong and confusing measurements on this griddle, here they are; Actual outer griddle dimensions are 9" X 16 9/16", Full overall length with handles is 19 3/4", inner flat surface from inside edges is 8 5/8" X 16 1/8". It sits totally level with the flat side face up. There is a very small non-level movement when the grilling bars side is facing up , but hardly noticeable when you're cooking. As with many of the other reviews, there is some very small rough, barely jagged areas on the flat surface side. I don't think these will be a problem, but i might just grind them down a hair. Initial impression is good on this griddle, but that might change on the update to follow after some good use. You all will be the first to know. For now, it fits our stove quite well and has a good amount of cooking surface. I'm carefully giving it 4 stars for now.So this pan works pretty well except for one thing I noticed when making smash burgers for 9 people recently. Had to use this pan and also a round cast iron that I have. The surface of this rectangular pan is rather rough, and the meat tends to stick to it. The round pan, much smoother and the burgers not only cook faster, but also get a nicer browning on the surface. The nicest thing about this pan is the shape, I can make 3 small smash burger patties at once, but losing the nice crust when I try to flip them makes me shed a little bit of a tear every time I use this thing.This griddle does have a very slight bow as others have mentioned (I assume because it wasn't stress-relieved during manufacturing). But it's a nice, heavy piece of cast iron and at least for my cooking purposes it should do just fine. As other reviews have stated the texture is on the coarse side, but I don't find that to be an issue myself. I'll be using it for searing chicken and steak on the ribbed side, and the occasional pancake on the flat side. For those purposes I expect it to do just fine, and I have a lot of other cast iron so I do have some experience with it as a cooking surface.If the rough texture bothers you, it's not difficult to modify the griddle. There are a number of youtube videos on sanding and re-surfacing cast iron that can help you make it as smooth as you prefer. Overall, I'm happy with it as is.Had to use this just recently and finally had an opinion of it. It cooked well in top of the stove, where it was easy to handle. Cleaned up well. I needed to cook a meatloft later, in the oven and tried it there. Probably will consider it a failure there, but only because with its flat handles, I couldn't grasp it easily to get it in, or out, of the oven. It cooked the meatloaf well and cleanup was a breeze there, too, but handling it was terrible and resulted in a burn. Every item I use must be a double-duty piece and with this, using it in an oven takes more finesse. So, on top as a griddle for pancakes, bacon and grilling, its great. Just don't try it in the oven unless you are adventurous (still only my opinion here as, YES, it is not made for the oven). (Have since used it a lot more, and in the oven, and it is still wonderful to clean and has done potatoes well and even ribs in the oven came out crispy yet tender so I have increased my stars)
