RM1423 Home Griddle, 14x23 Stainless Steel

I looked at the baking steels offered by other companies, but decided this would give me the best of everything. It came in today and it is very thick and heavy - just as thick and heavy as a baking steel I saw at Sur La Table. One of the advantages of this one for me is the handles that flip down and are easy to grab. This griddle retains heat so it was smart that the handles are thinner metal. Also, I like there is a raised edge. It fits on my domestic range perfectly and I can lift it up to drain grease easily. The grease channels on some griddles are a joke, as soon as that little channel is full the grease goes everywhere, and most don't have an actual handle. Yikes! This one has a generous raised lip, handles, thick 7 gauge steel that gets more nonstick carbon coated with each use, and it is actually cheaper than the competition. I just made bacon on it and it heated evenly, and started to season nicely. Also, tonight I am searing steaks on it and then sautéing vegetables in the drippings. I can let the steaks rest on the back portion of the griddle on a little rack to keep them warm while I finish up the veggies. There is plenty of room. For pancakes, I estimate I can easily fit 8 regular size pancakes on this at a time. This is a perfect size for my oven as well, I can use this as a cookie sheet or for bread. A very quality product and I highly recommend.

This thing is HEAVY, and actually a little bigger than I realized. I actually should have gotten the smaller size to make it easier to clean and store, but this does the job. The shipping "oil" was fairly easy to scrub off with an SOS pad. Dried it off, and baked in the oven with some oil. I then laid some aluminum foil over the outdoor grill to keep the bottom from getting messy, and cooked a pack of bacon to get a start on the seasoning. It is just narrow enough to stick one end in the sink, and hot water and a scrub brush easily cleaned off the chunks. I then cooked another pack of bacon, and it cleaned up even easier than the first time. This gave me a good looking brown layer over most of the cooking surface. With a little oil, eggs cook great, with virtually no sticking so far. Highly recommend, but maybe the smaller size, especially if you have a smaller sink.

If you are looking for a multi purpose, heavy duty, home or camp cook top griddle this is it! Look no further. I absolutely love this griddle! 100% true to description. I purchased the 14X23" model and it is amazing. I initially purchased to use on an outdoor grill as a solid top. Yes it does do that but it does so much more! First off yes it is very heavy at 17 lbs, but that is why it works. The heavy carbon steel heats up evenly and hold heat without warping or flexing in the least. I have an oversized gas stove top in my kitchen and it is a perfect match. If you have a standard range it might be better to go with the next size down, but I love the cook top space that the larger model offers. I can't say how it would work with electric or induction burner (many seem to report performance issues with these types of heating elements - others say it is fine), but it is amazing over gas. The only gotcha here is that, as with any steel or cast iron (which this is not) cookware, you have to understand how to correctly use and care for it. Just follow these basic steps: 0) When it arrives thoroughly clean and degrease with hot soapy water to remove the packaging oils. 1) Season it before initial use! This ships as a stamped sheet of raw carbon steel. It is not cast iron but you need to care for it like it was. Coat all sides in a thin layer of canola or flax seed oil. Wipe off the excess (plenty will remain in the pores) and toss it in the oven at 450 for at least couple of hours or until the oil breaks down, turns brown, and bonds to the steel. Turn off the oven and let it cool down slowly. Without this critical step the griddle will simply not work as designed! If you use too much oil it will be sticky to the touch. Strip it off and try again using less oil. Once properly seasoned food WILL NOT STICK. If your food is sticking then your griddle is not seasoned! 2) When cooking use medium to medium low heat and allow the top plenty of time to slowly preheat. 20 minutes is not too long, but keep the heat low to bring the entire surface up to a good even cooking temp. 3) Start by cooking something fatty like bacon (this can do up to 2lbs of thick cut at once!), this further breaks in the surface 4) Get a griddle scraper or heavy dough knife. This can be used to clean the surface as needed while and after cooking 5) At clean up time don't let it sit. Once partially cooled off drain any fats and place in non-soapy hot water to initially soak. Do not leave it there for hours or it WILL rust!! 6) If you need abrasive use your griddle scraper or salt and a paper towel - NO SOAP! 7) Once clean, toughly rinse and dry excess water. Completely dry it by placing back on heat. Water can get trapped in the handle parts and will pop and sizzle as it heats. That is good and once it stops you know it is dry. 8) Once dry leave on heat and carefully wipe down the surface with a light coat of food oil and continue to heat until the oil starts to smoke. That will prevent the oil from going rancid and it will add / replenish another layer to your seasoning to keep it from rusting and keep it staying non-stick! 9) Once completely cool store in a dry place - like your stove. If you follow these steps this thing will serve you for a lifetime. It is simply a star for any breakfast foods, but it goes so far beyond that. Pancakes, hash browns, sausages, bacon, eggs, corned beef hash, hot dogs, bratwurst, hamburgers, steaks, grilled cheese, Philly cheesesteak, Korean Bulgogi BBQ, Asian stir-fry dishes, Japanese Teppanyaki / Hibachi, vegetables, Fajitas, Tortillas, Texas toast (can do an entire loaf at once), blackened seafood (outdoors), and on and on! I have used it at least 40+ times since I initially bought it 6 months ago and if just keeps getting better with every use. I absolutely live this griddle. Again … If you are looking for a multi purpose, heavy duty, home or camp cook top griddle this is it! Look no further. However if a 10lb bag of flour is too heavy for you, if you can't take the time to learn how to care for and use it correctly (just like any traditional steel cookware), or if you have no storage room (it is large) then maybe you should just stick to a microwave. These issues, with the addition of possible issues with some heating element types, seem to be the source of most of the "bad" reviews. These would be the exact same issues that any griddle would have in this class. EDIT: I forgot to comment on why I selected this in the first place. I chose this over it's competitors for four reasons: - It is heavyweight carbon steel, flat, and has no raised "grilling ridges" - The handle design. They are outside, foldable, and the brackets are spot welded not riveted. They to not intrude into the cook area or cleaning in any way - The raised but angled lip. Perfect job of keeping items contained without getting in the way of cooking. - Lastly --- PRICE. all these features and performance at 1/2 to 2/3rds of most competing designs. See attached photos of what a properly seasoned and broken in griddle will look like.