should i buy this (cast iron)?

[salsah]

i'm tempted to get this (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008GKDQ/ref=pe_84230_15202300_pe_epc_t1)because i've been wanting a double burner griddle for making pancakes and i like the idea of cast iron being healthier. but i'm afraid of cast iron -- it is crazy heavy and i'm worried that it will be too much work to care for.
i don't even know if this one is good. the price seems good. but will i hate it and regret wasting money on it?

wwyd?

[essnce629]

I think I have that one, or maybe it's a similar one, but I got mine on Amazon too. I "think" I've had it for about 2 years now. I also got it for pancakes because I like to make a bunch at once and freeze them and it was taking forever on my regular pan when I could only do one at a time. You do have to season it even though, which I think I've done about 3 times now (google "how to season cast iron" for directions), and mine is totally non-stick now (it wasn't when I bought it and all my pancakes stuck to it at first). Cooking a bunch of bacon on it is good to help season it as well. I don't wash it with soap or anything-- just rinse it off with really hot water and sometimes spray a thin layer of cooking spray on it before putting it away. It is really heavy, but I keep it laying sideways between the wall and my toaster oven, which is about 1 1/2 feet from my stove so I don't move it around much. You can just keep it on your stove too, which I do sometimes since I rarely use more than 2 burners at once. I can cook 6 pancakes at once on it which is great. You do have to figure out the right temp to use with it though. I have a gas stove and I usually put it on the lowest temp possible while I'm mixing up my pancake batter and then I turn it up to between 3 and 4 when I'm almost ready to cook on it. I love mine, but it does have a learning curve. I don't find it hard to maintain though.

[wellyes]

I don't have that one but I've been using this to make pancakes for years & years http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-Pre-Seasoned-2-Inch-Griddle/dp/B00008GKDN/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1272883856&sr=1-2. It is superb - completely nonstick without a lot of work and not heavy either.

[caleymama]

We have that one. I think that's a good price for it, especially since it includes shipping and it's a heavy item. Letting it pre-heat on a low setting for a while while making the batter is key, like Latia said. We store it hanging on a nail in our pantry. Once it's seasoned, it requires very little maintenance. We clean it with hot water and a firm scrub brush after using it. Seasoning it isn't really a big deal either - Latia's rec for bacon is a good one.

[daisymommy]

I so badly want that one, but I have a glass top electric stove. You cannot use a double burner griddle on that type of stove by the way, or your stove will crack between the burners.

I do have other one posted (single round) and it is one of my favorite pans in my kitchen. I do however wish I could make more than one pancake at a time! Too bad all other electric griddles have a non-stick Teflon finish.

[caleymama]

I so badly want that one, but I have a glass top electric stove. You cannot use a double burner griddle on that type of stove by the way, or your stove will crack between the burners.


That's what we have too and we've never had any issues using that griddle on our stovetop in the 3.5yrs we've been in this house. Maybe we've just been lucky! I didn't realize we weren't supposed to use it on our stovetop. It's electric with a Ceran top.