Just got this griddle and have to agree with everyone that it's pretty fantastic. It's heavy (I'm guessing 20-25 lbs), which comes with its pros and cons. On the one hand it retains heat phenomenally, which is great when you want to load it up with cold food -- not much risk of a large temperature drop. On the other hand, the properties of carbon steel combined with the heavy gauge means that it's almost impossible to heat evenly on a consumer-grade stove. Keep the heat low and you'll have an obvious heat gradient, but go too high and it's simply too hot for anything but big steaks. The learning curve is pretty gentle, though, as you quickly identify your hot and cold spots and not just accommodate them, but use them strategically.

One thing that shocked me was how non-stick it was after just a couple rounds of oven seasoning. Being used to cast iron pans that take round after round of pre-seasoning just to make them usable (to say nothing of the weeks or even months of subsequent use it takes to make them truly non-stick), this was a huge plus. I went from seasoning it in the morning to cooking pancakes on it in the afternoon with no fear of them sticking.

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.

I use this pan daily! It is perfect for searing salmon, steak, burgers, and chicken. Awesome for frying eggs, making grilled cheese, and FRIED RICE! SAUCES are divine picking up the flavor after searing. mmmmm. It takes a while for it to develop a perfect finish, but once it does- it could not be easier to clean. Sometimes I just put some water on it while it is still blazing hot. The steam loosens up any stuck on bits. Then I wipe it dry with a cloth or paper towels. If it has a lot left in the pan after cooking, a quick rinse in the sink and scrub with a dedicated brush or metal mesh scrubber cleans it right up. I put it back on the stove and sometimes briefly turn on a burner to dry it quickly, lightly oil- and it is ready to go. It does rust if you don't dry and oil it after each use but take care of it properly and your great grandchildren can cook in it. Its large size means I can cook easily for 10+. Love love love this griddle. Only negative thing about it is I have bags of charcoal I'll never use bc steaks and burgers are already perfect using this!

It's been great on our high btu bluestar. We liked it on a previous standard gas range but love it now. We are cast iron vets and this griddle is very non stick. It's obviously heavy. To back up the other reviews, it's not flat. I tried to flatten it by various methods short of driving a car on to it. Nope. I honestly don't think a car would flatten it. Maybe a medium to large size tank could do it. The wobble is annoying but workable. No way would this work on glass, period. It holds a ton of heat. It's a bit awkward to store. Ours is on the stove most of the time. We have 6 high powered burners so we still have room. It's great for many steaks at a time. I like to have one side on highish, the other on low and just slide the finished food over to stay warm while I get my cooking act together. It's nice to clean one easy to clean flat pan that 4 cast iron skillets. Anyone who likes cooking, has a gas range, cooks for many should try it.

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.