288
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #90,832 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★★
Perfect for cooking rotis and other flat breads on radiant stoves
I was looking for something without teflon, with a flat base, and even heat conductivity. Traditional iron pans for making rotis are usually concave, designed to sit on gas or kerosene burners. If you have a radiant or other electric cooktop, those concave pans are dangerous because with some rolling they could land on your toes.
This griddle is flat-bottomed, so it doesn't move from its location. It's thick and distributes heat evenly, and can maintain nearly the same temperature in the middle as it does near the rim. Since it's pure iron, there's no danger of burning PTFE, which burns at 500 deg F, I think (I may be wrong or inexact).
I still rate it five stars for what it is, but I'll add some notes of caution:
- The loop is not much of a handle. It's more of a hanging device so you can hang the pan from a hook. It does get hot and isn't designed to help you flip the food. Use pot holders, or let it cool before picking up.
- Rubbing with a kitchen towel leaves shards on the textured surface. The surface helps breads not stick to the pan, but it shreds paper if you use kitchen towels to rub oil on it. I use a terry towel to clean or to season.
- Iron rusts. It is the most common metal associated with rust. When done cooking, if you have to wash it, scrub with a brush and water after it cools. Soap is not necessary and will probably aid rusting. Once it's rinsed, wipe dry and store dry. Don't drip dry or dishwash. Don't forget to wipe the underside as well. Any part of it can rust if water is left on it - water air and some impurity (including minerals in the water) will cause rusting.
- Season once in a while. Rub with cooking oil or spray some Pam-like stuff and wipe dry with a towel.
Remember, this isn't a crepe pan but will give you excellent rotis and tortillas. The trick is in the quick heat. Hotter surfaces cook the thin layer between the flat, flour-dusted faces of the bread quickly without drying it out. Being careful and using low heat will produce crusty breads.
March 2008 · Unknown