Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I live in an apartment where grills are not allowed. Not even electric ones. I happen to like the taste of grilled foods, and turning on the stove's broiler all the time is just too much added heat in the summer. I had one of these years ago, and decided to look for it again. I was amazed at the range of prices for the exact same thing, so I went the cheap route figuring how different can it be? I was not disappointed. It's a nice sturdy, weighty grill pan. OK, it's not the weight of All Clad or the like, but hey, what do you want for a cheap pan? It's nice that the ring is stainless, and the grill surface is a non-stick coated aluminum. What you see in the picture is NOT what you get out of the box. I was fine with that--although, for the sales/marketing side of things, it's deceiving. Not a good thing. Hence, knocking off a star for that. I feel that what you are being shown should be the product you are going to receive--regardless of the description of it. They say "a picture says 1000 words" and they are right. Show the right damn product for pete's sake. Upload it from your phone camera if you need too, sheesh. I can't say that I was disappointed in the product, but it is a learning curve on it's use. I followed the directions that came with it, as it had been years since I had used one. #1, it IS smokeless. Filling the bottom ring with water is necessary. #2, it fits perfectly over the small coil of the stove. #3, spraying it with a cooking oil makes clean-up a breeze. #4, preheating is an absolute...and it takes a lot longer than you might think it does because of the smaller coil. Preheating it on Med-High gets it nice and roasty, so when you place your meat on it, you get that nice *sizzle. #5, you must turn your burner to High for cooking. It takes a LOT LONGER to cook something than you think it does...again, because of a not-so-great heat source being a good 2"+ away...I couldn't imagine this working on a flat/glass cooktop, but the booklet says it does. I had 2 boneless short ribs that after a good 12 minutes (they were small and I turned them so that each side got a good sear), they were still raw in the center. Raw--not rare. #6, I tossed it in the dishwasher and it came out fine. So, the learning curve is time. It's a nice little alternative to a regular grill, and for those of us that don't have the storage space, a nice alternative to a counter-top electric type. And LITTLE it is. The grill surface itself is 10" in diameter...that makes for pretty close quarters for cooking. Think about the diameter of a dinner plate, and you get a good idea. It MIGHT hold 3 of those frozen burger patties. But for one or two people, it should be sufficient. I'll figure out the cooking times for this, as I don't have much else to go with as I really don't want another one-use appliance to store--and where to store it is an issue with this particular apartment kitchen. It did give a nice sear on the meat, and they browned up nicely as if on a regular grill. I'm curious about additives for the water ring--if they make a difference in flavor for whatever you are "grilling". Might have to get back to you on this...