Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

There's this myth going around that cast iron pans heat evenly and don't have hotspots like regular pans do. This, unfortunately isn't true and can be easily verified by using a contact thermometer, an IR thermometer or an IR camera. My main interest in getting the griddle version of Baking Steel, instead of just the regular baking steel (for pizza only), at $120 less, was to see if I it would perform better than my current cast iron griddle in terms of reducing hotspots in the cooking area. What follows are my notes and conclusion. Baking steel griddle vs. regular baking steel (for pizza): Both are from the same steel and both are made in the USA; 3/8 inch thick vs. 1/4 inch thick; lip on one side to catch grease vs. flat on both sides; 25 lbs. vs 15 lbs; griddle version slightly larger to accommodate the lip. Baking steel griddle vs. cast iron griddle (for searing and sauteing): approximate times to 350F, 7 minutes vs 3 minutes; approximate times to 525F, 21 minutes vs 6 minutes (measured with a contact thermometer at the hottest spot); hottest spot to coldest spot difference in F, 155F vs. 214F; temperature gradient top to bottom burners, even (14F difference) vs. less even (120F difference); temperature gradient, side to side, both exhibit observable temperature gradient. Narrative. From my observations, the baking steel maintains a more even temperature across its surface once it is up to temperature. This is especially true going from top to bottom burner where the temperature difference varies very little. On my cast iron griddle, the temperature difference is noticeable and very much measurable. With the cast iron, I often resort to heating one side up to the desired temperature then flipping it 180 degrees to catch up the temperature on the other side. The heat capacity of A36 steel vs cast iron are pretty close together, 52 vs 49 W/m-K so it should be obvious just from the increased heating time that the baking steel griddle will have higher heat capacity (the ability to stay at temperature when a piece of meat is plopped onto its surface), just eyeballing from the heat up times, approximately 3x that of my cast iron griddle. This capability however, doesn’t come for free, the cost of entry is the longer time it takes to heat the cooking surface to 525F (or higher). At 30 minutes to reach consistent searing temperatures on both burner sides, it’s not one to use for spur of the moment searing (charcoal isn’t either at 45-60 minutes to setup). Patience required, grasshopper. Results. Steaks seared on both are equally decent but the steak seared on the baking steel griddle has noticeably better crust. With the cast iron, I’d usually need to move the steak to the other side halfway through each side to keep it on the hot side. As for pizza, there’s plenty of reviews for the non-griddle version of the baking steel that would give it better justice than I could. Verdict. For me, the main reasons to get the griddle version of the baking steel, instead of the oven only version, is as an upgrade to my current cast-iron griddle. As for cons: there’s the weight, the longer heating to temperature time and as you’ll no doubt notice with the listing, the "high" price for "just a piece of steel." I understand that the company had to purchase new equipment to properly surface the griddle side of this contraption, and like any business they’re entitled to make money by pricing their product at a cost the market will bear. No doubt, some will find the price too high and move on. Is it worth it for me for me--yes. As for the weight and long heating times it's physics and there’s really no way around it. Photos. (1) Thermal IR image of baking steel griddle (left) and cast iron griddle (right); (2) The heart attack special cooked sous-vide at 135 then seared to a perfect crust, two minutes each side; (3) Seared scallops. --- Update, 4/16: It's been close to four months now since I purchased the baking steel griddle and the griddle side is now well seasoned. I've mostly used the griddle for searing and high heat cooking, I thought I'd give it a try for some foods that require lower temperatures than the 500+F I've been using it for. There was another review posted having problems with pancakes so I decided to give it a try. I'm happy to report that I did not have any issues with either the temperature or food sticking on the surface (with a quick spray of oil). The key to using the griddle at lower temperatures is to set the burners lower and start cooking as the surface comes up to temperature. For my gas stovetop, it was burners on med-low, 10-12 minutes warm-up time, cooking surface temperature between 325-350F. I use either an IR thermometer or my surface Thermapen to check the temperature. I've also purchased a stainless steel turkey baster to suck up the oil from the sides of the griddle, paper towels just take too long and could catch fire. I do wish the gutters that hold the oil was either deeper or larger. Added two new photos: 4) pancakes and eggs; 5) then I crank up the heat and cook sausages.