Review on Amazon Basics Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Grill/Griddle: Reversible, versatile, and durable by Lance Foster

I bought this 4 burner Viking cooktop pan after an aluminum coated pan we had for years was ruined after leaving a bag of pasta on it and turning on the wrong burner. Oops. We paid $140 for this accessory through Viking in 2006 and now I know we were ripped off. First it was aluminum. It worked well, but the pancakes never had the golden appearance that everyone aspires to. We have many other cast iron pans (including a Dutch Oven) so when it came time for a change, cast iron was our natural choice. To be honest, the reviews here bother me. rust, crack, stick. sounds a bit like a lemon product. Or maybe these people don't know how to cook on cast iron? I originally ordered a similar Viking pan for three times the price of this pan. The seller contacted me and said the delivery was delayed due to COVID 19. I decided to cancel that order and take this one as it appeared to be out of stock (appears to be out of stock). I'm so glad I made this decision! Immediately after receiving the item and checking that it fits my hob (fits. Perfect). I continued to season the pan. There are many ways you can try - I'm sure they all work well - but the key here is that even though it says it's pre-seasoned before you cook with it, you MUST do it! I can understand why people had trouble sticking. probably not seasoned. I know this step was necessary because it was dark gray when I took it out of the box, but after seasoning (I had to use a grill because it was too big for my oven for light baking) it turned to a black one Plaque we all know is cast iron. This morning I tried to boil an egg for the first time. Much to my delight, the seasoning I applied primed the pan perfectly and the non-stick surface worked flawlessly. Even better than my copper pans! I am delighted with this purchase and look forward to many years of great culinary experience. Very excited to try the pancakes and french toast!