Chef KingRM1423 Home Griddle, 14x23

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 surface4) Get a griddle scraper or heavy dough knife. This can be used to clean the surface as needed while and after cooking5) 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.

This is the cooking tool I've been looking for! I have been updating my kitchenware for the past couple months, throwing out the cheap non-stick cookware and buying some shiny new stainless steel pots and pans. I spent lots of money on a full set of Demeyere Atlantis cookware and now I'm regretting the purchase of some of those items because of the utility I get out of this griddle.I had so much fun cranking out pancakes with scrambled eggs for the whole family like a pro - plus I got to eat at the same time as everyone else, hot pancakes and eggs for dad! This was large enough that I could cook everything at the same time and not have to cook the food in batches.This griddle is heavy duty as people say, it is 7 guage steel which seems equivalent if not thicker than the Demeyere 7-ply clad cookware. This means it's heavy and a pretty even distribution of heat even though I've got it on one large burner and one small burner on the stove inside. It's not perfectly distributing the heat, but much better than the Lodge cast iron I was previously using for pancakes. When I cook on the grill outside, this griddle is perfectly heated by the gas burners for a completely even cooking surface.I love that this is NSF certified, and made in the USA for an extra comfort level that it is safe to eat from.I have kept this griddle out on top of my stove because it doesn't quite fit inside the oven for storage. At first I was disappointed that it just barely by a fraction of an inch didn't fit in the stove, but now I find it very useful to just turn on a burner and cook what I need without having to bring out any pans.After only 3 uses, it developed a nice black non-stick seasoning which is smoother than my 10 year old lodge cast-iron skillet. The other day I cooked some scrambled eggs and used a flat metal spatula to scrape every little bit of eggs off the griddle. No sticking, no mess and no wasted eggs! I then used a little oil on a paper towel to wipe off the surface and that was it, no need for any further cleaning.I'm now looking at buying a heavy duty carbon steel fry pan because of this great experience with the griddle. I may even trade both in my shiny new stainless steel Demeyere skillet and my Lodge skillet for a carbon steel fry pan. I wish Chef King made a whole line of cookware!

Works great fits over my two burners just right. 7 gauge steel or about 3/16ths thick. Stays hot and cooks very evenly. So glad I made this purchase. Love it.