KitchenCraft Baking Stone Tray, Non Stick, for Oven or Hob, for Pizza, Bread, Pancake and other Recipes in Gift Box, Round, Cast Iron, 27 cm x 6.5 mm

This is an excellent, Welsh-style cast-iron bakestone. Having seasoned it properly (the cooking surface is meant to be completely black), I've just baked my first batch of Welsh cakes on my induction hob, with gorgeous, delicious results. There was no sticking or burning at all, and the Welsh cakes were cooked perfectly. The cooking was so clean and burn-free that "cleaning" the bakestone afterwards was simply a matter of wiping the surface with a piece of kitchen paper (no hygiene issues here, as the cooking surface reaches such high temperatures that it sterilises itself).Seasoning the bakestone properly will inevitably create smoke and (certainly if you use lard) that smoke will be stinky. I recommend doing it outdoors on a gas camping-style cooking stove or barbecue, with lard and salt (I've read elsewhere that the salt is actually an important part of the blackening process). Expect it to take much longer than the 10-15 minutes specified in the included instructions: it took me about an hour. Keep applying salt and lard to the least blackened parts, rotating the bakestone occasionally to allow all parts to be seasoned evenly, and rubbing the lard-salt mixture into the surface of the cast-iron with a wadded piece of cotton (I used a large cotton handkerchief and then threw it away). Use oven gloves and long sleeves, because the hot, lardy salt will be very, very hot, probably hotter than anything you've ever touched, and it will want to burn holes in your flesh. The seasoning process is an unpleasant, smoky experience, but you should only need to do it once, and it is well worth it, because you will end up with a perfectly natural, very effective non-stick surface: you need never again worry about slowly ingesting fragments of Teflon as you gradually chip and burn away the artificial non-stick surfaces of your cooking vessels.

Decades ago when I was younger, still living at home with my parents, I was always using my mother's bake stone. Ok it was a lot heavier than this one; suppose that's why I was always hesitant to getting one myself because how heavy the cast iron is., but this one is so much lighter than my mother's. I can lift this one with one hand, my mother's I had to use two hands because how heavy it was.This one, even tho half the weight, is still the same exact quality.I keep it on top of the hob covered in a tea towel so doesn't get dirty.I haven't an oven so couldn't quite remember how to season it, but then all of a sudden came back to me....*cast doesn't need to be seasoned if use it often*I switched the hob up high and left the stone on top until it was smoking almost, then I removed it and put it on a heat surface to rest. Then used a little bit of grease proof paper, roughly rubbed some Marg all over the hot stone . Let the stone go cold, made the mixture for the Welsh cakes (recipe included in leaflet). Then put the stone back ontop the warm hob and cooked the cakes in batches. My kids went ballistic with excitement when they tasted them.Iv used the stone almost everyday since buying it, scrubbing it using little bit of fairy and bicarbonate of soda as soon I remove it off the hob....don't even let it cool down before putting under cold tap so Iv got hold it with an oven glove.Then once its washed and rinsed I always use a tea towel to dry straight away.Iv only needed to rub Marg into the cast six times now it's practically non-stick so I shouldn't need to much longer. Wish I bought this decades ago now.

Satisfied

Great value and quality

Used : Induction HobCuisine: Scotch pancakes, Indian Dosas, Japanese Okonomiyaki, Venezuelan CachapasImportant maintenance : Preparing the Grey stone into non-stick Black first time ( 1-2 hours)I bought it to make pancakes, south asian cuisine like indian dosas and Japanese okonomayaki.When it arrived I read the instructions carefully as my previous iron vessel had rusted away. It needs prepping:-1. Wash the iron stone in soapy hot water to remove the temporary anti-rust coating.2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and place the stone in it for 30 minutes to remove the coating completely. Keep windows open as fumes can be irritating for ppl who are sensitive.3. Take it out, and place it in the kitchen basin with running water after it. Please make sure to wear oven gloves. Cool it and dry it.4. Rub salt and oil on the pan liberally and Place it on your induction hob until it starts to turn black as shown in the photographs slowly. There will be smoke, so keep windows ooen. Keep turning your stone slowly as shown to get an even blackness.5. Once it is completely black, which it will be after atleast 30 minites to an hour depending on many factors if you persist, take it off the hob once again into the kitchen sink and wash it again in soapy water and clear water and dry it.6. Now, apply some oil on it again and its ready for all the cooking.I keep mine perpendicular to my hob after cooking and leave the oil on it so that it doesnt rust.Note: the grey turns into black and uneven look on the stone and finally a completely black stone in high heat. As induction hobs are hotter in the middle I had to turn my stone many times to get the fully black nonstick effect.I made great pancakes and Indian dosas on it. It was great to see even the thinnest layer come off it like its on a non stick pan. It was great. And the even distribution of heat meant they crisped up evenly. Now to make a few welsh cakes and Cachapas. Will update how other pancakes from around the world fared on this stone at a later date.

It’s too heavy but the shape of I can cook properly