Norpro Cast Iron Plett Pan

Big dumb hunk of cast iron--what could go wrong? It's what I needed to make Finnish pancakes, and hard to find

I bought this pan on a whim. I have never eaten authentic Plett but the descriptions sounded appealing. I seasoned the pan on the stovetop since it is 90 degrees outside. Not my preferred method but it worked.I whipped up a batch of Plett using a 3-egg recipe I found on the web. I level Tablespoon of the batter worked perfectly. (These recipes make a LOT of Plett, but they freeze well.) I left out the sugar and put savory toppings on them. Sauteed mushrooms, smoked salmon, sliced cheese, etc. Nice contrast with the eggy texture of the Plett. They are great "pancakes" for little tykes.Next, I used the pan for some buckwheat blini. Worked perfectly. Also used it for circles of scrambled egg and prosciutto to put on top of the blini. Made mini bacon/egg/cheese sandwiches.Every culture has some form of pancake. Haven't tried Dosa batter yet, but I've used cornmeal and buckwheat crepe mixtures with great success.One thing you should know is that this pan is not the same as the pictured pad in the listing. the pan I received does not have the pour lip on the side of the pan and the pancake wells have tapered sides rather than straight sides.It's sturdy. It's non-stick. It does what it's supposed to do. I'm very pleased.UPDATE: I like this pan more every time I use it. I have found some tools in my kitchen that make the process easier and and cuts my cooking time in half.1. I use Alton Brown's crepe recipe, but usually have to thin it with 2-4 Tablespoons of water if I let the batter sit overnight. I usually leave out the sugar because I usually use the plett for savory recipes. I keep a batch of sweet plett in the freezer. It is a very easy recipe and makes about 50 eggy plett/crepes. Again, they freeze well.2. Different wells in the pan cook at different speeds, depending on their location on the pan. The 2 wells right in front of the handle cook the slowest and the center well cooks the fastest. As a result, I fill the 2 wells by the handle first and the center well last.3. Use a pancake pen to fill the wells.Tovolo Pancake PenIt takes just a little bit of practice, but once you find your rhythm, it is MUCH faster than measuring each tablespoonful. I use it to fill small baking molds like bouchons and financiers as well. You could also use the cupcake pen.4. Flipping the plett in their wells is aggravating and time consuming. Because of the egg content, they puff up and don't sit flat in the well when you turn them over. Have a second pan heated on the stove and move the plett directly to that pan to cook on the second side. It speeds up the process considerably. You can refill the wells while the plett cook on the second side in the other pan. I really like the pan below for this purpose:Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Round Griddle, 10.5"It has low sides, so you can turn the plett without burning you hand. I also use it to broil fish. I preheat it, put some oil in the bottom and put in the fish. The cast iron holds the heat, so it cooks the fish on both sides without turning.5. Lose the barbecue skewers. They work, but they are a little slow, awkward, and can poke holes in the plett if they are a little under done. I use a mini metal frosting knife and a mini spatula. Thay are easier to use and speed up the process.Dexter-Russell 2-by-2.5-Inch Stainless Steel and Walnut Mini TurnerandAteco 4.25 by 0.75-Inch Small Sized Blade Ultra SpatulaI use the small cake decorating spatula to steady one side of the plett while I slip the other spatula underneath to transfer it to the second pan.Using these 4 items, I can cook up an entire batch of batter very quickly.

Item not as described. It is not black like in the photos, but grey. This isn't normal cast iron, it clearly has some kind of coating - not preservative grease or oil. The coating was also partially coming off. Avoid this.

Very small holes

Growing up in in a Scandinavian house hold thin and crispy Swedish pancakes were a regular treat. I have been making them in a regular pan for some time but I missed the "Silver Dollar" size pancakes my mom made with this style pancake pan.This pan worked perfectly even if it wasn't a perfect pan. Like the pictures above my pan had a grind mark on it. While this detracted from the overall appearance, it had no effect on the pan's performance.The pan is unseasoned so a bit of prep is necessary. Scrub it in hot soapy water and immediately dry it with paper towels. Preheat the oven to 350*F and throughly cover the pan with a very thin coat of shortening. Do not use vegetable oil or nonstick spray! They become gummy. Shortening is refined and will not gum up if spread very thin. Leave the pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes, carefully remove with a pot holder and very throughly wipe it down with a wad of paper towels to remove excess shortening. Put the pan back in the oven for an hour, turn off the oven and let cool in place. You've just seasoned your cast iron pan!Now that you have a seasoned pan lets make some Swedish pancakes! Here's my mom's recipe (*with a couple additions I made) that I grew up with:1 Cup milk warmed*1 Tbsp melted butter*1/2 tsp Vanilla1 large egg lightly beaten1/4 cup sugarabout 1/2 cup flour reservedMix in a 2 cup measuring cup. Whisk together ingredients and then add flour by the tablespoon till consistency of thicker gravy. Preheat the pan at medium high and back down to medium. Drop a bit of butter (~1/4 tsp) into each depression then follow with enough batter to just reach the edges of the depression. When the bubbles start to set around the edges flip the pancake (about 60 seconds or less). Check for browning (should have the appearance of toast), take them out and serve warm with butter and powered sugar.If your pancakes stick either your pan is too hot or you didn't use enough butter before pouring the batter. If you need to hold the pancakes for a few minutes preheat the oven to 200*F and transfer them to a plate in the oven covered with a kitchen towel.As for a proper spatula I strongly recommend the Ateco Natural Wood Small Sized Spatula, 4.5 Inch Blade. It is the perfect size and the tip is flexible to get under the pancakes. This exactly what we used to make these pancakes growing up.

Disappointed. I have made a zillion plattar (Swedish pancakes) with my own pan but was buying this as a gift for my niece. However, the bottom was warped by a quarter inch on one side so it didn't "sit" level on my countertop. I put it back into the box and it's being shipped back. So unfortunate. Wish Norpro were checking QC in Taiwan. Other than the warp, the material/quality/feel was spot on. Gave them three stars to cut them a break as maybe the warp was an aberration.