This seems like the perfect opportunity to ask a question about pans/griddles for pancakes. It seems like my recently acquired big cast iron skillet should be great for pancakes but I find that is doesn't heat evenly enough. Even on my biggest gas burner, the middle edges of the pancakes get too dark while the outside edges are pale. Isn't cast iron supposed to do better than this? My thinner non-stick pan that I'm trying get away from actually does a better job. Also, I like the idea of a stovetop griddle for cooking more pancakes or French toast at a time, but I worry it would suffer from the same uneven heating. Do you have any experience with this and is there a griddle you would recommend? Sarah, your cast iron griddle might be "suffering" from being TOO good a conductor—it's responding to the exact circumference of your burner, perhaps? Is it hotter directly above your burner coils, or where the flame hits? That could be the issue. Maybe your non-stick pan simply spreads the heat around better. I love using a griddle. Although it isn't perfect (every pancake isn't perfectly browned edge to edge), I appreciate being able to set the temperature to 350°F and having it remain there. And of course, I love how big it is. We've used a Cuisinart here in the test kitchen, and currently use an Elite - we've found that both work well. - PJH

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