SCI Scandicrafts 7-Cup Cast Iron Aebeleskiver Pan - Traditional Danish Pancake Maker for Stovetop Cooking | Perfect for Breakfast, Brunch & Holiday Gatherings

It is a heavy duty cast iron that appeared to have some degree of seasoning to it when it arrived. I use gas but the grate is designed more for flat bottomed pans so it is a bit tricky to 'balance' this pan on the grate - but it can be done. You just can't put it on there any old way. I have used these type of pans before just much larger in a restaurant environment. These are tiny in comparison but then I am not running a restaurant.I saw reviews that it was too small to be used for a family of any size. It actually is not much harder than cooking omelette's for a family in a skillet. It is NOT going to be everyones food done at once is all.I found using a bamboo skewer (used for kabobs) works best to do the flipping. They are usually a dollar for a whole pack which should last a VERY long time.My only complaint (and the reason for just four stars) is that each of the cups, wells, is not a true hemisphere. Each cup is a bit flat on the bottom. This adds a bit to the difficulty of turning them and instead of turning out a perfect round ball they end up having a bit of a flat side. Real Aebelskiver pans dont have the flat part at the bottom of the cup.But that said I have used it a couple times now and adjusted my technique to the quirks of the pan. It works fine. I am not disappointed in the results and there only being two of us it cooks plenty fast enough. If I had it to do over again would I buy the same pan knowing what I know - yes. I looked at a lot of pans and for the price, despite the quirks, it is a very good pan.I received this cast iron pan as an engagement gift from my aunt and uncle 26 years ago. Over the years my mom has tried several different pans made out of different materials, but she can never pull off the quality aebleskiver that I get using this old-fashioned work horse! My daughter wanted to make aebleskiver for friends at college, so I got her this pan because I knew it would work for her.Yes, making aebleskiver is time-consumer, but oh-so-worth it! My 3rd generation (or maybe older!) recipe includes buttermilk and you whip the egg whites separately and fold them into the batter.Here are some tips:*Never try to cut calories by using cooking spray - the aebleskiver will always stick. Put a little butter in each cup and turn pan to coat.*I turn my aebleskiver with an ice pick that once belonged to my grandmother. She used it for aebleskiver, too! A metal skewer also works well.*Figure out which cup cooks the slowest. Always fill this cup first and turn it last.*The first batch never turns out that great. Once the pan is well-heated the other batches will be nice and fluffy!*Observe which heat setting on your cooktop works best and note it on your recipe card. I have had 5 different stoves during my marriage and have had to make adjustments for each one.Var sa god! The aebleskiver's ready!It worked on Induction and is pre seasoned.However the pan is not level at the bottom and the base of some small bowls are not touching the induction glass top. As it is cast iron, so even some of the small bowl are not touching the induction glass top, the whole thing is still able to heat up. But the heating is faster for the bowls touching the stovetop and slower for those bowls that are not touching the induction stovetop.It can do the work well but just need to know which are tiny bowls heated up faster and so put in the mixture the last.This Aebelskiver pan is tops as it is cast iron, heats evenly, and is easy to clean.The pan comes pre-seasoned, and only needs a wipe down with a damp cloth to clean. As it's cast iron, be sure to set the heat higher that you'd cook with at first, just to heat it up. After the first batch is cooked, you can turn the heat down a bit and the pan will retain its heat for the next batches.For Aebelskiver recipes, check your favorite Danish cookbook. Add apple slices to make Aebelsvupper. Serve with jam and sour cream. If you are still looking for a good Aebelskiver recipe, you can always just use pancake batter as a substitute. Not quite authentic, but still quite good. Melt a little butter in each round of the pan, fill 1/3 of the way with batter. When the batter has cooked a minute or two, and is brown on the underside, flip over and cook another 2 minutes, creating light, fluffy, round Aebelskiver.I used coconut oil spray each time and a fondue fork to turn them. In no time I had 8 batches out of 1/2 of a batter recipe. We split them on our plates instead of filling them while cooking. Then we filled them with lemon curd, fresh blue berries and sprinkled with powdered sugar. The recipe I used is just like waffles, except no butter. Next time, for two people I will quarter the batter recipe. My gas stove burner grates do not meet in the middle so I needed to make sure the pan was setting securely each time I returned it to the stove.I was a little worried when I saw the reviews before purchasing this, but decided to take a leap of faith and it turned out great! I do agree with some that the number of holes is not very great and it would take long, but the reviews on how it sticks and smells... well you have to know how to use this.The cast iron came with instructions that you should wash it with hot water before use or it will smell. I followed these instructions and it didn't smell at all.Also about sticking, you can use oil, butter, or non-stick spray, but the real step is to let the cast iron heat up first before adding oil or anything. This helps it to not stick! (I learned this from using the wok a lot which is made of the same material)So, overall, loved it and even made Japanese takoyaki on it (: