Love the versatility to be able to cook and serve on itThe bottom edge is shallow and doesn't catch enough liquidjust what I neededThis O'Plancha Griddle and Accessories from Mastrad extremely versatile and a nice addition to any adventurous home chef.Basically, it's an exceptional griddle and with the addition of the dome, it's an oven or smoker. Inside the box, you'll find the griddle, the dome with installed thermometer, the 2-section smoking rack, two silicone fingertip mitts, a small silicone baster, an owners guide and a full color recipe book.The griddle, the dome and the smoking racks are made of 18/10 stainless steel and the griddle has a core of aluminum for superior heat distribution. The griddle works on all cooktops including induction, which I am especially excited about, and can also go in the oven or on the grill! And because it is stainless steel, it can all so in the dishwasher (after removing the thermostat from the dome.)Before the first use, Mastrad directs you to wipe the entire griddle with vegetable oil on a paper towel and then to wash it in warm, soapy water. This seasons it and Mastrad suggests re-seasoning periodically. Also, they caution against using the griddle on anything higher than medium heat and if using an induction cooktop, never use the booster feature. Use at higher than recommended temperatures could damage the griddle.The griddle has two, stainless steel handles and is a little different than most griddles in that there is no lip. Instead, there is a recessed grease/drippings trough around the edge of the griddle. No lip means it's easier to remove cooked foods from the griddle. The included baster can be used to siphon off the drippings as they collect.The dome creates an oven like environment when clipped to the griddle and allows you to actually bake on your cooktop of grill. There is a removable temperature gauge for making sure the temp is perfect. The handle on the lid has a thick, textured, silicone ring around it to protect your fingers from burns when removing the dome.One cool thing you can do is to impart some extra flavor to cooked foods by placing the rosemary or herbs on the griddle, then placing the smoking racks on top of that and placing your cooked food on the racks. Attach the dome and put over heat for about 10 minutes. I tried it with chicken breasts and some fresh rosemary (recipe in the included book) and wow! The results were fantastic!The included, fingertip mitts are perfect for picking up your hot griddle by the handles. You can also purchase an optional, long handle that clamps to the griddle, if you prefer.So I made two, T-bone steaks using the method outlined in the included recipe book, which has you sear the steaks on the cooktop and then transfer the steaks on the griddle to a preheated oven to finish and then attach the dome to let the steaks rest for 10-15 minutes. I've used this method, minus the dome, for years now and it's my favorite indoor method for steaks but I gotta say, it's even better with the O'Plancha. I think it's because the fats drain away easily and using the dome to rest seems to make the steaks even more tender and juicy than just covering them with foil as I used to do.I also made a lovely pizza on my induction burner! I make pizzas frequently but this is fantastic since I don't have to preheat my oven. I can throw a pizza together in no time and start baking immediately.One thing I don't like about this O'Plancha is that the grease trough can be messy if you're cooking very fatty foods. For example, I wouldn't cook a lot of bacon on this griddle because the trough just doesn't hold that much. The baster works OK but when I'm cooking on the induction burner, I just use a paper towel to absorb the grease because it's easier and less messy.Also, the griddle is about 12" in diameter so it's not big enough for cooking the main course for a large family, however, it will hold 2-3 servings no problem.This represents an investment but it's made of quality materials and is well designed. I'm excited about using it because it expands what I can do on my induction burner and it lets me bake without having to heat the kitchen up in the summer by using the big oven. And since I have a gas oven, when we have occasional power failures, I can still cook a variety of foods on my stovetop.Constructed out of 18/10 stainless steel with an aluminum core, the O’Plancha Griddle’s base transfers heat and rapidly distributes it across its 11” (in diameter) cooking surface. When you are cooking on a stove top, the griddle heats up quickly and cooks food evenly, far better than your average frying pan.Because the griddle is flat, it is far easier to access food with a spatula or turn it during the cooking process. This is much appreciated when making thin crepes, for example, which are much harder to flip if you are using a conventional frying pan.A major advantage of the O’Plancha is that it comes with it’s own cover, equipped with a temperature gauge. The cover can be used on stove top or when transferring cooked items to the oven for further cooking or to remain heated. There is a small hinge on the side, which hold the cover in place so you can lift it. I don’t know if this is really necessary, but it was far easier to use than I expected. You don’t have to have the top all set to go before using it. It’s easy to slip in and out of the hinge (or you can just set the top on the O’Plancha setting up the hinge mechanism if you prefer). The heating gauge might be useful if you are using this on top of an outdoor, gas grill and are going for a certain temperature, but in practice I didn’t use it.The flatness of a pan is an advantage when flipping pancakes or making crepes, but is a major disadvantage if you are trying to cook anything with batter that is too runny or that sheds a lot of liquid. There is a groove that runs the diameter of the O’Plancha that holds approximately 1/4 cup of liquid. That sounded pretty generous, but in practice it holds somewhat less (unless your stovetop is absolutely perpendicular to the force of gravity).There is a baster that is included with the O’Plancha that can be used to remove fluid from the groove and you will definitely need this. If you are using the O’Plancha to make something like crepes you will need to make sure it is up to heat and that the batter is thick enough to prevent overflow into the groove. Moreover, if you do get batter in the groove, you should make sure you have 1) seasoned the groove or sprayed it with cooking spray; and 2) have a small silicon scraper on hand to quickly extricate the batter before it cooks in completely or adheres to the sides of the groove. After some experience, you will learn to adjust to this idiosyncrasy and it will less of a problem.The O’Plancha lacks any kind of non-stick coating. You will be cooking directly on flat, stainless steel. As such, you need to coat the grill with fat or use a non-stick cooking spray to prevent food from adhering to the grill during the cooking process.I can only discuss using the griddle when it was new, but was surprised that this was less of a problem than I thought it would be. Over time, however, this may change as the stainless steel surface become scratched from cooking or cleaning, in which case there will be more microscopic ridges for food stick to. But out of the box, the O’Plancha was a pleasure to use whether pre-seasoned with fat or sprayed with Pam. (Similarly, the O’Plancha’s all-stainless-steel look is really great when brand new. The griddle is quite durable, but over time all stainless steel pots and pans tend to lose that out-of-the-box luster...)The O’Plancha is oven safe, so you can quickly transfer food from the stovetop to the oven. One caveat, of course, is that you have to make sure that enough liquid is liberated from your cooked food, as you don’t want overflow in your oven. I place the O’Plancha on a cookie sheet if there is ever a worry, but in general once you are done cooking on the stove, the food is ‘dry’ enough that this was not a major issue.The handles on the O’Plancha are well positioned. They do get fiercely hot when the O’Plancha is used either in the oven or on the stovetop, and you will need to use the silicon covers or pot holders to lift the griddle if you want to move it. I would have appreciated cool handles for stovetop work, but this is by no means a deal breaker.The major question as to whether you really need the O’Plancha. It seems to have its own narrow niche in cookware. Most of what you can do with the O’Plancha you can do with your existing set of pots and pans, so you can't call it a must-have.I definitely liked the O’Plancha more than I thought I would. Once you have it, though, you tend to think of good uses for it, but it is not the must-have item for your kitchen that everyone is talking about.That said, this is a well made quality item that--for the right person--will be an interesting and valuable addition to the kitchen. Recommended.