JapanBargain 1794, Takoyaki Pan Cast Iron Takoyaki Maker Skillet Griddle Japanese Octopus Meat Ball Mold Maker, 14 Molds

I lived in Japan for many years and the food was outstanding but the real comfort food was what you could get at those little yatai food stalls on the side of a neighborhood street. I always marveled at the skills of the takoyaki master - poking tasty goodness into those little hot balls of crunchy outside and molten batter inside around a chunk of octopus through dexterous handling of the pointed metal pick to turn the browning batter into perfect ball shapes.This little cast iron “12baller” is very sturdy as castiron should be. I seasoned it with a good castiron seasoning oil and baked it in my bbq with the handle off to give it a good hard coat that helps to prevent sticking.It took a bit to get used to as it heats up fast and retains heat longer compared to an electric tabletop one but it is more authentic and worth the extra effort to hone ones skills. I purchased the pointed picks to pick and rotate the balls as they cook and they work much better than the “flathead screwdriver” type tips that are child-safe.I use a bubble level to make sure the pan is flat on my bbq burner so the batter doesn’t run off the edge as much. Recently I tried shrimp rather than octopus and for breakfast made the batter with sugar rather than dashinomoto to make little berry “takoyaki.” The strawberry chunk and blueberries made comical faces.This pan will make you fond of making takoyaki with all kinds of different fillings.

Nice and solid product, but the center 9 heats more than outer 12 spots. Electric coil heater or Induction heaters struggle to heat uniformly all around. The center 9 balls are connected by heat transfering fins in the backside bottom, but the outer 12 balls don't have the bottom connected. So they don't get enough heat. Thi pan is good only if you use with flamed heater (propane or butane stoves).

This pan looked good but the sad reality is that it was rusted even after a full wash and gave me rust poisoning.

Its a good pan, has a decent weight and functions as intended. I gave 4stars because it is made in China and not made in Japan.

Now that mine is broken in, I love using it. The trick is that it ships from the factory with a bunch of preservatives and such. Scrubbing with soap and water and seasoning with oil wasn't enough to finish it; it needed another pass.I seasoned once and tried to make takoyaki, but it all stuck and burned. However, I read on a similar design from another manufacturer, that you might need to repeat the seasoning a few times in order to get all of the factory coating off of it. So I gave it a second seasoning run in the oven, and it performed far better. I am presently working on tamagoyaki to get the ball-rolling form down, before I try takoyaki again. But my last batch of tamagoyaki turned out quite well, so I believe I am one or two tamago batches away from being ready to make successful takoyaki.

Good product, but product arrived dinged.

Very well made! Heavy duty cast iron and the handle feels sturdy. We made a meal with this pan and results were delicious!

I paid for brand new price. However, this takoyaki pan is look like used and has rust on it. I didn't use it since it is arrived as picture. It probably didn't per-seasonal. therefore get rust on it. But it is stable on my gas stove and it is heavy. As it is cast iron, easy get rust on it and need to take care on it every time. Contacted to seller and going to return it.

Exelente calidad, un poco pequeño pero era aprox lo que esperaba. Llego en busn estado y un dia antes de lo planeado

Ok

The pan works great! I’m a little disappointed that after 3 uses, I have tighten the handle. I tightened it really well... or so I thought. If I had to purchase another pan, it’s going to be a different one, with a handle attached already, solely because the handle shouldn’t come loose especially after only 3 uses.

The iron plate is very good. Meet my expectations.