Based on several other reviews, I had three concerns with this product: that this would crack. that people had trouble cleaning it and that food was sticking when cooking.
CRACKING
I have had no issues in the last 6 weeks that I have had this product and we have used it 1-2 times / week; almost a dozen times. Not sure if anyone who had problems did not allow it to heat up gradually and cool down gradually? Rapid, extreme changes will stress any kind of brittle material such as cast iron. Also, while the melting point of iron is 2800°, your range of cooking temperatures should not exceed 700-800° for burgers, steaks, etc. For a griddle, 375-400° is about the highest you want to cook with. If you are heating this griddle to 800°, that may be part of the problem.
CLEANING
If you have never owned a cast iron cook product before, what I am about to say might freak you out a little bit... With products like this, you really shouldn't clean it that vigorously. Seasoning aside, when there is a microscopic build-up of oils, grease, and fat, then the metal is naturally protected and the surface becomse smoother as the micro-imperfections in the metal are filled-in. My griddle is to the point where, after I am done cooking with it and it has cooled down, all I have to do is lightly scrape the crispy stuff off with a stainless turner (metal spatula). Then I rinse it with tap-hot water and and then use a paper towel to wipe off any residue of oil/grease and then let it air dry. At this point, stuff just comes right off of it as if it were Teflon. I never use a scrubber, steel wool, or any kind of soap or detergent. The one single complaint I have, and it does irritate me more than a bit, is that they stamped their name into the cooking surface. I really don't care and don't need to be reminded every time I use it that this was a Victoria product. If I am shopping for additional products or want to recommend it to others, I will either remember or I will look it up in my order history. Other than that, it just creates a place where food and stuff can be trapped.
COOKING
Initially, the first couple of meals were a little sticky. The first thing I cooked was salmon with the skin on. That wasn't so great. I used a decent amount of olive oil, but still, it stuck. I just scraped it off, wiped it with paper towels, and the next time, it was better. At this point, nothing is sticking at all and I find that I only need a little bit of oil. (Pro tip: To avoid looking like Firemarshall Bill, you don't want to use too much oil right next to an open flame. Just sayin')
Overall, I am liking it so far. If it suddenly cracks or something, I am not going to be happy. At that point, it comes down to imperfections in the material. For instance, if the mixture of carbon, silicon and iron is off or there are other impurities, those can compromise the integrity. I would recommend this product at this point. If it breaks or anything, I will revise my recommendation.
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