Happy SalesFBA_HSTBT1 Cast Iron Takoyaki Pan, Black

To say that my family loves takoyaki is an understatement. My 7 year old daughter has been obsessed with it since she was about 2 years old, my 9 year old wants to order it anytime she sees it on a menu and I've always wanted to make it at home, because with all these takoyaki-freaks in my house, eating it at a restaurant can get pretty expensive.After watching 5 takoyaki videos on YouTube, I felt confident enough to order a pan. My first batch was a disaster! I followed the instructions on the youtube videos, overfilling the cavities and I ended up with a really big mess on my cooktop. I struggled with flipping my takoyaki into spheres and ended up with messy, mushy blobs. But I'm not a quitter.My next attempt, I made my takoyaki batter a bit runnier and put it in a squeeze bottle. I kept it cold in a tall bowl with ice water in it. I made sure the pan was perfectly centered over the burner and preheated it until just smoking, I added a generous amount of oil with my oil brush (so that there were little puddles of oil). After adding the oil I squeezed some batter into each cavity- to about the half-way point of the cavity, then adding my filings, tako, beni shoga, scallions, tenkasu and bonito or sakura ebi (whichever I happen to have). Then I added more batter to cover the toppings, after about a minute the bottom of the takoyaki are getting crispy and ready to turn (I just use barbecue skewers for this), I only turned them so they were sideways in the cavities and added more batter with my squeeze bottle, turning as needed then adding batter as needed. Honestly, I think the squeeze bottle is necessary for this particular pan- DO NOT OVERFILL the cavities unless you want a massive mess to clean up.Some quick takeaways:- This is a wonderfully heavy cast iron pan (which is why I chose it- I didn't want aluminum), it distributes heat very well and is very easy to clean- The size of the cavities yields perfectly sized takoyaki- Don't be timid with the temperature, medium-high worked very well for us- while lower temperatures resulted in mushy takoyaki- The bottom of the pan is not flat, so it's pretty wobbly on gas burners- The only drawbacks with this pan that I've found are: the number of cavities (it only makes 12 at a time, so if you want to make larger batches you may want to keep this in mind), and the layout isn't in linear rows/columns, so if you do overfill it- good luck trying to find where your takoyaki holes are!My older daughter helps me make each batch and wants to make takoyaki every weekend now- so I'd say this pan is a winner.

I opened this and knew right away I was not going to keep it. The handle is the deal-breaker for me. I never cooked with it so I can't attest to how well it works because I knew the handle was a no-go. The product description does not mention that the handle is not attached. When you open the box, the handle is separate and needs to be attached. It attaches with a long screw. First, I could not get it to stay tight. I could tell it was not going to last and would eventually strip out. The handle wood is rough and not pleasant to touch at all nor is it well sealed (which may account for the roughness). I could see that water would easily cause mold growth in the handle over time. I am returning this unused and looking for a higher quality one.

Ever since I visited a Japanese festival and had some Takoyaki balls there I wanted to make my own. With this pan, I was able to produce some excellent Takoyaki balls. Since it’s cast iron, this pan is easy to clean and will not scratch or peel from metal pokers.To prevent the takoyaki from sticking to the pan, you’ll need to put some oil in the holes first and turn on high heat until the oil starts to smoke, then you can let the pan to cool down and wipe away excess oil with a paper towel (don’t use soap, ever). To make the takoyaki balls, you’ll also want to make sure the pan is hot and with around ¼ inch of hot oil in each hole before pouring down your batter, as this will also prevent sticking to the pan problem.To get that authentic flavor, make sure you add dashi (make from either powder or boil kelp with some bonito flakes in a pot), pickled ginger, and a dab of soy sauce into the batter. And top the balls off with some Takoyaki sauce and bonito flakes.To clean, just wipe off with a towel or paper towel, use a knife to scratch off stuck on batter. Don't use soap.

Great pan. Makes takoyaki well. Make sure to season it or you will have bad time with stuff sticking!Terrible handle. No matter how much I tightened the handle into the pan it would always spin as though it were loose. Eventually the handle stripped and came off, with the two-way screw attaching it to the pan still stuck in the pan. Seeing how little the screw actually went into the handle I'm kind of glad it broke like it did because it really doesn't look like it was meant to support such a heavy pan. For the price I expected slightly better build quality.

I have wanted a takoyaki pan so badly for about 2 years, but never purchased it because I was always reading conflicting opinions about the possibility of using it with an electric stove. Well, as you can see from my photos not only this pan works with electric stoves, but it works PERFECTLY! Just be careful to cook your takoyaki only over medium/low heat if you use the electric stove instead of the gas one, because the pan is made with real cast iron (it’s also very heavy and sturdy) and will become extremely hot, with the risk of burning your food. It was the first time for me and I wasn’t fast enough to flip my takoyaki, so they came out a bit too crispy on the outside. The inside was soft and they were delicious, so it was a success! Also, don’t forget to use plenty of oil: it will make it easier for you to flip the takoyaki and to clean the pan afterwards. Couldn’t be happier with my purchase! :)