Victoria 8 Inch Cast Iron Tortilla Press - Heavy Duty Tortilla Maker for Flour, Roti & Dough - Pre-Seasoned with Flaxseed Oil (Black) - Perfect for Homemade Tortillas, Flatbreads & Authentic Mexican Cooking

Tempted by seeing recipes for making my own flour tortillas as well as for making my own naan, I finally broke down and got the Victoria 10" Commercial Grade Cast Iron Tortilla Press & Burrito Press, New Secret Indestructible “HD Iron”. 10-Inch Tortilla and Quesadilla Maker, $88.98 with amazon 10% coupon. I had done a lot of research and wanted something that will last. I was tempted by both cheaper and more expensive ones, but a variety of reviews made me settle on this one. With proper care this thing should last for lifetimes, though the cast iron nature does introduce rust as a factor.First thing when I opened the box I saw that there was already a little rust one the top piece of one of the hinges. Very small and minor, and not a food surface area, and considering the box it was in was not airtight I suspect just regular high humidity in a warehouse was to blame.The rest of the press was fine. I got a gallon ziploc bag and cut the top and sides leaving the bottom connected and decided to make some flatbread out of a small blob of pizza dough we had on hand. Divided it into pieces (and found out that I am not that great at dividing it equally), rolled into balls and let sit on a plate under plastic wrap for 20 minutes to rest a bit. Put a large cast iron pan on the stove to heat up and then pressed the first dough ball between the plastic, turning and pressing additional times as recommended. It looked nice and thin and decently sized when stuck between the plastic. As soon as took it out though it shrank immediately, but this is a function of the dough used, NOT the press. (Any review complaining about the dough shrinking back is basically confirming that the press worked and the dough was at fault, don't blame your equipment for something that isn't the equipment's fault.) Immediately threw the dough onto the hot pan, flipped a couple of times, and had a nice (albeit small) flatbread. Repeated with the others and the process was the same for all of them. At the end the press didn't need to be cleaned because I was using the plastic the whole time and the dough never touched it.Things to note:-This is heavy cast iron. When setting it on your counter it might leave marks depending on the surface. We have some large thin plastic cutting boards so I set it on one of those and it was fine.-The seasoning is suspect in some areas. Because it is cast iron I would advise not letting it air dry. Use some paper towels and dry it off completely. If you use plastic or parchment paper when pressing your tortillas you shouldn't need to clean it often.-I saw reviews about people breaking the handles from pressing too hard. I imagine that is possible, but if you press slowly you will feel the "squishy" resistance as the dough flattens out and that that will stop as you reach maximum flatness. That is the point where pressing harder isn't going to do you any good and you can stop. Using that as a guide I had no worries or concerns about breaking it.In the end it does what it is supposed to do. Is it worth more than the cheaper ones? I don't know, and won't know because I don't see myself replacing this.Another thing to note, keep the box it comes in to make it easier to store. It is large and unusual in shape so unless you have an open spot on a shelf somewhere that you don't have to worry about stacking things the box makes it easier to deal with since you can set other items (not overly heavy ones) on top.I love this thing.I've been making fresh tortillas every week since its arrival, and this works marvelously. I put the press right on the burner and get it nice and hot and press and cook the tortillas at the same time, which goes quite fast; it takes a little practice to get the rhythm going so you don't burn or undercook them, but once rolling I can knock out a dozen tortillas in short order. It works great for both corn and flour tortillas. It also works for making pitas.It comes pre-seasoned and cleans up easily, like any well-seasoned pan does. I just wipe the cooking surface with a damp cloth and dry it immediately.It's the right size for small to mid-sized tortillas, not wraps or burritos.I have the 8” press. It makes perfect corn tortillas in a jiffy! I used to use an old Pyrex pie dish, but had to put most of my weight into it to flatten them down. It was awkward and pretty tiring by the 6th tortilla or so. This press is so easy to use, it’s fast and does not require strength. I use a cut up freezer bag to line it, regular plastic wrap is too thin. I wash and dry the liners and they’ve lasted for several batches. The press stays clean and doesn’t really require washing. I just brush it off and lightly coat it with olive oil before storing. This press has made my life so much easier! Buy it today, you will be glad you did!This press makes "rolling out" a tortilla very easy. It takes me about 30 seconds per tortilla. Based on the instructional videos I have seen, even experienced women require much more time when using a rolling pin.My only complaint is the lack of a "depth stop" for the top plate. If you press down too hard on the handle, the "forward" edge of the tortilla essentially thins out to zero. If you don't press hard enough, the tortilla remains too thick and does not press out to 8". To solve this problem, I printed out the gadget shown in the photos (on a 3D printer) and epoxied it to the bottom plate of the press, as shown. This stops the downward movement of the top plate when the tortilla is 0.050" thick. Now I get a perfect tortilla every time.I use 8" parchment paper disks (available on Amazon) to keep the tortillas from sticking to the top and bottom plates of the press. I can use the same paper disks for about 8 tortillas before they begin to curl and become difficult to use. I "fry" the tortillas (for 30 seconds per side @ 400 deg F) on a typical electric griddle. This allows me to fry two tortillas at once. This allows me to set up a rhythm: paper disk on bottom plate, flattened ball of tortilla dough on bottom plate, paper disk on top of dough, close press, open press, peel off top paper disk, transfer tortilla to griddle "upside down", peel off second paper disk. All of this takes about 30 seconds.I immediately start the next tortilla. When it is finished, the first tortilla is ready to be flipped. I put the second tortilla on the griddle and start the third. When it is finished, the first tortilla is ready to come off the griddle and the second tortilla is ready to be flipped. The third tortilla goes on the griddle. I can keep this rhythm going, producing a perfect tortilla every 30 seconds. That speed would be impossible when using a rolling pin.We have used this twice and on the second time the handle broke and by this point it was too late for a return. Not sure who to even contact to complain about it..Disappointed with the quality, you would think since it is cast iron it would be pretty solid but our experience proves the opposite.I really wasn't expecting to use this very often, but now I'm hooked on these crazy tortillas! I used to use the bottom of a heavy pie plate, which worked quite well but not great. I had been contemplating getting a press for awhile and decided to try this one. It's not as heavy as I was expecting. It's small enough to easily store on it's side in the cupboard. I was a little paranoid about the handle from reading other reviews. Instead of using just the handle, I first press down on top. Then I use the handle to give it just a light press. A quick 180 degree flip and another light press and it comes out perfect. Less than 10 seconds! Now I can't quit using this thing. Wait until you try scrambled eggs and sausage for a breakfast tortilla! Or pizza toppings for a light lunch. Bananas and caramel sauce for desert......sorry, I got carried away. Could the handle be designed better for added strength? - Yes. But with a little care it shouldn't be a problem.EDIT: Now 2 stars for service. The manufacturer is sending a replacement handle and has explained how this type of fracture can occur. I will update again once I have tested the replacement.The iron handle (not the hinge, the metal itself) snapped in half on the 5th tortilla I ever made with it.The first four tortillas looked great.I'd like to think it was a fluke defect but I can't figure out how to contact the vendor and see if I can try a replacement.Pros:It is durable and strong and heavy.Cons:HeavySmall. Only very small size tortilla can be made.Takes a lot trial and error to go know what gives the best outcome.Need to position the dough a little off center/middle to have the perfect shape.Due to basic design limitation, it makes uneven thickness. Thinner towards the handle joint.Must use plastic on both sides of the dough. Makes the plastic the most important tool in the process.Hard to estimate the right pressure to get the right thickness.If you are looking for a quick and easy solution, it is not your thing. Only, if you don't want to do by rolling a stick, you may want have it but be ready to put effort to it.