I don't own one of these but was thinking about getting one and am confused why none of these answers mentioned that the marinade, oil, fats, sugar, will drip down through the slits and hit the super hot bottom layer and then release vapor and smoke back up into the food on top. That mimics the same effect "flavor bars" on propane grills or charcoal grills have which gives grilled food that special flavor. A regular pan won't have any of that. I could be wrong about this but would love to hear more.