Iron griddle

sandy, once the tava heats, you can continue with a smaller flame and medium heat. unless you are trying crisp dosas, i find the heat enough for the spongy ones. and have an exhaust or chimney..my kitchen is a modular, did not have any issues with sprinkling just a few drops of water at any time..yes if you keep it high and then start sprinkling water it is going to be a bigger steam, and a cleaner tava will not emit too much steam..hope there is no grease on the rims.. cooking on iron tava requires a little more time and patience, that is why many take the non-stick route.

you can check out ceramic ones or the hard anodised ones.

I have hard anodised, non-stick ones too. the tips i can think of with non-stick is investing in good quality ones, and never let the temps go too high, maintaining it well. i have tavas that are more than a year old yet look almost new.

i am looking at the new prestige ceramic one when i stop with the non-stick. i change my non-stick in once a year or 15 months, even if they don't get spoiled, because of the exhaustive use i put it through..