I really appreciate your looking into this Dave. He picked up in NH at an antique shop. I've been looking under different search terms and found nothing yet. I should probably call it a griddle being flat. I'm going to keep looking for info. I saw some potato pancake and egg pics this morning, look like I have a plan for breakfast.
So maybe it’s been covered in this vast thread but I’ll ask anyways. Cast iron IN the stove? Is that crazy or something people have done. I have some nice ribeyes I’m cooking tonight and it’s too damm cold for grilling and I hate doing them on the stove because it smokes and smells up the house something nasty. So I was thinking why not put the pan right in the stove? Wait for a small coal bed to burn down, try to measure around 500 or so with the infrared thermometer and cook it right in the stove, smoke goes right out. So what could be some problems? I can think of the grease splatter would have to be contained somehow. Also, greasy smoke build up in the flue is probably very bad but it would only be a one time thing, so I think it would be minimal. Someone please stop me if this sounds like the dumbest thing you’ve heard.
Ok, I'll chime in... Can you do it? "Yes". Would "I" do it,? No. Would it be a pain in the @$$, probably! Could you crack your skillet in the stove? "possibly". 50/50 chance there, pin point heating on old cast. If "I" were to do that, I would find a good size metal trivit and put that on the bed of hot coals first, then your pan. I have a home made rack I made several years back to put above a bed of coals and I cook corn bread in the stove from time to time. My pan though is not touching the coals. People have also trown their cast iron pans "IN" the stove while burning to de-grease them. That "can" be disastrous causing warpage and cracking. There are much better ways of doing that. Anyway, you could and it may be just fine, my 2 cent's . Good luck!
Yeah, my wife just barely looked up from her book and rolled her eyes, she’s used to my scatter brain ideas. I definitely don’t want to crack my pan, it’s not a old one but is well seasoned and would be missed. I didn’t really think of that, guess I’ll be stinking up the house. And yeah, I never would have thought degreasing a pan in the stove is a good idea, even with the way my brain works.
I’m searching for pictures on my phone for proof, but I regularly cook steaks in a cast iron skillet in the woodstove. In fact I cooked for nice ribeyes on Christmas for lunch. What I do, is let the coals burn down some, and then I have a chunk of I beam that I stand in the stove to get the skillet above the coals. I put the skillet in the stove to preheat it for a few minutes, and then carefully take it out, set it on an old cook pot next to the stove as I load my steaks. Back in for a couple minutes and then flip em. Dab of Herb butter on each steam when about done. Still quite Fragrant, but we enjoy it. I’ll also say, I think this makes the best steak I’ve ever had in my life as its so hot it quickly seers and cooks great. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ok folks, I finally dug out a bunch of my cast iron that’s been in storage. I have most of a set of Griswold or Wagner skillets and I know about them. Can anyone tell me anything about this “Copco 7306” skillet made in Denmark: Or this big oval Dutch oven with a duck on the reversible lid/griddle: It seems to fit perfectly on top of a charcoal grill I got with it, like it was made for it, just like this one: I’d swear I asked about the oval Dutch oven several years ago, but I’ve since had health trouble and can’t always remember straight.
Copco (Denmark) Founded in 1960. Notable for pieces designed by Michael Lax. Although no longer marketed directly under the Copco name, pieces "designed and inspired by Copco" are available in the Mario Batali by Copco brand, made in China.
You're ERIE is over 100 years old! Check that pan "closely and very carefully" around the handle for any cracking. If you don't that's "sweet"! I have three of those and they are holding about a $75.00 value on that pan if it's a # 8 or #9. Don't "ever" go by e-bay prices but you can use it as a guide. I use my ERIE #9 almost every day. I love it and the surface is so well seasoned I can throw eggs out of the pan without a spatchula. Anyway, the ERIE had a tendency to crack around the mold connection from the handle to the pan. Sadly, I found 2 in antique stores that were cracked there and I read that it was a weak point there so what ever you do, don't bang the handle hard or drop it. Nice stuff Brian!!
Cool, thanks! Nice to hear. It’s either a 9” or more likely a 10” and it’s in perfect shape with the best cooking surface. And I’ll be careful with it! I’m living with my mom right now so everything has been in storage since I had the strokes so nothing has seen any use in two years. Here’s the whole “collection”:
Nice Brian, Good stuff! I have a Wagner #12 stew pot like your Lodge. That's a "very nice pot"!!! Try some pork and sauerkraut in that baby sometime, Slow cooked... Oh man you'll never cook it in anything else!
Ok, will do. I’m designing a masonry kitchen rocket stove/heater for in front of the fireplace in the family room in the basement here. I hope to have it built in the next couple weeks. I have an old Toledo Cooker I’m going to use as an oven in the build. That’s why I’m dragging out all my cast iron, so I can get it ready to put it to good use again. I’m trying to make a business out of supplying refractory parts for this kind of wood stove and I want to show folks the potential of this diy technology.
We stopped at a local antique store today. They had a few unmarked Wagners, a Griswold pancake iron without the base and a nice Wagner cornbread. No real deals, all about $35 - $40 a pan. There was one Wagner pan that I had to grab a pic of. If I am not mistaken, this pan was probably made within the last 20 years and nothing special. Modern stamps, no block lettering. Says "rare" on the tag. $249.00 rare?
Cast Iron, but enameled. This thing is a machine. Usually makes its debut about the same time we light the stove and heads back into storage when the stove is done for the season. I don't know how or why, but it does produce better meals. This is brazed short ribs done in the oven this morning at 375 for 2.5 hrs. The whole thing is out on the deck in the garage right now and it'll go back in the oven tomorrow at 350 for about 1.5 hrs. I highly recommend it. The pot and the recipe.
We bought a very similar but cheap version of one of these enameled cast iron pots at Aldi’s supermarket a couple years ago and I agree, it is an amazing utensil.
