It's a Griswold Fiesta!!!

chowhound

New member
Lookee what my sister just gave me! Three Griswold CI skillets (yes, even the shiny one is labled skillet, even though it like more of a cross between a DO and a saute pan). I could use another #8. Now I can make my corn bread at the same time I might be using the other one on the stove top. And the little guy is kinda neat.... but look at that #10 shiny one.... It belonged to my aunt's mother and my aunt is in her eighties, so this thing's gotta be friggin old. I haven't Googled it yet, does anyone know anything about it? The shiny surface is barely magnetic and it looks like it has some tarnishing in it like what silver would get.
Neato :clap:
 

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joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
I have a Griswold fry pan and they are excellent cast iron pans.
 

suziquzie

New member
LOL I thought we were about to see a Chevy Chase movie!!!

Very cool, my Dad has been giving me stuff from his mom here and there as he gets tired of cooking....
 

chowhound

New member
It's heavy, Terry. I can only think a helper handle would be appreciated once it gets food in it.

I'm Googled out.... I've found them the size and shape of the shiny skillet and lid, but no plating. There's a couple on ebay for around $275. And I've found just the skillets in smaller sizes and without lids. It appears the plating is nickel, but that's about all I've found out. So I'm guessing a little barkeepers friend would be OK to remove the tarnish. Nickel is pretty resistant stuff.
 

PanchoHambre

New member
Ohh they're purty... you know how I love the CI..... You are a lucky man

All my CI is sadly packed away awaiting its place of honor in the eventual new kitchen... not much use in a microwave though

be nice to the nickle... that is a really nice pan!
 

chowhound

New member
Thanks.
I'm going to throw the two black CI skillets on the grill today and burn the crust off, then it's start seasoning them. And I can't weight to use that nickel skillet. I'd just like to find out more about it. That would be a nice size pan for Joe V's smothered chicken dish and that will probably be the first thing I make in it.
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
That #10 looks like the Magnalite I picked up at a sale last Saturday for $5.

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Did Griswold ever get into cast aluminum cookware?

Edit:

Yes, Griswold made cast aluminum pans before the turn of the 20th century. Here a link: http://www.griswoldcookware.com/history.htm
 
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GotGarlic

New member
Ohh they're purty... you know how I love the CI..... You are a lucky man

All my CI is sadly packed away awaiting its place of honor in the eventual new kitchen... not much use in a microwave though

be nice to the nickle... that is a really nice pan!

I've been watching a lot of Bobby Flay's "Boy Meets Grill" lately, and he puts cast iron pans on the grill all the time. And if you have a side burner on your grill, there you go :smile: I used ours regularly when we were renovating our kitchen.

Great-looking pans, CH. I'm afraid I'm getting lazy in my old age - I want to replace my CI pans with enameled cast iron - they're a lot easier to clean and I don't have to worry about seasoning them. DH has a bad habit of soaking them in water - makes me crazy when I see them in the sink.
 

suziquzie

New member
Ohh they're purty... you know how I love the CI..... You are a lucky man

All my CI is sadly packed away awaiting its place of honor in the eventual new kitchen... not much use in a microwave though

be nice to the nickle... that is a really nice pan!

You can send them to me and I'll keep 'em seasoned for you in the meantime!
:D
I only have 2.
 

chowhound

New member
I'll have to take some better pics. It doesn't look anything like that pot in your pic. Here's one on ebay, except mine is plated with nickel (or I also saw chromium mentioned).

That #10 looks like the Magnalite I picked up at a sale last Saturday for $5.

P1010663.jpg


P1010664.jpg


Did Griswold ever get into cast aluminum cookware?

Edit:

Yes, Griswold made cast aluminum pans before the turn of the 20th century. Here a link: http://www.griswoldcookware.com/history.htm
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
Fred, that #10 has to be polished aluminum. I worked for a company that made vacuum cleaners with die cast aluminum body parts, and they used to polish the castings on 5hp polishing lathes until you could see yourself in it. Are you certain it's plated?
 

chowhound

New member
Fred, that #10 has to be polished aluminum. I worked for a company that made vacuum cleaners with die cast aluminum body parts, and they used to polish the castings on 5hp polishing lathes until you could see yourself in it. Are you certain it's plated?

Yes. It even says cast iron on it. I know the aluminum finish you're talking about though. I've seen it myself on wheels, valve covers.... various stuff.
 

PanchoHambre

New member
That #10 looks like the Magnalite I picked up at a sale last Saturday for $5.

P1010663.jpg


P1010664.jpg


Did Griswold ever get into cast aluminum cookware?

Edit:

Yes, Griswold made cast aluminum pans before the turn of the 20th century. Here a link: http://www.griswoldcookware.com/history.htm

CH's is iron with nickle... I have a ML roaster similar to yours but when it was still Wagner... Wagner bought Griswold and we then taken over by GHC.... who still make Magnalite

GHC own just about every "Legacy" name in American cookware... now they make pretty much all of it in China

Yours looks like it was probably made in a Wagner factory after the takeover.
 

chowhound

New member
I used that #10 plated skillet to cook up Homecook's no-peek beef and noodles last night. It worked very well from stovetop to oven and I could almost brown the entire 2 lbs of cut up chuck roast at once with the large surface area. Cleanup was a breeze, but man was it heavy with food in it... I've determined that the dark spots in it are not tarnish spots at all, they are where the plating has worn and the CI is poking through. No biggie. From what I've gathered reading through posts on other forums, it most likely was made at the turn of the century.... last century (lol). Pretty cool cooking with a hundred year old pan. Do that with a Walmart non-stick pan ;^)
 
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