Posted 5 years ago
AnythingOb…
(1778 items)
Had myself a 'taste' for needing a good griddle earlier tonite, so dug this thing outta the cabinet. ;-)
It is a WARDWAY 9-1/2" round cast iron griddle, #1435. I've had it myself for probably 30yrs (from a thrift store or garage sale then no doubt) without ever thinking too much about it...just now did a quick Google search that suggests it was made by "Wagner Manufacturing Co. in the 1940's, for Montgomery Wards", and that's all I know about it.
As the last photo might show (?) it still *works* JUST FINE anyway...that's a piping hot grilled ham/pastrami/swiss/cheddar on rye, right before it hit a plate then my belly...trust me it was YUMMY... ;-) ;-) :-)
I don't think I've ever heard of this name. That's like everything else on here tho… nothing new! haha Cast iron is about all I use to cook and I can tell you, they are not easy to come by in the thrifts any more. I def don't need anymore than I have anyway and probably should have sold some I do have when I was selling on line but oh well... Do you know the history of this brand?
Sorry, I just saw what I asked you! And yet another blonde moment folks! haha
My family was a Wagner family (not Griswold) and I inherited numerous Wagner pieces from both sides of my family. I still use it regularly even though I am a vegan. I have a Birmingham Stove and Range square griddle and round Lodge griddle I use a lot, too. The old cast iron is the best. I like your "Monkey" Wards griddle!
The cat in my lap looks like your profile picture. I have one of those gridles but have never tried to use it. Do have it oiled up.
I use cast iron all the time. I have large and small, round and square. Yours needs to be seasoned which is easy. Just google how to season cast iron cookware. It will look like new in no time.
Here is an interesting site: https://thepan-handler.com/product/wardway-by-wagner-for-montgomery-wards-cast-iron-skillet-8-w-heat-ring-pn-1432/
@Brunswick - I've usd a sandblaster to clean mystery cast iron before. Heavy duty Oven Off and a black garbage bag works, too. You never can tell what folks have used cast iron for in the past. My Birmingham Stove and Range griddle was painted with some sort of black coating when I found it in someone's trash. Not sure what that was about. That is one that I sand blasted. There are numerous videos on YouTube about cleaning cast iron cookware.
I'll take one of those to go, please! lol
THANKS SO VERY MUCH to shareurpassion, blunderbuss2, kwqd, fortapache, jscott0363, Brunswick, fhrjr2, gargoylecollector, Watchsearcher, antiquerose, iggy, yougottahavestuff, and officialfuel for your <love it>s and for all y'alls FUN comments!!! :-) :-) :-)
I'm intrigued at the thought I should "do" something further to it...? While fully admitting I don't really know, I've always sorta thought this thing was "pre-seasoned" as it came to me (which is essentially also as it is seen here) so I've never made any attempt to scrub on it with much more than dish soap and a sponge, (usually as much to remove shelf dust than anything) and I make sure I keep it oiled/dry.
I don't actually use it very often nor any of my little stack of other iron skillets. One or two of those *do* have rust spots/etc which would obviously require further attention before I'd wanna eat out of them, but I've always thought this one was OK 'as-is'...??
These truly are the best for cooking anything! Once you have it 'seasoned' properly, all you do is rinse it with water. Soap never touches mine. The key to keeping them seasoned is to dry them immediately after rinsing and you wipe them with whatever kind of oil you choose. olive oil, Wesson, what ever. Nothing sticks and you actually get the benefit of adding iron to your diet. I'm not positive how much, but it does release into the food. It's better than getting Teflon released into your food!!! That's for sure. I have a dutch oven I need to season, I just haven't done it.
I also have to add, I have sold on line for quite a few years. Pricey glass, mid century ceramics...a lot of breakables. Nothing has ever broken, until I sold a Chef's special cast iron skillet. It was actually a set, one sat ontop of the other, same size. Very expensive too, I sold it for less than 1/4 of it's value to a woman in N. Carolina. When she told me it broke, my heart sank! This was about 5 years ago now, she said, "Don't worry girly, I got this, I used to be an iron worker"! I'm telling you, I could not believe my ears. This sweet lady was not even upset! We have become such good friends and have so much in common, it's just amazing that there are so many good people in this world of cyber space! We are truly living in an era that is historical and although I believe this era was intended to separate us all from each other, I think it has brought many great people together for a lifetime. How wonderful is that?!? Just like the many people here I love so much too!!! Use your skillet, they are beneficial to your health! These are also called "Comals" which is for tortilla making ;)