Possible Blacklock 8 Skillet - 1896-1910

Back in 1896, Joseph Lodge assisted his friend and minister to open Blacklock Foundry.  While Lodge was not actively involved in the company in the beginning years of the company, he later helped out when the company was struggling.

In 1910, the Blacklock company burned to the ground, so Lodge later opened his own company just a few blocks away and called it Lodge Cast Iron Company.  Today, Lodge is the one of the only US companies still manufacturing cast iron skillets.  A new company called Finex has recently started making cast iron skillets as well, but Lodge is the oldest US company doing so.

This is the oldest skillet I currently own.  Based on the years of manufacturing, this makes the skillet anywhere from 104 to 118 years old as of the year 2014!

These are called "Possible Blacklock" skillets since very little is known about the company and its products since all their records burned up with the fire.  But based on similarities with Lodge skillets in its time period, we can assume that these cast iron skillets were from Blacklock.

Portable Butane Burner with No Notch Lodge #6 Skillet

I was reading about a discussion concerning getting a portable butane burner for outdoor use... so I got one!

Went to our local Asian stores and purchased the burner for $16.99. Four canisters of butane fuel were on sale for $3.99 for four! Great deal!

I have a side burner on my propane gas grill, but it's a hassle dragging the grill outside (we keep it in our garage for storage), so setting up this small burner will be much more convenient. Sometimes, we like to cook outdoors rather than inside our home to keep the smell of frying out of the home. This is a good solution.

The images were taken with a Nikon Df camera, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens and a Nikon SB-800 flash.

The cast iron skillet is an no notch Lodge #6 manufactured between 1910 and 1920!  It is somewhere from 94 to 104 years old!

Griswold #5 Skillet

This Griswold #5 cast iron skillet was manufactured somewhere between 1920 and 1940.  Yes, it's between 74 and 94 years old!

The old skillets are far better than skillets made today because of their smooth cooking surface and lighter weight.  Today's skillets tend to be more textured due to the new "pre-seasoning" techniques needing that texture to allow the oils to adhere properly.

No Notch Lodge #6

This is a "no notch" Lodge #6 cast iron skillet.  It dates back to 1910-1920 making it 94 to 104 years old! 

Not as "clean" looking as the Griswold #8 previously blogged, but considering its age, not bad.

I have two more antique skillets still coming in... a Lodge "3 notch" #4 (1940-1960) and also a Griswold #5 (1920-1940).

I will clean each skillet and season them again before using them.  But I think I'll just wait until all skillets have arrived and do them all at the same time.  Fun!

Griswold #8 Skillet

Breakfast... for lunch!

Three eggs, 2 pats of butter, chicken breast pieces and a slice of American Cheese (didn't have any shredded cheddar on hand). It was the BEST eggs I have ever had! And... totally non-stick too! That egg slid around that skillet like it was nothing!

Recently, I purchased a Griswold #8 cast iron skillet and I've been having fun with it! These eggs were the third meal I've cooked on the new skillet. Based on the trademark logo design of the skillet, this skillet is somewhere between 74 to 94 years old (1920 - 1940).  I purchased it on eBay (paid way too much for it, but I wanted a good one) and I cleaned it up using Easy-Off oven cleaner, 50% vinegar and 50% water to remove the rust, and a lot of elbow grease! The skillet was then seasoned with Crisco vegetable shortening.

The images were taken with a Nikon Df camera, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens, Nikon SB-800 flash.