Thrifty Friday Find~ Vintage Cast Iron Griddle/Pizza Pans

These were some treasured finds that get used quite a bit in this household. They are flat cast iron breakfast griddles. They can be used over a flame or burner and were manufactured by Piqua and Wagner. They are excellent for making pancakes in the morning. While watching the dvd "Frontier House" from PBS, I noticed that Adrienne Clune got creative in her cooking. In one scene on her wood burning stove, there appeared to be something similar to pizzas formed on similar cast iron pans. The light bulb clicked on... I had those griddles. I am happy to use my cast iron whenever possible, and I love to make homemade pizza. This was a match made in heaven...

This New Year's Eve, our family had homemade pizza and garlic bread. I made it with a thick Chicago style crust (can be found at King Arthur Flour on side bar.). I just use any leftover dough to make cheesy garlic bread. A word of caution... spread the dough thin as it rises more in the oven. I always coat the griddles with a little Crisco before spreading the crust out. It helps to keep the pans seasoned. The griddles are placed two settings up from the element to get a crisper bottom to the crust. Be careful if you have the large Piqua griddle with the wire handle. I was taking it out of the oven a few months ago and lost my grip on balancing the cast iron bottom. The pizza flipped onto the floor! Yikes!! :( They slide easily from the cast iron surface. The pizza is cut on a wood board. I would rather not have the tomato sauce to come in contact with the griddle. It can be rough on the seasoned surface. I highly recommend cooking pizza in this way. I suppose it would be effective in a cast iron skillet as well. Maybe even better if one was making a deep dish pizza. Hey... now there is something to try in 2011!!

As I wrap up this post, the year 2010 is coming to an end. It has been a wonderful year. I am happy with my accomplishments... thrilled that this blog is up and running. I look forward to sharing more endeavors, setting aside more time for creating and blogging, and designing a page to sell items on this blog and on Etsy. I raise my glass of spiced cider to the arrival of 2011. May everyone be blessed with good health, happiness, and prosperity in the New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!