Club Aluminum Ware Griddle, 13 1/2” diameter

This vintage griddle is older than it looks. While there is no date on it, I looked up the logo on the back, which goes back to the 1920s. Apparently Club Aluminum was sold like Tupperware then, and up to about 1933 the brand was promoted through sales parties and personal sales door to door. That is the time frame for this particular logo with the tag line “with Personal Service” and the chef or butler holding a pan.

Originally this was a hanging griddle, you can see where a semi-circular round hanger could be attached on the sides and then this pan could swing over a fire or cook top! The hanger is gone, but I think one could be made using a thick metal clothes hanger (not the ones you get at the dry cleaners today – way too thin – this will involve mining the back of you Mom’s closet for an old one. Or you could go to a hardware store (local independent variety, not big box) where they can probably help you out.

13 1/2” in diameter, but there is a raised edge around it so you don’t loose food as it swings over the camp fire, so the cooking surface is 11”. It hasn’t been used for a long time, so you will need to re-season it so it becomes non-stick. You should treat it like cast iron, heat it slowly so it doesn’t crack. It will hold its heat beautifully, so it’s especially good for things like pancakes, or my Grandmother’s favorite, fried cornmeal mush. You can see from the surface that it’s been used a lot – but think about it – it was regularly used for over 50 years – of course there are some dings and dents. It was certainly dropped, but I hope I still am as good looking an functional at 100!