OT: (a little) Flattening a griddle

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OT: (a little) Flattening a griddle Glenn Ashmore 03-20-2006
Posted by Glenn Ashmore on March 20, 2006, 10:16 am
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 The thread on CI frying pans prompts me to ask another cooking utensil
question.

I have a griddle that has crowned a little in the center. I think it is
forged steel. Still usable but I get a lot of oblong pancakes and fried
eggs. I was thinking about forcing it flat on the arbor press but that will
not be to accurate. Any way to use heat to shrink the center?

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com



Posted by Lloyd E. Sponenburgh on March 20, 2006, 11:04 am
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> The thread on CI frying pans prompts me to ask another cooking utensil
> question.
>
> I have a griddle that has crowned a little in the center. I think it is
> forged steel. Still usable but I get a lot of oblong pancakes and fried
> eggs. I was thinking about forcing it flat on the arbor press but that
> will not be to accurate. Any way to use heat to shrink the center?

I'm really big on breakfasts, and love cooking on cast iron. But almost ALL
the cast iron skillets I've bought have a slight crown.

Now, I pick one that has enough 'meat' in the center to allow a bit of
grinding, and take out the crown abrasively. Ideally you want just a little
'dish' in the center.

But I don't think the crown is accidental. Think about it. If the thing
were dished, it wouldn't sit stably on a burner. By grinding the dish, you
keep the 'dish' on the bottom, as well. Forming it would make the bottom
convex.

Cast iron skillets don't like to be cold-formed, and don't hot form well
unless you get the whole skillet up to working temp... otherwise they often
crack.

LLoyd



Posted by Nick Hull on March 20, 2006, 1:57 pm
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> The thread on CI frying pans prompts me to ask another cooking utensil
> question.
>
> I have a griddle that has crowned a little in the center. I think it is
> forged steel. Still usable but I get a lot of oblong pancakes and fried
> eggs. I was thinking about forcing it flat on the arbor press but that will
> not be to accurate. Any way to use heat to shrink the center?

If it's steel or aluminum (NOT cast Iron!) you can readily beat it flat
with a wooden hammer IF you learn the technique. The idea is to cold
flow the metal with lots of small taps. Use a wooden anvil and a wood
or plastic or rubber hammer and hit at a small angle from vertical and
with patience the metal will flow and you can get it perfectly flat.
The reason it is crowned is that heat treatment (cooking on it) has
selectively stretched the metal so there is too much of it in the center
so it has to crown up. Move a bit of it away fron the center and you
will be amazed at how fast you can flatten it. You might practice on
aluminum, it works easier.

Of coures, eventually the heat of cooking will re-crown the bottom but
you can flatten it again. You cannot force it flat in a press because
there is too much metal and all you can do is flip the crown into a dish.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

Posted by Karl Vorwerk on March 21, 2006, 5:00 am
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I flattened my commercial aluminum frying pan with a rubber hammer.
Karl

> The thread on CI frying pans prompts me to ask another cooking utensil
> question.
>
> I have a griddle that has crowned a little in the center. I think it is
> forged steel. Still usable but I get a lot of oblong pancakes and fried
> eggs. I was thinking about forcing it flat on the arbor press but that
will
> not be to accurate. Any way to use heat to shrink the center?
>
> --
> Glenn Ashmore
>
> I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
> there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
> Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com
>
>



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