Hello All

[SuzanneF]

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Suzanne. I am avid cook, and became interested in cast iron because I inherited most of my grandmothers pieces. Which she used for most of my childhood. I am originally from western PA, south of Erie, so everything by nature is a Griswold. My Griswold #8 is a chicken pan, dutch oven is hers that I cook in almost every day. I came here to get some tips on restoring the bottom of the pan (see photos). But also discovered that you can help people identify certain pieces (which I am questions about). Overall excited to learn a few things and chat with others!

 

[DReedy]

Welcome to the forum, looking forward to seeing your cast iron.

 

[JKress]

Welcome to the group Suzanne. Looks like you were lucky enough to inherit some wonderful cast iron cookware from your grandmother. What a wonderful gift to receive and pass on one day. The chicken pan and lid you have pictured here will be relatively easy to bring back to it's original beauty. My suggestion would be a simple lye bath, scrub and season. You will be wonderfully surprised how gorgeous this piece will look after a few coats of seasoning.
Although a lye bath may sound quite involved at first, it is actually a very simple, safe and cost effective process. Plus it sounds like you might have a few more to restore as well. This process works great for cast iron pieces with minimal or no rust to deal with. The chicken pan looks like a great candidate for this. Before you start, be sure to check out Doug's section on restoring here... https://www.castironcollector.com/restore.php
Looking forward to seeing before and after pictures of the chicken pan. Have fun.