Warping

StephenH

Member
I have 3 Griswold skillets. Two of which seem to be slightly warped upward in the center...oil gathers on the outside of the pan. Both are still quite usable, however.

Most people talk of "rocking" on flat surface to detect warping, but mine don't "rock".

So, question: is there other ways to detect warping beyond the flat surface, rocking method?
 
I carry straight edges with me when I go hunting. There is also some great info on the site that helps with detecting.
 
I carry a 6" straight edge as well. Won't fit in to small pans, but they're not as likely to be warped.
 
I'm glad someone posted about this as I have a few questions on warpage too. When speaking of warpage and a skillet that sits flat vs one that rocks. How much is still considered a "flat" skillet. I found a very crusty rusty Victor skillet, by the markings it shows to be made from 1900-1910. It has a heat ring, I set it on a flat surface and push on the rim, I can very slightly get it to make a tick noise in one direction. I put a straight edge between the heat ring and I can detect very small amount of light, and same thing in cooking surface. My question is how much is to much? I guess I consider that over 100 yrs ago tolerances probably weren't what they are today, and I consider this very small amount on this old of a skillet to be flat, of course I'm new to this others may differ in their opinion, so I'm curious, so I can set a standard for myself while I'm out hunting CI
 
I don't mind a slight wobble as I'm not a purest in the collecting end of it.
But I don't want it to look like a Pringle potato chip. The larger pans are more likely to be found with a little and I'm ok with that.
 
Good questions, but I don't know that they can be answered with any specificity. It seems to come down to personal preference and what people are willing to deal with. There are those who will continue to use grandma's chicken fryer even if it spins like a top, while others would relegate it to be a wall hanger or put up in a cupboard somewhere and find one that doesn't spin. From what I'm reading it seems you've set a pretty good personal standard.
 
If it's a "spinner" I think most people would pass. Collectible value is certainly diminished or negated. I have some that are "pivoters", i.e. they sit flat , don't rock, but there seems to be an off-center high spot just enough to let it move that way. Depends on how particular you want or need to be. Gas stovetops are forgiving in this regard; glass one aren't.
 
Well I have a couple that tick or make a little noise when pushing the rims, but don't spin even the slightest, I think that's pretty good. I haven't been at this long but it seems to me, every unmarked Wagner 8 I've seen has this slight movement when pressed on the rim, are these all bad ones? Or is it pretty normal for a pan that wide with no heat ring?

I do have a Wagner ware -o- #8 that I just inherited from my great aunt and uncle that spins, but it makes awesome cornbread and has sentimental value so I'm keeping it
 
I suppose it's all relative to your circumstances, and what works for you. Being new, and having a range top with cast iron eyes, I really know if a pan is flat, or not. All of mine sit perfectly flat, when placed on my CI eyes. I can, however see, how a gas range, or oven use only, could disguise an uneven pan. I suppose it's what ever works for you...:icon_scratchchin:
 
I have an induction cooktop, which has a glass surface (says ceramic surface but looks like glass to me) and it is not forgiving with warped pans except those with a heat ring and very slight warping. If the heat ring sits flat I'm good. That is my defining rule. If it works for you and your situation, then that is the way to go. I did recently buy a single gas burner for use when I want to be portable. If I fell in love with a pan that wouldn't work well on my induction, I'd just use that.
 
I did recently buy a single gas burner for use when I want to be portable. If I fell in love with a pan that wouldn't work well on my induction, I'd just use that.

Are you referring to one of the tripod style, gas cookers, like people use for fish or for turkey frying. Or is this something on a smaller platform ?
 
Are imported pans more prone to warping? I have a 3 piece set of Basic Essentials I believe from Kmart made in China that the mother in law bought me years ago, I use em occasionally but have always been very mindful of not heating to fast or high, and not shocking with cold water etc. they've always been flat but tonight I noticed the one that compares to a #7 or #8 size is warped, and it wasn't before, but I can't think what I would have done wrong, so could it be just the nature of the pan? They seem really thick and heavy compared to older domestic CI
 
I wouldn't say so. Some pans seem to come through abuse unscathed, others warp even when thought to have been treated carefully. Still others may have been cast with a bit of a bump in them. A few even observe pans that exhibit a warp when heated that goes away once cooled.
 
this one has always been flat, i never used it much, i started using it when i got more into cast iron, the wife pulled it out to use it last night and she commented about it being a little wobbly, and sure enough. it was never like that before, and the last thing i cooked in it before she grabbed it was venison deer heart, and that was sauteed in butter with onions to med rare, so i know it didnt get hot, thats why i wondered if it had anything to do with the pan or where it came from

---------- Post added at 02:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:57 PM ----------

it wouldnt bother me except i dont know what i did, if anything, and now it makes me nervous to use my other pans for fear of ruining them
 
90% of the time when I use my pans, they are preheated in the oven before they come out onto a burner. It's not a big waste of energy for me as I am usually returning them to the oven to finish cooking whatever was seared on the stovetop. A pan preheated evenly in this manner has the least chance of warping.
 
90% of the time when I use my pans, they are preheated in the oven before they come out onto a burner. It's not a big waste of energy for me as I am usually returning them to the oven to finish cooking whatever was seared on the stovetop. A pan preheated evenly in this manner has the least chance of warping.

is this the way they used to do it? or is that why we find so many warped pans these days?
 
Over a woodstove eye, or on a flat iron stovetop, the entire bottom of a pan would be receiving equal heat. The advent of hot plates with gas burners concentrated the heat in the center of the pan, and would have been a higher risk situation for warping. Heating a pan slowly over low flame before ramping up to high also lessens the risk.
 
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