Wagner B&E breakfast skillet with dividers

[EdP]

Another local find. According to the pictures the seller it is a bacon and eggs breakfast skillet #1101. I would love to have a set of 4-8 of these to serve on. Has anyone come across any sort of these?

 

[Rick Hunter]

I agree with you. I have been looking for a set of these for years. Perfect for keeping the eggs isolated!! Would not mind having just one.

 

[Doug D.]

They're actually a bit impractical to try to cook eggs and bacon on at the same time, and too big for individual serving as well. I always thought if Ron Popeil had been on TV in the 1950s, he would have had an infomercial for them. They were kind of a gimmick.

 

[Rick Hunter]

Probably why it appealed to me!! I do a lot of infomercial work for a living. Think I am swallowing my own poison!! :shootself:

 

[EdP]

Yea, Rick me too. Doug D: I don't think they were used to cook, but as servers. Probably used back in the day when folks still had wood stoves when electricity had not reached much of the rural areas. Breakfast(or any meal for that matter) was prepared and a stack of these skillets could be heated on one side of a wood stove and food served when all arrived at table. Possible scenario for this would be a ranch-n-cowboys? I have been in restaurants where a steak was served on a iron platter (Applebee's or Chili's???)...so I'm thinking more of restaurant/ranch use than home use. I would love to have them and heat them on the side my grill and then when food is ready, serve on the skillet. Even on a summer evening, food gets cold quick.

 

[Doug D.]

All the versions made by both Griswold and Wagner date from the late 1920s or 1930s to the 1940s. Wagners are not seen without a catalog number inscribed, which places them after 1924 at the earliest. Labels on the Griswold Colonial Breakfast skillet say "Cooks America's Famous Breakfast All at One Time in One Utensil" and "Just the thing for preparing that after-theatre snack". That and the lack of any trivets to protect tabletops make it fairly clear they were sold to cook in, and by home cooks.

 

[DougH]

If I ever find one in decent shape for $10 or less, I'll pick it up just to have it because it's something different. But I don't personally think I'll use it much, which is why I don't want to spend much for it. One of these days, it'll come into my hands.

 

[John E]

I have a Griswold one, and I think I've used it twice and now it's a wall hanger. As Doug alluded to, it's a bit awkward to use in practice. I much prefer to just use a regular skillet, cook the bacon, and then cook the eggs (or use two skillets concurrently).

 

[KFSchmidt]

Found one very similar. It says 1101D on the bottom. I saw two at a flea market/antique store one day and thought they were cool. The other was a Griswold, I think.

 

[EdP]

All the versions made by both Griswold and Wagner date from the late 1920s or 1930s to the 1940s. Wagners are not seen without a catalog number inscribed, which places them after 1924 at the earliest. Labels on the Griswold Colonial Breakfast skillet say "Cooks America's Famous Breakfast All at One Time in One Utensil" and "Just the thing for preparing that after-theatre snack". That and the lack of any trivets to protect tabletops make it fairly clear they were sold to cook in, and by home cooks.

Thanks DougD for the catalog info...hmm..I just took a guess at what I thought how they may have been used from experience...interesting ad from Griswold of cooking and serving and eating all in one skillet. Like you said earlier of being impractical to cook on, I agree. But they make great servers on a cookout, though! Seller asking $25...there's a ton of them on ebay for $30ish on up. Trivets were around as far back as late 1800s. My grandmothers had them and wish I had them.

---------- Post added at 08:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:42 PM ----------

I agree with you. I have been looking for a set of these for years. Perfect for keeping the eggs isolated!! Would not mind having just one.

Dittos Rick!

 

[W. Hilditch]

Going against the grain here, but I think these are great for brunch. I have the Wagner 1101 and a Griswold 666. The large area gets the sausage, hash, or pea-meal bacon and home fries and after they are about cooked in go the eggs. Each egg compartment holds 1 lg. egg at a perfect thickness. I find the large area too small for bacon and it makes a big splatter mess anyway. I gave one to a single friend & it is his go to skillet for dinner too. I serve them on 8" x 8" terra cotta floor tiles with thin plastic feet. Hot food until the end of the meal and a great size. (9" sq.)

Somewhere I heard or dreamed that these were used by rural town Ma & PA restaurants for their intended breakfast purpose back in the 30's. There are a lot of these skillets out there. Set a biscuit in the middle & it stays hot too!

Hilditch

 

[Rick Hunter]

Even though this sounds shallow....I would love to have on just because they look cool!!

 

[BenjaminO]

Now that I've heard both sides of it I'm itching to find one of these 'in the wild' so I can try it out for myself. I love to make breakfast (egg) tacos. I bet your could cook an egg, warm up some beans, and toast a cheesy tortilla all at once in there! :glutton:

 

[RickC]

I never cook in them. Things cook at different speeds, need flipped at different times, etc etc... Too much hassle. I just get out a/the skillet(s), whatever size(s) I need and cook.. They remind me of coloring books. Gotta' keep the food in the lines!

 

[W. Hilditch]

Granted, cooking in a breakfast skillet is complicated. One has to turn the heat down once and decide what to add last, not to mention turning some of the foods. The biggest issue is that these were designed for normal, not super-sized, servings at a time when obesity was a rarity in the US.

Hilditch

 

[EdP]

Going against the grain here, but I think these are great for brunch. I have the Wagner 1101 and a Griswold 666. The large area gets the sausage, hash, or pea-meal bacon and home fries and after they are about cooked in go the eggs. Each egg compartment holds 1 lg. egg at a perfect thickness. I find the large area too small for bacon and it makes a big splatter mess anyway. I gave one to a single friend & it is his go to skillet for dinner too. I serve them on 8" x 8" terra cotta floor tiles with thin plastic feet. Hot food until the end of the meal and a great size. (9" sq.)
Hilditch

Spot on, Hilditch...when I collect a few, I will use them to preheat a little on outdoor grill and drop the steak and potatoes etc on it and serve hot off the grill!

---------- Post added at 03:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:49 PM ----------

Granted, cooking in a breakfast skillet is complicated. One has to turn the heat down once and decide what to add last, not to mention turning some of the foods. The biggest issue is that these were designed for normal, not super-sized, servings at a time when obesity was a rarity in the US.

Hilditch

Yea, cooking times are different for each item to cook.

---------- Post added at 03:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------

I never cook in them. Things cook at different speeds, need flipped at different times, etc etc... Too much hassle. I just get out a/the skillet(s), whatever size(s) I need and cook.. They remind me of coloring books. Gotta' keep the food in the lines!

I like that round Griswold(?)

 

[RickC]

I like that round Griswold(?)

Yes..

 

[EdP]

Now that I've heard both sides of it I'm itching to find one of these 'in the wild' so I can try it out for myself. I love to make breakfast (egg) tacos. I bet your could cook an egg, warm up some beans, and toast a cheesy tortilla all at once in there! :glutton:

Ya got that right, BenjaminO!

 

[Rick Hunter]

I never cook in them. Things cook at different speeds, need flipped at different times, etc etc... Too much hassle. I just get out a/the skillet(s), whatever size(s) I need and cook.. They remind me of coloring books. Gotta' keep the food in the lines!

Wow!! The squared pan looks perfectly seasoned with age!! Nice pics!

 

[RickC]

Wow!! The squared pan looks perfectly seasoned with age!! Nice pics!

Thanks... The square skillet was bought like that... But will end up getting stripped before I use it. Sad, yes, but I really don't know what's been in it. My body is a temple.... :tongue: :icon_rofl: