Kinda worried about my new skillet . . .

6 years ago

So I asked Mom, a hardened bargain shopper, to be on the lookout for a nice, level #10 Griswold skillet. Well, she found one for only $40. It is nice and lightweight like an old skillet should be, and it cooks like a house afire on my induction cooktop. But I noticed when she dropped it by that the handle was worn and silvery-looking, almost like stainless steel, which puzzled me.

After she left, I tried to research it, and it turns out that some time after the turn of the century, Griswold and other makers briefly produced cast-iron skillets coated with nickel, some say chrome. It's theorized this was an effort to make them look more modern? Not much else is known about these skillets, but apparently Griswold did use the word “nickelized,” in marketing materials, which makes one think the coating is nickel, not chrome.

Other than the handle, this thing is as black as any cast-iron skillet I have ever seen, and it is so well used that you can’t make out the word Griswold on the back — only the double circle and cross remains. So I don’t know if it’s the slant Griswold or the regular Griswold, and honestly, I don’t care. I don’t think these coated skillets have any residual value, and I bought it to use. But the question remains – – is it SAFE to use? I don’t know anything about nickel, but if it’s poisonous, a lot of people died eating out of the skillet, because it has been seriously, seriously used. Thanks for any insight.

Featured Answer

annie1992

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

My brother worried about the same issue. I just shrug and use mine, but he's more concerned than I am. Anyway, he found this website and it made him feel better.

https://www.finishing.com/355/56.shtml

I don't think it's much of a concern, but I tend to be a little more easy going than many about such things, so you have to make your own decision.

Annie

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Comments (14)

albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Peace of mind is worth more than the price of a skillet. If you really feel a need to ask then you really shouldn't use it.
lindac92
6 years ago
Yes it's perfectly safe.....google it!! grill grates and oven grates are chrome or nickle plated...s.tainless steel often contains some of those metals....cook and enjoy!
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Gooster
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Nickel can be toxic with people with metal sensitivities, I believe. For most people low level exposure is generally regarded as safe. It's one of the reasons (other than economic and others) that you don't see it anymore in cookware linings (some vintage copper is this way as well). Nickel( and chromium) are also used in stainless steels, btw, but the residual amounts leached into the food are generally nul to below environmental exposures (except a few studies that showed elevated levels leached when acidic foods are cooked a long time -- this whole issue is controversial --- it's the reason why some people choose other materials for long acidic cooking while for others it's a nonissue).

Metal sensitivities are common enough that home test kits are available, if you want to confirm that the nickel or chromium has been ground away.
MizLizzie
Original Author
6 years ago
Wow, guys! Awesome information. Annie, greatly appreciate the link. I can't tell you how beautifully this thing cooks.
annie1992
6 years ago
MizLizzie, those old skillets are a thing of beauty and they cook like a dream and clean up so easily, I love mine. Plus it's a lot lighter than my other cast iron. Enjoy yours!

Annie
Steve J
6 years ago
If it were me, I’d strip it down and re-season it. Not out of concern, but out of curiosity. Its kind of like opening a christmas present when you strip it all down and can see exactly what you have. I was gifted an old ci skillet few years back, but could just barely make out the logo on the back and that was it. A few nights in a garbage bag with ez off and a bit of scrubbing stripped it down bare. Then a few tours in the grill and it looks like a brand new #11, all ready for many more years of duty.
MizLizzie
Original Author
6 years ago
Steve, #11 is my dream skillet. Do you think the nickel would COME off? Honestly, other than the handle, it looks to be worn off. The back is black as pitch, but smooth and level. On balance, I am reluctant to mess with such cooking perfection. But I am curious.
nancyjane_gardener
6 years ago
Wow! This opened my eyes! I have allergies to almost all metals (which change from decade to decade). The only thing I can wear is my sterling silver wedding ring (probably cause I've been wearing it for almost 40 years!)

It kinda makes me wonder if different cook wear has contributed to the change in my asthma/allergies this year that I have never had before?

I got some 3rd degree burns last year and found out that the main medication they use contained silver and they weren't able to use it! Hmmmmmm something to look into! Nancy
Steve J
6 years ago
Lizzie, Check out this link. They seem to say the lye or ez off is ok for the plated stuff (very bottom of page).

Some of the pans were only plated on the handle and top lip, hopefully yours is too as it would be more desirable.
MizLizzie
Original Author
6 years ago
That was fascinating. I enjoyed looking at the gallery of plated pieces linked at the bottom. I have to say, this is an amazing skillet. I don’t think I will bother to do anything with it. Only the handle shows any silver. But I have learned a lot with this thread. Thanks!
Mokinu
6 years ago
If you have an oven that cleans extra hot, you can strip seasoning (and some other stuff) off a cast iron pan by putting it in the oven on clean. Some ovens don't get hot enough on clean to do it as well as the oven I tried it with, I think.

In fact, I put some pans that I think I thought were stainless steel in the oven on clean. They looked like unseasoned carbon steel afterward (so, I seasoned them, and I love them).
twoyur
6 years ago
I can attest that a nice ride in a fire pit burns fuzzy green things and and 3/4 of a century of accumulated grease grime and seasoning
Steve J
6 years ago
It's my understanding that the plating on the op's pan does not like the super high heat

Kinda worried about my new skillet . . .

annie1992

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albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.

lindac92

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