[Sca-cooks] Okay, it's "Very Stupid Question" time...

[Mike C. Baker]

> Thank you Kiri, but I have an aebleskiver pan already.  The 
> difference between the aebleskiver pan and the Hong Kong 
> waffle iron is that the aebleskiver pan is only one sided and 
> you have to use a knitting needle/chopstick/skewer to 
> manually turn the baking aebleskivers so they will be totally 
> round.  You can get a pan that has either eight or twelve 
> round indentations in it.  The Hong Kong waffle iron is two 
> sided, with a hinge so that you get a round ball waffle in 
> one fell swoop.  It has thirty indentations in the iron for 
> the balls.  I am not sure that I would want to use two 
> aebleskiver pans in tandem because there would be nothing to 
> hold the pans together when you flip them to bake the other 
> side.  I would also be concerned that the dough/batter might 
> fly/spill out when flipped.  But thank you for the 
> suggestion.  I would never have thought of doing that.
> 
> Huette

Speaking from mundane experience on a similar variation (NOT aebleskiver
pans, but griddles), adding hinges or clamps or variations on the theme
is not particular difficult -- *if* you don't mind twiddling around a
bit, and possibly drilling / tapping holes to attach hinges.
Metal-jawed quick clamps and a single burner under a retort stand or
some equivalent perhaps?

OOP solution for a flipping griddle:  antique Maytag heavy cast aluminum
washing machine square lids (pre-1940 at least, pre-1930 preferable if I
recall correctly) make VERY nice griddles for use over open fire IF you
can find a source for them and are willing to risk them a bit.  (After a
certain point in time, they made them thinner / lighter, and those later
models just don't hold up worth a damn...)  The lids require some
conditioning and extra preparation, similar to preparing new cast iron,
and some special care of the food contact surfaces helps keep them
serviceable for YEARS of medium-duty use. 

Yeah, they ARE aluminum, so recent advisory warnings should be
considered there...  But the form factor and such might make it possible
for some ambitious types to latch onto one, create molds, and cast them
in iron / steel instead!  

If you are lucky enough to find two lids of the proper type, same style
and vintage, it is simple to add two bolts and they become self-hinged
.. the hinge posts were cast in one piece with the rest of the lid.  My
grandfather had at least three of the lids, one he used solo for bacon
and sausage and the two set up together for flipping over with pancakes
or biscuits or whatever else.

Adieu, Amra / ttfn - Mike / Pax ... Kihe

Mike C. Baker
SCA: (al-Sayyid) Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra, F.O.B, OSCA
"Other": Reverend Kihe Blackeagle PULC (the DreamSinger Bard)
Opinions? I'm FULL of 'em
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