Today I bought an aebleskiver pan from a hillbilly

S

SpurgeonH

Active member
Today I went up to the North Georgia mountains to call on some customers. Around 3:00, I ventured off of the four lane ... drove a few miles down a two lane (several turns were involved) ... over hill and dale ... turned into the woods on a two lane which was more like a lane and a third (as evidenced by the only way to avoid hitting the car coming at you was for both cars to put two wheels on the shoulder.) ... finally ran out of road ... and found myself in front of Hilditch's house.

That old coot had called me a couple of weeks ago and said he had run across a Griswold aebleskiver pan. I had mentioned in the forums about wanting one ... so he bought it, just in case. So, today I went up to pay the man and pick up my pan.

This was a double score. I got a great pan and I got to meet Hilditch. One thing I will say about him, just like North Georgia would be flat if it weren't for all the mountains, Hilditch would be a real jerk, if he wasn't such a great guy. And ... Turns out, we used to be neighbors (or at least lived a couple of miles from each other before he moved to the mountains.)

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BTW - I had seen an older Griswold aebleskiver pan in an antique store in Elijay, today at lunch. The owner had it marked "Griswold Egg Poacher". In chatting with her, I mentioned I was picking up an aebleskiver pan from a friend later in the day. She replied, "That's not an aebleskiver pan. I looked it up in the book. It's called an Egg Poacher." I have no idea which book she was referring to. Maybe the one put out by the Egg Council?
 
Aebelskiver means apple slices. It's made for that. Egg poacher was just marketing trying to find a way to sell it to people who don't know what aebelskiver is (are?).
 
Yep, I know. Just passing along what it's listed as and to let Spurge know the lady wasn't really wrong.
 
I need to get one of those books. Ha! But it was kind of funny that she acted like she had never heard of aebleskiver. I didn't argue with her because I seemed to recall my Waterman is called an egg pan. Glad I don't show my ignorance (for once.) Ha!
 
In catalogs, Griswold had two pans, a #31/963 and a #32/962. The 31 1s flat-topped, the 32 has a rim like this one. One was called an "Apple Cake Pan or Egg Poacher", the other a "Danish Cake Pan". Which one is called what depends on the catalog you're looking at.
 
After using my Lodge Aebleskiver pan a few times a top lip is necessary to contain oil, water or grease from running all over the stove top. The 31-963 would be horrible! - but only used once.

Hilditch
 
I just picked one of those up the other week. Had it in the cleaning bucket and seasoned it last Thursday night. I made some delicious aebelskivers Saturday morning
 
It looks like you've got one of the Sidney, Ohio made examples given the handle design and the Made in USA marking. I'm sure meeting Hilditch was the real score!
I just used my "apple cake pan" the other night for a midnight snack. I made the wrong batter so they turned out looking more like open clam shells than balls. Everyone enjoyed the "Jelly Clams" as they are now called.
 
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