Modern cast iron cookware is made the same way it was a century or two ago, or is it? Cooking your favorite recipes in a Griswold cast iron pot or pan comes with all kinds of benefits, but do the new pots deliver the same results as the old-school ones?
Find out how Griswold cast iron Dutch ovens stack up against the modern versions. You will see what the differences are and why cooking in antique cookware can make your food taste unique.
Best Griswold Cast Iron Dutch Oven Reviews
Antique Griswold Cast Iron 3-Piece Dutch Oven
Griswold Manufacturing started in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1865. The company manufactured cast iron products until 1957 when it went out of business. The word on the street these days is that pre-owned Griswold cast iron cookware is the best money can buy. Here’s an antique cast iron 3-piece Dutch oven that’s still making quite a hoopla.
Review
According to many professional and amateur chefs, Griswold cast iron products add a distinctive flavor and remain unmatched today. The only problem is that most surviving cookware pieces are passed down from one family member to the other. Some of them, like this 3-piece Dutch oven, can be found on pre-owned market placed. It’s an antique Dutch oven that hasn’t been produced in at least 70 years.
This oven comes with a lid and a trivet. It has a hoop-style handle that allows you to hang the oven over an open fire. The volume is 5 liters, which is enough to prepare food for up to ten people at once. The quality of these antique cast iron products can’t be found in modern-day cookware. The lid fits perfectly as if the pot had just come out of the forge yesterday. The Griswold cast iron Dutch oven survived 100 years of cooking stews and baking bread, and it’s still in pristine condition.
It comes with a trivet that will protect your table when you serve a dish in the Dutch oven. This 3-piece combo is a perfect buy for those who enjoy tasty recipes prepared in classic cast iron cookware.
Pros
- Exceptional quality
- Trivet and lid included
- Durable
- Well-made
- 100-year-old patina
Cons
- May rust easily
- Hard to clean
Griswold No.8 Tite Top Cast Iron Dutch Oven
The No.8 cast iron Dutch Oven was one of Griswold’s most popular products. These Dutch ovens came with either a glass or a cast iron lid. This particular Dutch oven has a cast iron lid, and it was made in 1920.
Review
Like all Griswold products, this Dutch oven is almost 100 years old or somewhere up there. It’s the perfect antique cast iron cookware for people that want to cook their food using traditional methods. Griswold products are hard to come by, especially Dutch ovens with little or no signs of use. But even after 100 years, many professionals turn to these cast iron products because they are much better than the newer alternatives, and they add a distinctive flavor to your stews and soups.
The Griswold No.8 Dutch oven was one of the most popular products of its time and niche. It is 9.5 inches in diameter and 4″ tall. Initially, the oven came pre-seasoned, but decades of use have shown some wear and tear. You will have to season it before the first use.
Of course, you can’t expect this century-old Dutch oven to look and feel like a new product, but it will get the job done, and it has a unique patina and your recipes will be infused with and flavor you can’t find anywhere else. If you’re serious about traditional cooking, this Dutch oven will become your favorite piece of cast iron cookware.
Pros
- Made in 1920
- Durable and well-made
- Original lid
- Loop handle
Cons
- May get wobbly
- Expensive
Vintage Griswold No.9 Dutch Oven Cast Iron Lid
If you already own a Griswold No.9 Dutch oven in your collection of antique cookware, this cast iron lid is all you need to complete the set. It’s an original lid that fits the size 9 Dutch oven perfectly, so you can expand your cooking options using this traditional cookware.
Review
The lid is 100% real as it comes with a “slant logo” and the word “ERIE” imprinted on the bottom. It was made somewhere between 1906 and 1916. The lid is sold separately because the original pot got cracked, so it’s not in use anymore. However, this lid is in pristine condition, without any cracks or visible signs of damage or rust. It’s flat and shows signs of warping. Considering the age, it’s in fantastic shape.
The matching No.9 Dutch oven is a 6-quart pot made from regular cast iron. There were two available models, with and without an enameled finish. The pot is still widely used by traditional chefs all across the USA, but it’s tough to come by, and most owners treat it like a family heirloom. If you have one of these Dutch ovens, this lid will be a perfect item to collect the set with. Or you can buy it as a spare.
It still looks like it was made not so long ago without any signs of wear and tear, but it does have that unique patina of old cast iron cookware.
Pros
- Pristine condition
- No signs of damage
- 100+ years old
- Fits Griswold Dutch oven No.9
- Durable
Cons
- No "EPU" edition stamp
Griswold No.8 Tite Top Dutch Oven
After you try cooking a stew using a Griswold cast iron Dutch oven, you will forget about all other far more modern pots and pans. The Griswold No.8 Tite top Dutch oven is a great place to start your antique cast iron collection.
Review
Vintage Griswold means it says Erie on the bottom rather than Griswold. This Dutch oven is so well-made that it still sits flat after a century of heavy use. It still looks to be in mint condition, which truly speaks about the quality of this product. Griswold’s cast iron products are much better and more durable than the modern cast iron cookware. This particular antique Dutch oven is missing the lid, but otherwise, it’s ready for cooking some fantastic recipes.
The oven comes with the original bail that’s slightly bent, but that’s the only imperfection we could find. It doesn’t wobble or spin when set over a fire, and it sits flat on stovetops, as if it had just come out of the factory. The oven is 9-7/8″ diameter and 4” tall. It weighs only 5.5 pounds, which is very light for a cast iron Dutch oven by today’s standards.
Originally, the oven came pre-seasoned, which of course wouldn’t last all that time, but the seller did his best to clean it, so it looks brand new. He also re-seasoned the insides using vegetable oil, so it’s practically ready for use right away. Try cooking one meal in Griswold cookware and it might change the way you feel about cast iron cookware in general.
Pros
- Pre-seasoned
- Amazing condition
- Flat and stable
- Original bail
Cons
- No lid
- Bent bail
Griswold No.8 Cast Iron Dutch Oven
The Griswold No.8 Cast Iron Dutch Oven is a product you can only see on vintage photos or old cowboy movies. You will rarely run into one that’s in such pristine condition as this one as they are over 100 years old.
Review
The Griswold No.8 cast iron Dutch oven marked number 1278 first became available in the 1930s. This product was manufactured until the mid-1940s when it was replaced. However, it’s still an antique Dutch oven that’s still widely used by traditional chefs all over the US.
The condition of this oven is incredible, given that it is at least 75 years old. It doesn’t have any cracks or rust spots, and it comes with a lid that looks almost brand new. The only thing that’s missing is the original bail. With that said, this Dutch oven is still in excellent condition, and you can use it for cooking your favorite meals for decades since it’s practically indestructible.
You can see the decades-old patina that gives this Dutch oven a unique look, but it also affects the taste of your food in a good way. You will be able to cook tasty stews, soups, and roasts soaking in the unique flavor that comes with antique cast iron cookware. It’s a collectible you can still use like it’s brand new.
Pros
- Excellent condition
- No signs of aging
- Made between 1930 and 1945
- Lid included
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Missing original bail
Final Verdict
There has to be something special about Griswold’s cast iron cookware. The company may not have but its products stood the test of time, and many of them are still in working condition, even after a century of use. If you’re a person that likes the exquisite taste that comes with cooking in old vintage cookware, you have to get at least one Griswold cast iron Dutch oven because it will change the way you think about pans and pots altogether.
The Griswold No.8 Dutch oven will be a great first piece of your vintage cast iron cookware. According to many chefs, the traditional antique cast iron cookware is superior in all categories when compared with the modern cast iron cookware. Get your vintage Dutch oven and see why people still use it when cooking stews and soups. Heck, you don’t even have to use it. A Griswold would make excellent decoration and a conversation starter.