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Post by sporko on Jan 1, 2015 13:39:00 GMT -5
Also, I guess the ones I've seen in person were mistreated as well, although it would seem to take some doing to put a dip in a big flat piece of metal. It's good to know they're not all like that, and that a replacement exists if it is. What karitx describes as mistreated... It looks like someone had the height adjustment screws under the griddle all out of whack, then tried to flatten the griddle in place. The result was some high "bumps". I managed to sort of flatten it... but I don't know that I could ever make it totally true.
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Post by chipperhiker on Jan 1, 2015 17:31:59 GMT -5
Just for the record, Nana, all the griddles started out flat, but they often deform over time and develop a concavity. That may be what you were seeing, but it's not normal. They also all have raised lips to prevent spillover, but the center portions should be flat, regardless of the whether it's a divided griddle or not.
The B and C griddles (maybe A's, too?) are aluminum and can deform with high heat over time. You may see griddles that are so grossly deformed that they look like fabric draped across the broiler! That happens after someone forgets that the broiler is on full blast for a prolonged period of time. That is an extreme case, and probably means the end for that particular griddle, but mild deformity just happens over time. It may be something you even prefer as your post indicated, but these mild deformities are completely fixable, and certainly not a cause to replace the griddle.
I bought one of my stoves with a griddle that looked really, really bad (with a greater than one inch sag in the center), but even that was fixable. The bottom line is: don't write off a griddle until you've given it a few good whacks with a rubber mallet to get a sense for how malleable it is, and how well it might return to its original shape. It's actually a lot of fun to fix a bad one, and it's an awesome way to take out some of your frustrations!!
On the stove I'm currently using, I've had to flatten the griddle once already, and you'll certainly have to do it eventually, too. The official repair is to lay it on a flat resilient surface (floor, workbench, etc.) and use a rubber mallet to knock the griddle flat again. You may need to find some appropriately shaped blocks of wood to support the griddle while you reshape it, but you'll figure out what you need once you try it out yourself. To tell you the truth, I put mine on the floor (upside down) and just hopped on it a couple times with my feet, and it was all back to normal. It didn't have much deformity, but it surely was an easy fix.
The original griddle performs really well, so be sure you give it a try before replacing it with an "upgraded version." For myself, I know that I'd prefer to stay away from teflon (as it off-gases with high heat, and those fumes are extremely toxic to birds, so I can't imagine they are particularly good for mammals, either), and cast iron griddles are heavy enough to strain the lift mechanism.
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Post by nana on Jan 2, 2015 12:58:02 GMT -5
Low tech is definitely my speed. It doesn't get much more basic than hopping up and down on it to fix it! Although Hilda( my old Buick) had some sort of issue with her starter motor for a while and I would have to open the hood and whack it with a stick a bit to get it to start. People surely thought I was crazy, but it worked. I kept a big stick in the back seat until I could afford to take it to a garage. If you ever listened to Car Talk on public radio, I called in and they told me it was probably missing some teeth on a gear, and when I hit it, it would jar it just enough to get the teeth gripping again. They were spot on.
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Post by nana on Jan 17, 2015 8:28:31 GMT -5
Having spent some time looking through the cookware and recipe posts, it seems like although the original thermowell pots are great, you can use any pot as long as it fits in the well, is suitable for cooking on a flame, and you have some way of lifting it in and out. Garage sale season is coming and I'm going to be on the lookout. Just wondering about the lifting part. Could I make a sort of basket or harness out of wire and and use that? Also, is there an optimum diameter pot, that is, does it work best if there is only a little space around it, or does it not matter? Gotta be honest, I can hardly wait to cook some of those delicious sounding recipes!
Of course, I can always cook them on my conventional stove too, I guess. But it wouldn't be the same thrill.
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Post by vaporvac on Jan 17, 2015 15:00:04 GMT -5
Yeah for the Twell! It really does rock! Even Chambers says to use your own pots. I converted a heavy SS pressure cooker for use as my single with a removable bale handle, and some SS bowls as inserts for a sort of double boiler. My bean pot fits perfectly and I can just lift that out with the handle or inner rim. For casseroles I use the homemade Tbaker that my "partner in Chambers' crime" (PICC) made for me. It has a removable double-decker shelf and has bigger dimensions than the original. It's fabulous for all my Pyrex bakeware. (The advantage is that you can then use your bakeware pans in the Twell and not have them break with the direct flame.) He sells them if you're interested. Lwagne (Christiw) uses boothooks! for retrieval as do some others around here. Concerning diameter, it just needs some air flow. On the B there is a piece of metal by the damper than juts out ensuring this, but with the C just be sure there's a nice gap around the sides.
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Post by nana on Jan 31, 2015 7:34:39 GMT -5
Another question, and I guess I could research this myself, but it's so much easier to pick your brains instead of mine! Here goes--before I move in my eventual Chambers, I am going to redo the kitchen floor, which although it was laid down in 1965 and might still have a few years left in it, once that stove is in I'm not moving it again. I will also need to switch the gas line over, because the stove and fridge are going to switch places. Even though they use a flexible pipe now for the line that attaches to the stove, I still would like to get it as close as possible, so, thinking that whatever stove I get I will have to get a model that can be flush to the rear wall and the left side, is there a standard spot for the gas line to attach to the stove? Left? Center? Right? I'll be doing the switch before I pick out the stove, so I was going to go with center, but it would be nice to know more exactly.
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Post by chipperhiker on Jan 31, 2015 13:11:32 GMT -5
Well, the gas enters through the service cabinet on the right side of the stove, then maybe putting the gas line toward the right side of the stove is ideal. However, since the flexible line can reach wherever you need it to go, it probably doesn't matter all that much.
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Post by nana on Jan 31, 2015 21:30:32 GMT -5
Thanks. About how high up, too? Sorry to be such a pest!
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Post by sporko on Feb 1, 2015 0:23:23 GMT -5
Thanks. About how high up, too? Sorry to be such a pest! Our C model gas line is approximately 12 inches off the floor and 7 inches off the right side cabinet. The cut off fits right through the hole in the stove.
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Post by nana on Feb 1, 2015 11:22:02 GMT -5
Excellent! Thanks again!
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