I'm looking for a source of the 12" sq cast aluminum fry pans that seem top be ubiquitous in Ely outfitters. I find one at Boundary Waters Journal for $50 but was hoping to do a little better that that. I need 6 for Boy Scout troop. I've not done well with many Google attempts. Seems someone must sell these besides BWJ - and I'm sure Stu doesn't have a foundry in his back yard. (I'm also asking my outfitter.)

I'm looking for a small one that will hold 2 fish fillets. I'll be interested to read all replies.

i found mine at goodwill. i repurposed it for a frying pan. about a 9 inch square. worked for the 6 of us. fit well on a single burner stove.

Mine is an old T-fal. Not sure if they are still making them.

Best fry pans are Goodwill finds like oldsalts. I take the handle off and replace with stainless wingnut set for taking on and off.
You can buy a lot of skillets at tyhat price.
CB

I take in larger groups of scouts and use a walmart 12" square deep pan from "Paula deen" line that I cut the handle off. A little expensive at $30, but it has held up well.
Do you have a sheet metal guy in your troop? Maybe have someone weld or fold up some out of 7 gauge aluminum pans for you?
Otherwise Goodwill always works.

I also looked for the rectangle or square pan, but did never find anything (other than the one from Stu).

I ended up purchasing a GSI 10” Hard anodized Aluminum Dutch Oven. I love it and it works great. I did a review on it. Lid works as a good fry pan, and also can use it to fry fish, make pizza, or anything else you would use its heavy cast iron cousin on. Does so much more than Just the pan for about the same $$.
GSI 10" Dutch Oven


On the Quiet Journey forums, there is a guy that has converted electric skillets to use. Very good pictures on how he did it.
Fry Pan Conversion

I understand your frustration, since $50 seems like a lot of money for a square pan, but I think if you price cast aluminum cookware you will find that $50 is quite reasonable, maybe even inexpensive for what you are getting. I doubt you will find it for less even if you can locate the source.

quote KevinL:

On the Quiet Journey forums, there is a guy that has converted electric skillets to use. Very good pictures on how he did it.
Fry Pan Conversion "

I think there is a junked frying pan in my dad's garage that looks exactly like that one. I thought about A-team engineering it and thought it was too much work. Now I am having second thoughts... And debating how much the wife will roll her eyes for "more canoe gear"...

We have made a couple of these, they work great.



On the Quiet Journey forums, there is a guy that has converted electric skillets to use. Very good pictures on how he did it.
Fry Pan Conversion "

sorry kevin, didn't mean to "steal" your post, somehow it just happened.

quote Snipit: "sorry kevin, didn't mean to "steal" your post, somehow it just happened."

No problem.

quote CanoeKev: "I understand your frustration, since $50 seems like a lot of money for a square pan, but I think if you price cast aluminum cookware you will find that $50 is quite reasonable, maybe even inexpensive for what you are getting. I doubt you will find it for less even if you can locate the source."

CCO came through again with manufacturer and I ordered 6 this morning - wholsale plus shipping came to $35 per. Same pan BWJ sells. I don't think they would sell just one to private party.

might I ask who is CCO and who is the manufacturer?

quote CanoeKev: "might I ask who is CCO and who is the manufacturer?"

CCO = Canoe Country Outfitters, and Ely outfitter and sponsor of BWCA.com http://www.canoecountryoutfitters.com/ (Lots here seem to be justifiably loyal to an outfitter - probably the first one they were introduced to - and CCO is who I rely on.)

Manufacturer is Griddle Craft Company. I'm not comfortable publishing their phone and address and Google doesn't find them. It's a mom and pop home based business as best I can tell. And I personally wouldn't contact them for myself. I thought the order for 6 for Boy Scouts warranted it.

I'll ask her and see if she wants to be named.

quote
Manufacturer is Griddle Craft Company. I'm not comfortable publishing their phone and address and Google doesn't find them. It's a mom and pop home based business as best I can tell. And I personally wouldn't contact them for myself. I thought the order for 6 for Boy Scouts warranted it.


I'll ask her and see if she wants to be named."

Thanks. I can understand if they don't want to be publicized, and I think that a $15 markup by BWJ for a single order is reasonable.

quote CanoeKev:Thanks. I can understand if they don't want to be publicized, and I think that a $15 markup by BWJ for a single order is reasonable."

I haven't heard back. I almost bought a couple of extra for me or on speculation that someone would want one (for price I paid). We'll see what they say.

With Griddle Craft Company permission, contact Andrea at xdoggiedo@uslink.net.

She wrote: "As for the references, you can certainly give them my email address first, then we can go from there. I have the pans (and handles) available for resale at a special price of $35 (or $32.50 if they have a resale or non profit org with a tax # or something)."

I'll try to offer a review after a troop campout weekend with 6 patrols using these for the first time - weekend after next. (we'll be at the Scout camp "Cayon Camp" near Stockton, IL, if you wanted to say hello. Maybe email me at bill @ bcaworld dot com to be sure it's OK if you are really thinking of it and to be sure I made it.

quote KevinL:

"On the Quiet Journey forums, there is a guy that has converted electric skillets to use. Very good pictures on how he did it.
Fry Pan Conversion "

I updated my thread over at QJ with a few more pics of the final pan & seasoning process I used.

quote "arnesr"

I updated my thread over at QJ with a few more pics of the final pan & seasoning process I used.


"

Looks good. I used to be a G-Man (garbageman) for almost nine years. I wonder how many electric fry pans I tossed over that time. I could have had the entire site making these. It is also the start of my cast iron cookware collection. Sandblast the crud off them and then re-season them. Always come out like new.

BassPro sells one, but it's cast iron.

Isn't that a grill with ridges rather than smooth?

Very nice - but a little smaller and heavier than the griddle craft. Thanks for reference!

Bill,

How did you do find them? I've been trying to find a source for these great looking fry pans for over a year. Like you $50 seems steep to me and I figured there had to be another source for these. Kuddos!

Will you post a review of yours? Is it okay to contact Andrea about a single purchase?

Thanks
Chip

CW - Read whole thread but basically my goto outfitter - CCO - cave me the name and email of who they buy them from and Andrea says yes. I think their price to a single end user is slightly higher than the 6 I bought for Scout troop - like $35 or 36 vs 32.50.

BTW, the scouts liked them. I used the adult patrol's for cooking Saturday grilled sandwiches and they worked fine. I like the higher sides to prevent slops (hate cleaning bacon grease from a dozen Coleman 2 burners every fall) and more sq inches on stove use - fills 1/2 of stove.

Hey Bill,

You cleaning the stoves is wrong,(and a lot of work, lol) that is something we have the scouts do after every meal, the cook has to clean them if they make a mess, tends to make less messy cooks after a few times cleaning the stoves.

Also, we flat out banned bacon for campouts, unless it is the precooked kind. Too messy, sausages seem to keep all happy.

I have not read the whole thread, but saw some 12" square frypans at VNO this past week (used outfitter ones) for sale... thought of you. Ping Lynn up there if you still need some. There were several on the shelf.

A long time ago I worked for Rocky Rococo's Pizza. Their pan pizza is made in cast aluminum pans. The medium size is a 12" square pan (the small and larges are rectangles). I don't know where they get them, nor do I know the cost, but if you have a Rocky's nearby you could ask them. Or checking out a resturant supply store might be helpful, though my guess is that it probably is more than $50.

Why does it have to be square?

I saw these at Fleet Farm today. Not cast iron, so they aren't super heavy.

I use a "Quetico Superior Dutch Oven". It's cast aluminum, 2 piece, the lid doubles as a 1/2" deep, 8" wide, and 16" long with one handle. The deep fryer is the same except 3 1/2" deep with two hadles. If you painted it flat black, you would swear it was cast iron until you lift it. Taylor-made for a doudle burner coleman suitcase stove. I think I paid $70 for set with a SS frybasket. High, but a deep fryer, griddle, tight fitting dutch oven as well. Gleason Camping did have some left. They were discontinued by the caster, Rome Industries.

quote Amok: "I saw these at Fleet Farm today. Not cast iron, so they aren't super heavy."

Looks like a handy size, but they seem to weigh in at over 11 pounds. I'm not THAT good a chef to make it worth 11 pounds.

Oh, I didn't say they were light, I just said they were LIGHTER because they aren't cast iron. Weight is relative, don'tcha know :)

quote buz: "Hey Bill,


You cleaning the stoves is wrong,(and a lot of work, lol) that is something we have the scouts do after every meal, the cook has to clean them if they make a mess, tends to make less messy cooks after a few times cleaning the stoves.


Also, we flat out banned bacon for campouts, unless it is the precooked kind. Too messy, sausages seem to keep all happy."

Appreciate your practice but after ten campouts, stoves are going to be dirty and need better cleaning than a 10-15 year old can do on a campout, often in inclement weather. We power washed them this year and that seemed to be pretty efficient. As far as outlawing bacon, when will they learn? We set few rules ands limits other than safety and bacon and dirty stoves don't qualify as unacceptable safety hazards.

I have no problem with paying the $50 for the one BWJ sells, the problem I have with the pan is the extra weight. Even though it's cast aluminum it still weighs in at nearly 4lbs.

quote mooseplums: "I have no problem with paying the $50 for the one BWJ sells, the problem I have with the pan is the extra weight. Even though it's cast aluminum it still weighs in at nearly 4lbs."

Wouldn't that be partly a factor of the group size? I agree - I probably wouldn't carry for two people but four or six, and lots of fish frying? I also wouldn't pack for a trip where distance was very important. I probably would build a menu around using it a lot and needing less of other things as well. It does do it's job pretty well as I discovered this past weekend. And I did buy them for Scout weekend camps where we don't backpack except once a year.

Yes group size matters to weight considerations.

I love a 2 burner griddle - so easy. Egg breakfasts, pancakes, grilled cheese/ham, etc. That (2 lbs) and one small pot (<1 lb) for boiling water and I'm done for family of five.