Recently I found the following description of a frying pan. In the journal kept by George Simpson on his 1828 trip to inspect the holdings of the Hundson's Bay Company from York Factory to Fort Langley he provides a description of the baggage taken and the contents of the baggage including this comment regarding baskets taken to carry food stuffs, "Here also, that indispensable-the frying pan, which by the way, should be made with a good strong hinge-has its place, to wit on the top of the contents."
My previous investigations into the evolution of technology leads me to believe that frying pans with hinged handles can potentially go back possibly as far as 20 years (1808) based on his reference. (The first 5-10 years after invention/new design the references typically include something to the effect that it is the NEW or NEW INVENTED technology/design. After this initial period it is referred to as what ever it is and it is during this period that it splits between higher and lower quality.) Simpson's reference to a "good strong hinge" leads me to believe that this design was then in the second stage where both good strong and not so good weak hinges were available. Hence my speculation about the original introduction being 1808.
Several years ago a discussion of this same subject included the following:
In the book; The Kentucky Rifle Hunting Pouch, By Madison Grant,
Page 197, Plate 128,
There is a pic of a Revolutionary War mess kit from Berks County Pennsylvania. It is a wrought iron skillet, 6 1/4 in. diameter, and 2 1/2 in. deep with a hinged handle with a socket at the end where a stick can be inserted. The one pictured is identical to the folding skillets purchased today. But it is called a mess kit. Also in the pic are a folding fork and knife made by barlow.
I'm not really sure if this reference to a folding handle frying pan in the late 1770's is legitimate or not. The implications are that it was the one and only reference and therefore not acceptable since the powers that be require 2 independent sources. While there are about 50 years separating the two references the earlier reference being made about 30 years before I would have expected one changes things to my way of thinking. Comments?
Topic: Folding Handle Frying Pans (Read 1856 times)