The function of this shallow, 19-divoted, eared cast iron piece

cast-ironpan

This piece was given to me a few years back by someone who picked it up at an estate sale. At the time I cleaned it up, re-seasoned it, and promptly forgot about it.

At first blush I thought maybe it was an escargot pan, but on further attention the divots seemed too shallow; each of the 19 holds approximately 1/2 t to 3/4 tbs (7-11 ml). There are no discernible markings on the reverse nor the ears to give me anything to work with.

Someone said it might be an Æbleskiver pan, or a drop muffin pan, but in comparison with the samples I have on hand I don't believe it to be so. The divots on this pan are shallower and the bottoms are relatively flat (disc-shaped rather than hemispherical).

Does anyone one know what the purpose of this cast iron piece? Is it even a piece of cookware?

mystery cast iron peice

Best Answer

They look like the Dutch "mini pancake" pans... they're used to make poffertjes.

There are nearly identical pans on sale here.

The Wikipedia article talks about them more specifically:

Poffertjes are a traditional Dutch batter treat. Resembling small, fluffy pancakes, they are made with yeast and buckwheat flour. Unlike American pancakes, they have a light, spongy texture. Typically, poffertjes are served with powdered sugar and butter, and sometimes syrup or advocaat.

And an image from a recipe page:

Dutch poffertjes

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