How to clean chrome pieces?

[C. Perry Rapier]

I have cleaning cast iron items down to a science. I use the lye bath method. However, I have a number 8 dutch oven that is chrome. This is the first piece I ever bought. I gave 85.00 about 8 years ago. It has the trivet also. It wasn't worth the price then or now but since it is my first cast iron piece I wanted to make it look good. I cleaned it up in the sink with soap and water and an SOS pad. It still has black baked on deposits My question is can you put this piece in the lye bath, and if so how long, or what other precautionary measures should be used? If not in the lye, what is the best way to clean it up. Any help would be most appreciated. Thank you. C. Perry Rapier

[Steve_Stephens]

Perry,
Never have had any trouble cleaning chrome or nickel plated iron in lye.  Just don't put in a fire or self-cleaning oven or it will discolor the plating.
Steve

[Jon Wollenburg]

I enjoy going threw these old post but I just got to know did you ever get tis piece clean and do you still have it

[C. Perry Rapier]

That number 8 Griswold Dutch Oven with the trivet. Yes, I still have it, and I put it in the lye bath and it turned out beautiful. Some of these old threads are fun to read. I like it that the newbies keep popping them up.  :)

[jimeats]

I have a few Griwold chrome pieces.
One a #6 skillet p/n 699, a #9 griddle p/n 609 and a neat little popover pan # 18.
The skillet I use often, chrome on the outside but nice and blackend on the cooking surface.
The griddle cooking surface is like a bumper on a 58 Buick, nice and shinney. The little popover pan handles are chrome but the rest of the pan is black inside and out.
The question is should I clean these or leave them be?
And is there any added value to a chrome piece, and why did they take this extra step in the finnished process? Jim

[Roy G. Meadows]

Jim,

You can clean up your chrome or nickel pieces in a lye bath with no problem. Lye want hurt the plating at all. After cleaning season the plated pieces just as you would your other pieces.

My understanding is that Griswold plated approximately 10 percent of their production. They charged twice as much for most plated pieces based on old catalog prices. They plated pieces for the following two basic reasons per my understanding:
1.) Certain wealthy people didn't think regular cast iron was becoming to their position in society and they wanted cookware that looked better/different.
2.) It was stated the cooking surface of plated pieces had a superior cooking surface. I presume they were referring to a smoother surface since the plating filled the small pores in the cast iron. In my opinion this may be true the first few times a piece is used, but either surface will eventually become "slick" after it has been properly seasoned.

                                                                   Roy Meadows