Cast Iron Pot ... from where? use?

about 4 1/2" to the top of the lid finial
about 6 1/4" across that center flange
inside diameter about 4 1/2"

who, what... that sort of thing?

 

Very strange. But to me it looks like it was made specifically for a "well" kind of opening in the "heat source" and the flange holds it in place and seals off the heat from escaping. Like maybe in an Aga-type stove?

 

Part of a double boiler?

 

Those are good suggestions.

If this fit on an opening in a wood stove, for instance, it would be difficult to remove when hot. How would you grab it? But maybe that's not important.

I don't know enough about cooking to comment on the double boiler idea. Are there cast iron double boilers?

 

I don't think I've ever seen a double-boiler in cast iron. I would imagine that if both parts were made of such a heavy material that it would be extraordinarily hard to pick up. I could see one made with the lower piece in iron and the upper in stainless, though. My double boiler is heavy hard-anodized aluminum on the bottom and stainless on top.

The underside of your item is clearly not intended to be seen, but those 3 "feet" do allow you set it on a flat surface securely.

 

The size of it makes me think it might be some kind of fondue pot...

 

Does seem odd that it would not be designed to lift more easily/safely when hot. I'm a goddess, just not the domestic kind, so can't think how else it might have been used.

I did see things that resembled this in overall shape that were meant to sit over a chafing dish type of arrangement, but always with a way to lift off of the flame.

 

I think its an ashtray.

 

Susan was pretty close i think. looks like this Aga range kettle, but I don't know how you would lift it either.

Mikey

 

It's an interesting shape. I liked it for its design and thought it might be Japanese - maybe something to do with Hibachis. Of course I could be completely off the rails about that. There is a foundry mark on the bottom - a beehive or shield (depending on which way is up). I suppose that might support a European origin.

The idea that it fits into a stove opening does make sense, given the shape, but it's a fairly small capacity pot and it does seem that once in place, it would have to remain so until the stove cooled. I don't know what a cook would want available in small, hot quantities for the duration of meal preparation. Something that would be worth taking up the stove-top space.

 

Looks a bit like an individual size shabu shabu pot.

 

I'm still not sure how nice it would be to cook in something that got too hot to pick up(?), but I suppose if there were something like a wok ring underneath this, it could work:

wok ring:


(different type of) wok ring in use with a wok:

 

As Hollyblue suggested, maybe shabu shabu: a pot like this might work over an individual "hot pot" stove:

 

I;ve never heard of Shabu Shabu, but looking it up, it seems a possibility... or some similar dish on some similar stove.

 

Maybe an incense burner like they use in churches ?? .

 

This isn't airtight, or anything like that, which is to say there would be aroma from anything cooking, but I think that incense burners are much more intentionally open with piercings and reticulations and whatnot to maximize odor dispersion.

But I still don't know positively, so thanks for the suggestion.

 

I think that center bit is a maker's mark, but it looked like a shield (or beehive - depending on your perspective).

 

It's possible. Not a whole lot of online information about foundry marks.