Griddle iron, gridiron, toasting iron

During the early part of the Victorian period, food was cooked on a fire in an open hearth. The open fire was central to cooking throughout the nineteenth century, and it prevailed in many rural homes well into the twentieth century.   Toasting forks and irons would have all been used to assist cooking on a fire in an open hearth.    A hand held griddle iron or fork made from one length of metal wire shaped to form three open work prongs and a handle.