Brand new American-made CorningWare? Well, kinda sorta . . .

[joeekaitis]

No, it's not stovetop and broiler-safe Pyroceram but at least CorningWare can proudly display the words "MADE IN USA" again. CorningWare SimplyLite bakeware is made from Vitrelle, the same material as in Corelle Livingware. And it's made in Corning, New York!

You suppose World Kitchen has read the scathing reviews of CorningWare stoneware, with its built-in self-destruct mechanism, on Amazon.com and else, and decided to do SOMETHING to rescue CorningWare's tainted image?

http://corningware.com/index.asp?pageId=132

 

[conate]

the website is broke

Let's keep encouraging them to bring back Pyroceram.

 

[veg-o-matic]

And cornflowers.

veg

 

[andrewinorlando]

Cornflowers rule!!

 

[jeffg]

Anyone know why Corning stopped producing Pyroceram cookware in the first place? Our old handed-down cornflower set (thanks mom) is wonderful, it's probably the most used cookware in our entire kitchen. Stoneware and the new Vitrelle can't handle a stovetop burner so it's of limited use.

 

[sudsmaster]

I understand that Made-In-USA products are making a modest comeback for a few reasons. Including the fact that fuel for transport, even by ship, has risen over 100% or more in the past year or two. Add to that the plummeting dollar, and in some cases it makes more economic sense to have products made here. There are also a lot of stories about some high tech product components being made in China or elsewher and having to have so much re-work that needs to be done when they get here that any savings is lost.

 

[joeekaitis]

''Anyone know why Corning stopped producing Pyrocera

Depending on what day of the week it is and who answers your email to World Kitchen:

The manufacturing process isn't environmentally friendly.

or

No one wants cookware that can go on the stove and under the broiler anymore.

or

Pyroceram only comes in white and market research indicates consumers prefer cookware in a rainbow of colors and made from a wider variety of materials.

Uh . . . . yeah.

 

[conate]

New pyroceram?

As many of us have, I have occasionally queried World Kitchens, suggesting that they bring pyroceram cookware back into production. I've always gotten emails saying 'Thank you for your comment, but we have no plans to do this. Consider buying the stoneware' (Not exact words but that was the gist.)

After I read this thread, and looked at their website, I did this again. Behold, I got a different response this time:
Thank you for contacting World Kitchen, LLC.



Thank you for your suggestion! We have forwarded your idea to our
design team for their review.



Should you need further assistance, please contact our Consumer Care
Center at 800-999-3436. Representatives are available from 8am to 5pm
EST Monday through Friday and will be more than happy to assist you.


So, we'll see.

 

[panthera]

Mini-Renaissance

The same thing has begun happening here, too. After the Iron Curtain fell about 20 years ago, manufacturers here rushed to outsource everything to the cheap east.
Unfortunately, there was a reason why customers were willing to pay high prices for "German" quality...the stuff coming back was absolutely trash.
Just about the time East Europe caught up in quality, China went online big time.
Slightly better quality, much lower prices than Eastern Europe has to offer - but nowhere near what customers demand at the prices companies here charge.
The MBA mentality is ruining everything; this current group of managers doesn't give a fcuk about the customers, employees or shareholders...just their own young-dynamic-careers.
We need some serious legislation, something which will make it profitable to invest money in genuine capital goods again. Instead of taxing the hell out of investors for creating jobs and value addition, we should be taxing the hell out of the non-value addition money markets and supporting the "traditional" capitalists who hire people.
Just my two cents.
Thank goodness pyroceram cookware is indestructable, it may take a few more years, but I now have nearly all the pieces I want and need. Wonderful stuff.

 

[petek]

About a week or two ago I was in WalMart and saw that there was a re-issue of CorningWare Cornflower casseroles etc, but it was made in France. I meant to go back and take a better look but forgot and left the store. From the quick look I did take it appeared to be the real thing pyroceram and not the stoneware with a cornflower on it.

 

[jeffg]

Some interesting info about this on Wiki's site:

"The original pyroceramic glass version of Corning Ware is no longer sold in the US market. There are various rumors as to why the popular stovetop product was discontinued. The company's official word is that the product died out due to a lack of customer interest. As the prices for "vintage" and "collector" Corning Ware rises, however, many on the Internet suspect there may be other reasons.

...

"World Kitchens does still sell Pyroceram Corning Ware to its Asia Pacific market. These items can only be purchased in local department stores there."

So it looks like another case of good old American cheapskatedness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CorningWare

 

[maytagbear]

Thanks, Jeff!

Book that flight to Singapore now!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[jetcone]

Probably another little known fact

is at work here too with Corning.
I found out recently that Corning is the worlds largest producer of FLAT GLASS panels for all the flat panel monitor and tv producers around the globe. It's profits last year if I am correct hit $3 Bil.
So with Flat Panel everything still flying out of stores it may have alot to do with the company's shift in focus.

I always found Corningware to eventually scratch up; is this because we didn't handle it right? My Mom would use steel wool pads in the early days. Then she stopped buying steel pads because there was alot of negative publicity about them ,but by that time our corningware had gray streaks all over it.

She also found it heavy to move around. And so she just stopped using it.

But when you think of it you are restricted in what you can cook in it. Either casseroles or reheating for table service. You'd never stir fry in it. I suppose you could roast in it but I never saw a turkey or chicken in one until John L gave me a roasting pan, which we never had growing up.

I do use the few pieces I have for macaroni and cheese or suffle. But I always seem to reach for metal roasting pans or clear glass.

Now what Mom did buy was the Corelle ware which we still have and she used that every day it was so indistructible. But that is not pyroceram I think.

Overall I'd have to say in our house it was on the edge of being in use never at the center of Mom's cooking even though we did have it around and Dad did some contract work for them over the years.

 

[j2400]

I'd agree that CorningWare has limited uses. Still, that's true of most cookware.

I'd suspect that the CorningWare uses were perfectly suited for some people. Both my mother and grandmother had a few pieces of CorningWare. Maybe my memory is bad, but it seems that my mother almost never used it. She seldom made casseroles. Most of her cooking was done with an electric fry pan, or on the stove. She probably used CorningWare as extra large refrigerator containers more than she did for the intended use.

My grandmother, on the other hand, did cook stuff in CorningWare in the oven. Probably pretty regularly, too.

I can imagine a housewife of years gone by, who made casseroles several times a week, who'd have died if you took her CorningWare away.

I also have memories of those gray scratching in CorningWare--my grandmother's used SOS pads. Then, I also have the impression it wasn't easiest stuff to clean, at least based on my experiences those times I did Dish Duty...although that may have been more the fault of the circumstances it was used in (recipe, methods of cooking, even perhaps how evenly the oven heats).

 

[petek]

We've actually used the Electromatic skillet with the big casserole dish a few times now over the past month and it actually works quite well. My other half had no complaints and he usually hates fiddling with all my small appliances.

 

[whirlcool]

We love glass cookware....

We have a bunch of clear Pyrex cookwear as well as quite a number of Corningware pieces we collected over the years. We both think that foods cooked in glass just taste better. We have a few pieces of Cornflower (loaf pans) but most of ours is plain white. We use Bauhaus stonewear dishes for everyday use in white. The Corningware looks like it belongs to that set.
It's hard to believe that Bauhaus was designed back in the late 1920's, to this day it is still contemporary. Just good German design. I sometimes even wear socks with sandals. Karen said that's the German in me coming out! It drives her nuts when I do that.
My favorite piece is a Corningwear plain white covered serving plate that has metal on the bottom of it. You put it in the mircrowave for 3 minutes empty and then drop your meat, uh food item on it. It will sear it just as good as a grill will. We bought it in 1980 or so and it still looks as good as the day we bought it. We have always used those special scrubbing brushes that are for Teflon pans and for stubborn stains we add a little bit of Soft Scrub or even let the pan/dish soak overnight in Dawn dish detergent. It always comes out perfectly clean.
We also have some Visions (Amber) cookwear. I'll use them, Karen won't she said it is way to heavy for her. Back when it first came out I bought my strange sister a complete set of New Visions cookware. She used it a few times and said she didn't like it because everything would stick to it, and it was too heavy to use. It ended up being in her next garage sale.
I particularly like the fact that you can start out by browning the food on the stovetop and use the same pan/pot in the microwave a few moments later.

 

[mattl]

It think it comes down to the right tool for the right job. Corningware is fine for some situations but for other is it's close to useless. We had one of the original Corning cook tops in the 70's and we had to use the special Corning cookware that was made for it or it didn't work well. Frying in Corningware was hopeless, everything stuck and burned on the hot spots, the heat never seemed even. In general if something was starting to boil over you were lost because the pot retained enough heat to keep it boiling after you removed the heat. It was fine for baking, or making a pot of soup, or some pasta but other than that I'd pass.

I still have a few pieces of the special cookware with the ground flat bottoms, plus some Visions stuff too. Mostly I use Calphalon, thought I do need to get a nice non-stick fry pan, that's the one thing I'm missing.

 

[conate]

Corning doesn't make Corningware.

Corning no longer makes Corningware. They sold it to World Kitchens in the late nineties.

BTW if you have grey scratches in your CW, it's because the metal items used to stir etc. OR the SOS pads have worn off on the glass.

Get some of the cream used to clean electric smoothtops. Or, use Bon Ami on it.

Nate

 

[petek]

I looked again in WalMart and it was CorningWare "Special Editions" stovetop casseroles, made in France. Appears identical to the original, they must have sold the glass process to some French firm and World Kitchens or whomever is having some made up.