Corning and Sunbeam
The smooth flat bottom dishes were meant to be used on Corning smooth-top ranges. I've forgotten the term used for them, but they had a special name. "Cookmates" maybe.
My favorite Corning piece is the round "sauce maker" pan with three spouts and measurements in ounces on the inside. It eliminates the need for a measuring cup. The glass lid is a unique shape and they can be difficult to find. The attachable handle makes the whole thing easy to use and transport. I buy handles whenever I see them. Most thrift store/estate sale shoppers don't even know what they are.
The electromatic skillets have a particular size/number of dishes that fit them. I've been stung buying dishes I thought would fit, only to find out that they were just slightly too large. I've reminded myself many times over to carry the exact number for the correct dish in my wallet so when I come across a dish that looks like the right one, I can compare its number. One of these days, maybe today, I'll do that.
The one thing I've found about using Corningware on the (gas) stove is that it conducts heat really well. Stuff can easily burn. I'm still learning, and tend to err on the side of heat that's too low.
I do love the Sunbeam automatic toasters. Perfect toast every time -- provided you're toasting plain white bread. The best thing about them is that if the toast isn't quite done, you can adjust the darkness, lower the bread again, and it knows to pick up where it left off, returning perfectly browned toast.
The problem with the Sunbeams is their limitation on the types of bread that they can toast perfectly. Bagels are definitely out simply based on their thickness, as are whole grain breads, etc. At least that's been my experience.
