New obsession with Corning/Pyrex

[justjunque]

Unfortunately, it's happened again. I don't know what the personality disorder is called, but every once in a while, my brain latches onto a particular item or type of item, and I feel that I must acquire several examples of it.
Most recently, it's Corning Ware, Corelle, and Pyrex bakeware.
Some recently acquired pieces cost me nothing, as they were given to me by my mom; who at 91, is starting to part with some of her belongings that she no longer uses. These were pieces that previously belonged to one of my grandmothers, or possibly an aunt. My mom doesn't remember.
I also picked up a couple of Corning Blue Cornflower from thrift stores. I missed out on a 6 cup stovetop percolator that I couldn't justify when I saw it, but later regretted not getting. When I went back the next day, it was gone.
A few other pieces, I have coming from eBay. Sure, they would have been much cheaper if I found them in a thrift store, but I couldn't wait. One will complete a set of Pyrex Early American round casseroles, and one is a lid for one of the Blue Cornflower pieces.
I also got two of the three Pyrex round casseroles from Mom, but in the Pink Gooseberry pattern. I don't think I'll be getting the third bowl in that pattern any time soon. They seem to be quite pricey.
And, I shouldn't really say that even the Early American set will be complete, because I'm missing most of the lids for both sets.
The last thing I can think of, that I absolutely had to have, is some Corelle soup/cereal bowls in Butterfly Gold. I got four of them on eBay. They truly appear to be unused. I've always liked that pattern. But, there's a cereal commercial that's running right now, where the people are using those bowls. Constantly seeing them in the commercial made me have to have them.
The device that I'm on right now can't take pictures. If there's any interest in seeing pictures, I'll get some when I'm on my iPad at some point.
I just thought I'd share about my latest obsession, for lack of a better word. I'm guessing I can't be the only one to whom this kind of thing happens. I'm painfully out of room for any more "stuff", and I can't afford to be spending money on unnecessary items. So, the rational part of my brain is going to really try to keep this from going too far. Ideally, I won't buy any more until I decide to let go of something else that I've hoarded over the years.
Sorry this was so long. I think I find it therapeutic or something. Thanks for reading!

Barry

 

[tomturbomatic]

Don't feel bad about missing the stove top perk. They took forever to make coffee unless you boiled the water in a tea kettle then sat the perk on the stove. They do make nice servers, though, and hold the heat.

 

[ea56]

I agree with you Tom about Pyrex Percolators. They look real nice and certainly have a nostalgic allure, but as far as functionality they leave a lot to be desired. They take forever to begin perking

Secondly, the stem and basket are extremely fragile. My Mom used to buy these percolators and within a few weeks either the stem or basket would get broken.

Instead of going to the hardware store and buying another stem or basket she would resort to making what she called “Hobo Coffee”, by bringing the water to a boil in the Pyrex pot, then adding the coffee grounds and an eggshell or two, giving it a stir and turning off the heat. She would let the brew steep for a few minutes then pour it through a small strainer into the cups. My Dad really liked his coffee made this way.

Eddie

 

[combo52]

Collecting Corningware

It can’t be considered an obsession, unless you have so much you can’t have it all in the kitchen, there’s another 60 pieces plus in the kitchen that I use regularly.

I use Corell for my daily dishes.

For the good dishes I have a collection of Centura ware by Corning.

Old Pyrex ware is collectible, but I don’t use it because it’s too likely to break in the oven. Not safe in my opinion.

John.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Eddie, I was talking about the tall, narrow Corning Ware perks, not the wider Pyrex perks. The Pyrex perks had the advantage of the wide pump base that, with proper heat regulation, could keep the boiling under the pump and prevent the whole pot from boiling.

 

[justjunque]

John,

That's a beautiful collection!
Maybe "obsession" was the wrong word for my situation. A random item or type of item will just all of a sudden become irresistible to me, and I fixate on it. When I had more room and disposable income, I would end up buying sometimes hundreds of something (not all at once). Diecast vehicles, for example. Then, for a while, it was kerosene lanterns.
If I was willing to sell something off, I could start a new collection of something. Like...Corning Ware, for example!
But, I get too attached to things, and can't let them go. That's how hoarding happens.
I'll say it again though, your collection, and the way you have it displayed, is very impressive![this post was last edited: 4/23/2023-21:29]

 

[repairguy]

Those shelves look familiar John.

 

[circlew]

John, that is a fantastic collection of Corning, and nicely organized.

 

[rp2813]

Barry, you should start hunting down the removable handles for stove top cooking with vintage Corningware.  My favorite and most often used piece of Corningware is my "sauce maker" with graduated measurements on the inside up to 1 qt., and center, left, or right hand pouring spouts.  I have only seen them in the cornflower pattern.  Lids aren't easy to find, but they are out there.  I found my sauce maker with lid and all three of my handles in thrift stores within the last several years.

 

I also like to use my warming trivet in the Trefoil pattern for parties.  Another thrift store find.  See pictures.

[this post was last edited: 4/23/2023-23:26]

 

[bradfordwhite]

Just last Thursday at a thrift store I found this guy for $3. Doesn't appear to have been used. I shuffled through a box of pan and casserole covers hoping to find either the glass or the plastic lids with no luck.

At one time I had quite the collection of Correlle plates, bowls, and some casseroles. I had this mini set(pictured) with all the glass and plastic tops at one point.

The larger standard size dish I use almost daily.

#3 Holy ScHmiT, that's a Correlle Pyrex problem growing there but it's a good one and I can't fault anyone for collecting the stuff. I just hope those shelves don't collapse. I know how much this stuff weighs. Just a stack of full size plates can be quite heavy. The casserole dishes are even heavier material.

 

[mattl]

#8

Had the sauce pot from Corning for years , it was the cookmate version for my Corning range, felt terrible when it broke.  It was the perfect size for many items I cooked. The lid may still be around, but I may have tossed it in a purge. Hated the clip on handles, learned to make due with potholders.

 

[DADoES]

 
I had an electrical problem with one of those clamp-on handles during my toddler years ...

 

[justjunque]

Ralph,
I've seen several of those handles listed on the bay. I know different handles fit different dishes, but I don't yet know which is which. I'm sure one or more will end up joining the hoard at some point. At least they're not too expensive, and won't take up too much room!
And that "sauce maker" is cute! I like it!

Bradfordwhite,
At first, I thought that was the "holy grail" of Corning Ware. (Sarcasm)
For some reason, there are more than a few people on eBay who think the 2 quart Spice O' Life casserole that says "Le Romarin" is worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. Then, you have the sane people, selling them for between ten and maybe twenty five dollars. Mine was free. It was one of the pieces that my mom gave me.

Glenn,
That doesn't sound good. Care to elaborate? You weren't "that kid", because of whom we all got those warnings to never stick a knife (or any other utensil) into an outlet, were you?
I didn't know anyone ever actually did it.

 

[justjunque]

Hey, Eddie,

Please forgive my ignorance. I have to ask the reason for adding eggshells when making "Hobo coffee".
I know...google is my friend and all.
But, I'd rather ask an actual human "friend" who has first-hand experience.

Barry

 

[jamiel]

The calcium in the shell is a mild neutralizer to the acid in the coffee (smoothing it out) and the residual eggwhite coagulates and collects any fine grinds, clarifying the coffee.

 

[ea56]

Thanks Jamie for answering Barry’s question about the eggshells Mom used to make Hobo Coffee. You explained it perfectly. Some people would even put a whole cracked egg and the shell into coffee made this way, Mom wouldn’t have wasted an egg this way.

Also, as Tom pointed out, Barry was actually referring to the Corning Ware percolators, I misunderstood that he was referring to the clear glass Pyrex perc’s because Pyrex was referred to in the OP, my bad. And yes, the smaller diameter and height of the Corning Ware percs made them very slow to come to a perk. I’ve owned two of the stove top CW percs and 4 of the electric CW percs. They make pretty good coffee, are easy to clean and keep clean, but the stove top models were pretty slow.

I appreciate how people love to collect old kitchen ware and appliances if they are so inclined, have the space and the money. I too love to buy and use these old treasures, primarily because I’m curious about how the work and preform. But I don’t have a lot of storage space so when I buy a new toy I often let go of one of the older ones to make room for the new ones.

I believe in letting someone else having a chance to experience these old bits of history too. I don’t sell them, the moneys already been spent in my mind. I usually donate them to charity thrift shops. It feels good to let things go and give someone else the opportunity to enjoy them. And if the charity can make some money to help others so much the better.

Eddie

 

[joeekaitis]

 

What, no Visions?  Go away.

 

 

Just kidding.  I was bitten by the bug too, but the induction stove relegates my CorningWare and Visions to the oven, microwave oven, fridge and freezer.

 

 

[rp2813]

Eddie, I agree with you about passing things along so others can enjoy them.  I did a lot of that five years ago when we had our moving sale, but otherwise I either give them away to someone who expresses interest, or to a thrift store.

 

Several years ago I found a grouping of vintage WagnerWare Magnalite sauce pans in the "Petite Gourmet" size (1 qt.), 2, 4, and 6 qt., all with their lids, at Savers and snapped them up.  They were priced separately and totaled $27 out the door.  That's less than 10% of what new Chinese-made versions cost at the time.  I got rid of a mishmash of well-used utilitarian aluminum NSF pans in similar sizes that were never anything to look at.  Not collectible, no lids, but useful to someone.  The superior quality of WagnerWare was enough of a selling point, but the bakelite handles sealed the deal.  They eliminate the need for a pot holder or mitt, which I consider a bonus.

 

[ea56]

Corelle

I love Corelle dishes! They are the best everyday tableware in my opinion. We have been using Dazzling White and Winter Frost white Corelle dishes as our everyday tableware for almost 20 years now. It doesn’t take up a lot of shelf space, is very durable, doesn’t get gray silverware marks on the surface as easily as ceramic/pottery/china tableware and since ours are plain white they are a blank canvas for any food that is served on them, with no pattern to compete with the beauty of the meals served on them.

When Corning Ware first came out in 1958 Mom bought a set at our local hardware store, Olivers in El Sobrante, Calif. The set included a large square frying pan with the lid, 1 qt, 2 qt and 3 qt. square sauce pans with lids and 2 of the detachable handles. The novelty wore off quickly as far as using the Corning Ware on the stove because they tended to scorch food quickly since Mom was used to using the copper bottom Revere Ware that she received as wedding gifts in 1948 when my parents got married. But she continued to use the Corning Ware for foods baked in the oven and as serving pieces, and also for cooking vegetables that weren’t apt to scorch. But for anything with milk or cheese she preferred the Revere Ware.

Eddie