Corningware, a staple of kitchens since the late 1950s. I remember the first commercials – yes, I am THAT old. It showed someone taking a Corningware from the freezer and putting it directly into an oven, and Corningware featured a lovely blue cornflower design.
I had a couple of pieces of Corning ware, large and medium, used when I cooked for company, but cooking for one, before microwaves, those pieces bided their time in the cabinet. Then I bought a microwave and needing to use something non-metal the C-ware began getting a workout. Smaller pieces were added and used often. The kitchen cabinet held many pieces, and it was added to over the years as we visited the Corningware store at our local outlet mall, The Citadel. Note: The Citadel is a former tire factory and is named for its exterior that surrounds the front of the location, looking like an ancient Assyrian castle of King Sargon II.
From time to time over the years a lid would break and we would put the lidless C-ware into a bag and visit the store to get it a new glass top, usually finding great buys on Pyrex, kitchen gadgets, and other goodies.
Have you ever dropped a glass lid to Corningware? It shatters! There are a few large pieces, and some medium size pieces, but most of it is in small glass fragments all over the floor, under the cabinet edges, in the incredibly tiny space between the refrigerator and the cabinets, skidding under the table and chairs, and . . . . well, you get the idea. Since we have three cats the first thing we do is shut all the doors to the kitchen hoping to keep curious cats away. Then we sweep, and vacuum, and mop, and then sweep again, knowing that in a couple of days we will find a piece or two here or there.
Recently it was time to go lid shopping. We had three pieces without lids – two smaller, and one medium. As we checked to see when the store at The Citadel opened we discovered that the store we had depended on for years had closed. One link showed that there was another store about thirty miles away but it also had closed. A bit of research revealed that Corningware is moving all business online. That seems simple enough since each C-ware piece has a code number and it is easy enough to order the correct lid, until you get to postage. Those things are heavy! Looking on E-bay and similar sites was absolutely no help in finding a reasonable price. What to do, what to do?
It wasn’t urgent. We have plenty of other C-ware pieces and so we left the three pieces on the kitchen counter. Emptying the dishwasher revealed a lid to one of the three pieces, so now we were down to two lidless items. Then, I got this absolutely brilliant idea – OK, just average idea but it came at the right time. Do we really need lids to the remaining two bowls? They are normally used in the microwave and we have two universal covers that we use on dishes without lids. No hassle using them on these two orphan pieces.
Then, I got a second brilliant thought (I’m on a roll here, right?). Just how often do we use these two pieces? And when we use them, do we need to have a clear C-ware lid? Let’s set them on a shelf, and if we need them we will use the plastic covers we use in the microwave, and if we don’t need them, they will go to the next “Bundle Sunday” when the St. Vincent de Paul truck shows up at church.
Great work brain! Simple solution to what was becoming an expensive and annoying situation. Now, remind me to take very good care of the rest of the C-ware lids. Replacing them can get expensive.
How are you doing with your Corningware? Do tell.
Every Day Is A Good Day. VJ
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