Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Up For Grabs! - First Ever Vintage Corningware Giveaway

I have finally decided to take the plunge and do a give-away.... I have resisted doing this for years on Culinary Alchemy for multiple reasons that would take up this whole entire post to explain.  The short version is that give-aways usually promote products, and while I DO have some favorite products, I am not comfortable with promoting a brand, ingredients, yet, Brand names, no.  Brands change their products without warning.

Nutella is a perfect example.  For years, I have had a love affair with Nutella.  To the point of making Nutella stuffed cookies (AKA: Barry White Cookies).  Recently, however, I tried to make them for my niece's birthday and found that they have done something weird to the product.  It doesn't taste the same and the texture is weird.... It no longer holds it's shape after being chilled long enough to really DO anything with it and becomes a pile of goo almost immediately upon removing it from the refrigerator.  I am very VERY disappointed in Ferrero Rocher.   (Maybe this has something to do with the 2012 lawsuit)  For reasons like this, I never wanted to do any "branding" on my Blog.

Most importantly though, is that the original purpose my blogging served was as a vent for creativity, a way to converse and share with other bakers and (as fellow bloggers can attest to) it's a labor of love.

BUT, there is one product with which I have absolutely no problem in "Branding" myself, not to mention singing the praises of, and promoting mercilessly.  Vintage Corningware.

After all, that is the whole reason for this blog..... (OK, and the labor of love part)  It's also why Corningware411 is completely separate from Culinary Alchemy  (aside from a few plugs here and there)

I would like to give this a try and see how it goes.  Heck, I don't even know if anyone cares about a Vintage Corningware Give-away to begin with, but nothing ventured, nothing gained... right?

It is sort of an experiment in technology for me as well.  I found PunchTab, and will be using it to administer the give-away so that I do not have to search all over the internet for tweets, likes, pins, comments and such, then count everything up, throw a bunch of stuff in a hat and draw a winner.   Yes, PunchTab is going to do it all for me.  Which leaves me more time for cooking with the object of my affections....  LOL

I rescue Vintage Corningware ALL the time, so I am sharing.  :)  I enjoy bringing these pieces back to their former glory and knowing they are going to be cared for and used.  Think of this as Corningware Rescue and the winner is adopting a restored piece (or in this case, two pieces).  LOL

So, up for grabs, is a pair (2) of Snack-It Plates from the Grab-It line (or Little Dishes line)...  P-185 to be exact. Released in the early '80s, these individual snack plates are the perfect compliment to the Grab-It bowls (P-150), the Grab-a-Meal bowls (P-240) or the Casser-ette (P-14)

They are marked as 15cm square, not counting the handle, which is about 6 inches.  This is an inside measurement.  They are about 6 5/8 inches from outside edge to outside edge (~16.75 cm).

They make an excellent side plates for a toasted cheese sandwich with tomato soup or cornbread with chili.  Heck, you can even make a mini-frittata in them cause they can be used on the stove-top and under the broiler. (as long as you use the smallest burner and wear an oven mitt)


The contest will run for 2 weeks, from Aug 14th to the 28th.  There are multiple ways to enter, but you can only enter once per day with each option, so keep coming back every day and enter again, and again and again...  (At least that was the way I understood it.  Remember, this is new to me and kind of an experiment)

PunchTab will keep track of it all for me and will chose the winner at random on the 28th of August.

I will contact the winner for mailing information and will ship them promptly.  I promise to pack them VERY well.  :-) 

Where is your Corningware??
~~

Update 8/29/2013:

Congratulations to Denise K.!!!!  You have been selected at random by PunchTab to receive 2 Snack-it Plates.  

27 comments:

  1. I am not even sure what the actual name of the piece is but it is an oval platter, white and I use it for so many things. My one son loves it and several years ago I tried to find one for him to no avail.

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  2. Shane - what a generous idea to implement. If I wasn't in Canada, I'd be clicking left and right to enter. Those snack plates are so awesome.

    My dad has a few of those snack plates and one of the first things we made in them was an apple crumble type thing in the microwave. It was burnt and gooey and so good. I don't believe it was supposed to be burnt and I never found the recipe again. Brings back memories.

    I thought I'd share, since you'd probably understand my enthusiasm. Guess what I found at a thrift store today? A P332! It was so exciting. It was buried beneath a ton of dishes. I had never seen this style/shape/size before, which gives me hope that perhaps there's a P322 out there with my name on it. Naturally, I snagged it and practically ran to the cashier.

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  3. Patti - I think I know which platter you are talking about... Is it the P-811 that is 8 1/2 by 11 1/2?

    daeria - You can enter even if you are in Canada. Maybe I didn't read the official rules well enough. I thought it mentions non-US persons are eligible unless prohibited by law.

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  4. and by the way.... Congratulations on your 7x11 baking dish!! That is the 1 size I don't have because all the ones I have been running across are chipped rims. I hope you can find your 8x8 cake pan soon. I love mine for Pineapple Upside down cake and Lemon pudding cake (although it works just as well in the P-321 8 inch cake dish)

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  5. Hi, Shane. I came across your blog from a thread on Chowhound and spent the other evening reading all your posts.

    I share your enthusiasm and love for Corning Ware and it's great to see a blog dedicated to it.

    I grew up in a household that relied primarily on cast iron, the original multipurpose cookware, for cooking and didn't get my first piece of Corning Ware until I was on my own. I can't say that I feel in love with it immediately, but it didn't weigh a ton like the cast iron and I could put it in the fridge with whatever left overs remained. How awesome that was to be able to do! I wan't in love yet, but I was well on my way to being 'in like.' It was multipurpose and I was a lazy young adult.

    Over the ensuing years, I picked up a piece or two; some were purchased and some were freebies, French White, no less, offered as premiums. Somewhere in the 80's my local grocery store started offering pieces for a small amount with so many stamps accumulated through grocery purchases. I was able to get 2 casserole sets that way. One set was Shadow Iris and the other set was Peach Floral. I must have gotten those pieces for a song, because I was pretty broke back then.

    Fast forward and I'd say the years were pretty good to me. I love to cook and amassed a nice collection of high end cookware. My Corning Ware was given away or boxed and stored.

    A few years ago, I woke up to a power outage and that meant no morning coffee! No coffee is not a good thing! I drove over to my local Dunkin' Donut shop and they were closed because of the same outage. Five miles later, sitting in Starbuck's I swore I wouldn't be in this predicament again, and started looking for a vintage glass Pyrex or Corning Ware stove top percolator. My hunt for a percolator renewed my respect for Corning Ware and I fell in love all over again.

    My search expanded beyond the coffee pots (which I found) and I pick up pieces when I see them and occasionally will hit ebay if it's something I really want, like the 4qt French White roaster I bought not long before I started reading your blog.

    Most of the pieces I see these days are at garage sale. Thrift stores around here don't seem to have them too often. hmmm... maybe someone is buying everything and selling it on ebay!

    Anyway, these days, my fancy cookware for the most part is boxed and stored, and I'm back to basics with Corning Ware and bare cast iron.

    Right now, I have my eye on a like new electromatic skillet for $20 that's being offered through Craig's list. Any thoughts as to the price?

    Sorry that I've rambled on with my Corning Ware story.

    I love your blog and look forward to new posts.



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  6. My most used Corning pieces are my corning 3 qt casserole, my pyrex craisy daisy coffee cups, and my golden butterfly butter dish.

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  7. Vicki - Welcome! Glad you found Corningware411 and glad you rediscovered your love for Corningware.

    As far as the electromatic skillet is concerned, does it include the actual Corningware dish, or is it just the hot plate? If it's both pieces (3 including the lid), then $20 is a really good price. If it doesn't include the actual skillet, then it's is a little on the high side. They came with special skillets (the SK series) that had flatter ground bottoms similar to the "Cookmates" that were sold with the actual Corning top ranges (The counter that cooks) so they would make full contact with the cooking surface.

    Technically, you can use any piece of Corningware on them, it's just nice to have the original specially ground skillet. I almost forgot to ask, is it the older version with the black bakelite legs on each side, or the newer one with the narrow strip of wood grain down 1 side?

    You know what, I will do a quick post on the 2 different models and post it really quick.

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  8. Anonymous - I have been looking for one of those elusive 3 quart saucepans for years. My largest is the 2 1/2 quart saucepan... . OK, and the 4 quart on that I just received in pieces in the mail (Poor packing).

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  9. Shane, it does say Canadians are eligible. But, given that Canada customs and border are such a pain, I'm not sure how things would pan out in that regard. Plus, even if I won by chance, shipping would be prohibitively expensive for you.

    I'll live vicariously through the winner and enjoy the snack plates from afar. It's still such an awesome offer from you, and I'm excited to see who wins them.

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  10. Thanks for the welcome, Shane.

    The piece is only for the electromatic skillet. I believe the earlier model. Nothing else is included. My instinct told me it was probably over priced and I appreciate your councel. Here's the link if you want to take a look http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/app/3998074098.html

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  11. Vickie - I will admit that it looks like it's in REALLY good shape. If your not going to have to pay for shipping, I would say go for it! Cause by the time you figure shipping from some someplace like eBay they can get quite expensive. I was looking at a newer one and even though it was only 12.99, the shipping was an additional 18.00. It's always possible that you can find a skillet. I found one, though it is from the wrong version of the base, and doesn't quite fit, being slightly larger. But I have the wood grain base as well, so I use it on that one. I was only 3 dollars.

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  12. I have only ever found two of these square grab-its to go with my collection of grab-it bowls. I use one constantly as a spoon rest on my stove. Nice size and keeps the stovetop nice and clean. Great contest....thanks!

    Denise K.

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  13. Thanks for the information.

    I'll give the purchase some thought...it still seems like a lot.

    It would be great to find the original dish to go with it. Maybe if I call, I'll ask if they have it and are willing to sell.

    I fell in love with this set at Classic Kitchens http://www.classickitchensandmore.com/corning-ware-black-scroll-electromatic-skillet-casserole-3pc-set-p-4004.html

    The contrast of black and white is stunning.

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  14. HA HA, THAT is the same skillet that I found for 3 dollars.. The Black Trefoil one. I wonder if that base on Classic Kitchens in the -N version of the P-12-ES? Hmmmmmm

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  15. Gosh, I have the black trefoil dish with flat bottom - no lid. I wondered why it was made so differently. Learning something everyday from your blog Shane. I would be willing to sell, but shipping could get expensive from Cleveland. Let me know if you are interested and what you feel is a fair offer.

    Denise K.

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  16. I have not been able to enter each day. The description says you can enter once each day, once for each way, but the rules say you can only enter once, each way, during the giveaway.

    I don't know if others are having the same problem.

    I tried to enter "my favorite piece" for the contest, but it would not let me type anything so I just hit enter and it said thank you for my entry.

    I use the petite pans ALL of the time. We use them as cereal bowls, dessert dishes and to store leftovers! I have both size petite pans along with the clear plastic raised lids!

    I love all the info that you have on the blue cornflower corning ware. I have learned a lot more about all the pieces. I too look at thrift stores. I have also found some at antique stores at really reasonable prices...which surprised me. I had to pick and choose because some pieces were priced way more than I wanted to pay.

    Thank you for having this contest and thank you for this most informative website. I love all the pictures too!

    D Anne Lucas

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  17. Hi Shane:

    Fun contest, but I also encountered problems entering. I entered everyday starting the second day by email. For some reason, it only showed 4 entries in total, day after day. Maybe there were more in reality' not sure, but I continued to enter each day in spite of the glitch. Just thought that you would be interested in feedback in case of future contests.



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  18. Thanks for letting me know about the problems... It looks like I will need to find another mechanism for running give-aways, cause PunchTab is having too many problems and not functioning the way it was promised.

    I am sorry for the inconveniences caused by the widget.

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  19. ooo...I hope it isn't too late to enter to win the grab-it plates! I have two and would love to own more,. Thanks for this terrific site. I am a Corningware fan too!

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  20. Hi KayZee, Thanks for finding us and stoppign in.

    Sadly, the giveaway has ended. PunchTab already sent me an email at 9:30 this morning. I set the giveaway to run till the 28th, but evidently, to PunchTab, that does not mean 11:59pm PDT on the 28th. :(

    I think I am going to try RaffleCopter for the September giveaway.

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  21. Glad the feedback was helpful. Looking forward to next month's contest

    Today I found a grab-it 24oz. size clear lid. Didn't know they made a bowl that large. Now to find the bowl to go with my lid.

    Cheers,
    Denise K.

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  22. Congratulations on your find Denise! I have one that I found last year. I was completely perplexed when I found it. It basically looks like a large grab-it bowl, but the it has a small handle opposite the large one (even though the lid doesn't have the extra little handle on it)

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  23. I had a post planned, but sadly life stuff sometimes gets in the way of the best laid plans...

    I would like to announce the winner of the first Corningware411 Giveaway...

    Congratulations to Denise K!!!!!!!!

    You will be receiving an email from Punch Tab to announce your prize.

    Congratulations again!

    I would like to thank all who entered and fought valiantly with the widget that kept malfunctioning. I will be running another giveaway starting the 14th of September, trying out rafflecopter to see how well that works.

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  24. Hi Shane:

    Just arrived home a short while ago and there waiting or me was the package! The dishes arrived safe, sound and beautiful. Thanks so much for hosting the contest. So much fun!

    Denise K.

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  25. Whew! I am so glad they arrived safely. Congratulations again!!

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  26. Hi Shane: Yesterday, while out treasure hunting, I found a 24 oz. grab it bowl to go with that oversized lid that I discovered last month! Never thought i would find the mate! Also in the same sweep, a small grab-it bowl and another square plate like above! I am in grab-it heaven. Just had to share. Denise K.

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  27. That is AWESOME, Denise. What a stroke of luck to find that 24oz grab-a-meal bowl... and of course, those snack-it plates are great... You can never have too many of those.

    Thank you for sharing your finds... :-)

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