Thursday, October 24, 2013

Operation Cornflower Complete - Centura Dinner Service for 4 and a Cup of Coffee with the Cornflower Giveaway

I have been on a tireless search for the last couple of months.  Ever since I succeeded in hunting down the dinner plates for my Centura Cornflower, I have been hunting high and low for the ever elusive bowls to accompany my service for 4.  It has been a quest fraught with peril and frustration.  I've braved blistering winds and scorching deserts...  Climbed to the highest room of the tallest tower... and...  um, Wait!  Sorry, wrong movie.

I have searched high and low, hither and yon, over hill, over dale, down dusty trails and back again. 
Then FINALLY!

I have completed my quest, with the added bonus of 4 tea cups and saucers as well. (cause they were just sitting right there next to the bowls)

Not into Tea?  That's all right, I got your back.  I found 5 coffee cups in Suprema (produced much later than the Centura) for those who would rather have a cup o' Joe.

I am not completely sure that they are Suprema, they may be actual "Corningware" but I know for certain that they are NOT Centura, because they have "Microwave OK" embossed on the bottom, and Centura cannot be used in the microwave.

I like the smaller bowls.  They are solid white, and initially intended for the plain white coupe set, but since the tea cups are "suppose" to be solid white, I figured I can sneak in some plain white stuff here and there to break up the Cornflower, not to mention the Blue in general.

The 6 5/8 bowls that actually go with the service are interesting in that they are blue on the outside and white on the inside.

Evidently, mine are the older ones, because they have a white bottoms.  I guess later, the entire outside finish was blue.

So, this is my completed service for 4 (with extras).  I keep telling myself that I am stopping at this point, since it's REALLY the Corningware that I am interested in for cooking purposes.  It remains to be seen as to whether I can control my obsessive compulsive self and refrain from purchasing any more Centura Pieces.

But in the interest of Retro-Coolness, I don't think it gets much better than this.

In case you missed it, I found 5 coffee mugs... and while they may, or may not, be Corningware, they have still been lovingly adorn with that "Oh, so recognizable" little blue flower.  Since I only need 4 mugs to go with my dinner service, I have decided to host yet another giveaway and bestow this "extra" coffee mug on 1 lucky winner.

What better way to enjoy your morning coffee than with the bright and cheery Cornflower staring back at you?

This "A Cup of Coffee with the Cornflower" giveaway will run from today, October 24th, thru the witching hour on Halloween (11:59pm on the 31st)  The winner will be drawn on November 1st (all Saints Day) and be promptly notified via email for shipping information.

So leave a comment, pin this, subscribe via email, Tweet or +1 this and so on.  It's up to you how you wish to enter and how many times you do.

Good luck!

Where is your Corningware?? (Centura??)
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17 comments:

  1. Right now I am using the 2 quart casserole, in Pastel Bouquet the most. For leftovers and previously a Chicken and Rice Casserole. But I am becoming more adept at using the larger 5 and 4 quarts casseroles for cooking on the stovetop.

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  2. Excellent! It's always good news to hear that pieces of Corningware are fulfilling their stove top destiny. :-)

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  3. Super idea for a giveaway! I am currently using two vintage Spice o'Life casseroles (one quart and one and one half quart) that belonged to my late mother. Makes me feel closer to her, as we loved to cook together.

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  4. I use my 1 qt Saucemaker the most. It is a great size for making gravy. I really like the way I can clearly see the measurements right inside. Cleanup is a breeze!

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  5. Besides my Saucemaker, I also use my 6 petite pans for storing and rewarming leftovers. Unfortunately, I have accidentally broken all my petite pan lids over the years. I have been scouring the local Good will and Salvation Army and other thrift stores as well as rummage sales for six months, and haven't found a single replacement lid! Most recently I traveled to the pacific northwest and then california and then drove across country to Arkansas. I stopped at nearly every Goodwill and SA I could find. No luck! I see the lids for sale on ebay, but the price is high and the shipping is higher! I can't bring myself to buy them at those prices. So, I am still looking! Sigh...

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  6. Alas, I have the same problem with my Petite pans. No glass lids. And you're right, they are WAY too expensive on eBay. I keep watching but to no avail. I have heard a rumor that they sell replacement lids, made in Thailand, at the Outlet Stores, but the closest one to me is up in Centralia, WA. It would take so much gas to get there and back that it would be cheaper to buy them off eBay. :-)

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  7. since I have been doing more stovetop cooking, thanks to you, what would you recommend for a spoon to be used with Corning Ware? I use metal and don't make marks on the glass but would feel better with something else.

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  8. I use a lot of bamboo tools, primarily because I became comfortable using them with the tinned copper cookware I use to cook in all the time.

    I use silicone coated metal tongs with larger pieces of meat and such.

    But I will admit, that as much as I don't like to do it, sometimes a good metal spatula is the only thing that will work, and all of my whisks are stainless steel. I keep looking at the silicone coated whisks, but the layer of silicone makes the wires too thick to be effective. (which is a total bummer)

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  9. I bought my set of French White new in '83 and use them daily. Only suffered one casualty in all those years and also replaced a couple lids. My favorite piece is my P-89-B, which is the perfect size for reheating soups, chili and other left-overs. I have been collecting SOL and Blue Cornflower for several years, and recently have acquired a few pieces of some other patterns. You see I also suffer from the malady of not being able to leave perfectly good Corning behind at thrifts, rummage sales and consignment stores! The plus is most of my collection I found before prices skyrocketed.
    Being a French White Fan I read with interest your take on the new stoneware version. My husband bought a large oval roaster, I am thinking it is 3 or 4 qt. I hate that thing! He is the only one that will use it, it is terrible to try to clean. Just Junk.
    I am enjoying your blog immensely and I plan on trying a few of your recipes, the Custard and the one skillet Mac N Cheese. I even have the electromatic so I can stay true to form! Thank you for the chance to win the cup and thanks for the opportunity to gush about my corning!

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  10. I too grew up in the seventies with my mom's and grandmother's blue cornflower pieces always in the backrground...never really thought much about it until recently. I was complaining to my mom that the Corning Ware that I was given in the early nineties (French White) was great, but it had almost slipped out of my hands several times over the years because of no handles. I was looking at hers more closely & wished that I had some with the handles, as all of hers had. She asked if I wanted her to pick me up some pieces at garage sales and estate sales in our area and I said, yes! An obsession was born! Now I can't get enough of this wonderful pyroceram material that World Kitchens did away with in the interest of cost-cutting, or whatever their excuse is. I know they have brought it back limitedly, but I am not interested in their new Made in China stuff. I like the pieces from the "golden age" of CorningWare, haha! So now, my husband and I are checking Goodwill and thrift stores every five minutes for pieces, and it has turned out to be quite exciting. My mom gifted me with my first "old" piece, a cornflower blue pie plate, and I immediately made quiche in it for us, then stored the leftovers in the fridge with one of my lids from the French White, then heated it in the microwave the following morning for breakfast, as well. I have been watching you use your pieces for cooking on stove top and I now love to use them there too.

    Thanks for all of your great info & recipes, Shane. I've learned so much.

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  11. I only have blue cornflower pieces that were my mother's wedding gifts (and some I have found in thrift stores) but the piece that has gotten the most use would be the 9x13 roaster (for anything from cakes to roasts and lasagna) and before that was the 10 inch skillet that I accidentally broke washing it. :-( that one was used at least once a week since the 60's.

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  12. Were Centura casserole pieces made in Spice of Life or just dinnerware?

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  13. Sheryl, I'm always happy to hear others gush about their Corningware and always happy to meet another French White fan:-) I hope you like the recipes.

    Kim, I understand how the obsession starts, trust me. But it can't be helped, Corningware is just too amazing. I love that term "Golden Age" of Corningware AWESOME! and so true... I have heard that the new stuff (which does come in cornflower) is weird and not as well made as the original version.

    Gary, I am so sorry to hear about the demise of your P-10-B those and your P-21 (13x9) really are the work horses for me as well. Love them!

    Anonymous - There was a version of Spice o' Life that was round, like the Centura/Buffet servers, but I believe they had clear lids, not Centura lids. The bases of the Centura casserole pieces were made of the original Corningware formula, only the lids were Centura, and then only some of them. They went under the Centura name, because they were suppose to coordinate with the dinner service pieces, but they were Corningware.

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  14. My everyday dishware. I have the corelle cornflower like the above mug and we use it daily.

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  15. I was kind of wishing that I had been able to get my hands on a whole set of the Corelle, instead of just the mugs. Some day... :-) I actually saw 6 glasses (probably Libby) the other day, but I could not get down the aisle fast enough and they got snapped up by another thrift shopper. Total bummer.

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  16. Thank you Shane! I am so pumped! I do have it's cousins in the Butterfly Gold pattern. This will be a welcome addition!
    I agree with Kim as well regarding the "Golden Age" of Corning, it is unfortunate that this is true about an awful lot of things. I feel like I am showing my age saying things are not made the way they used to be, but it is true. I prefer Vintage everything pretty much, with the exception of items which may have caused a safety hazard and then improved.
    This does not however prevent me from collecting more Corning percolators! ;-)

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