Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Mid-Centura Modern - My Centura Covered Casserole Collection

From the creative mind of Jerry Wright, the original Centura saucepan collection SCREAMS mid-Century Modern design.


Available in 1 quart, 1 1/2 quart and 2 quart, these saucepans/casseroles were designed to accompany the Centura dinnerware line (originally only available in coupe style, with no rim) and released in the fall of 1962 along with the dinnerware. They have their own special handle (601-H)....  Which is a slightly modified version of what was already being used on the traditional "square" Corningware.

The saucepans themselves are made of the "CorningWare" pyroceram formulation, however, the lids are made of some form of ceramic material that is neither Centura nor Corningware.  Sadly, this line was discontinued in 1967 to make way for "Buffet Server" styled Centura serveware (B-series).

Where is your Centura by Corning??
~~

Monday, May 26, 2014

"My Collection" Monday - Cornflowers Galore

From Cynthia in Kansas.....

There are some wonderful coordinating pieces as well; such as the coffee carafe and the Warm-O-Tray.

 Where is your Corningware??
~~

Monday, May 19, 2014

"My Collection Monday" - Field of Flowers

This is from Christopher & Maryann in Oregon.....

A veritable garden encompassing all 3 generations of the Floral Bouquet pattern.

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

Friday, May 16, 2014

3 from Pre-"P" - My Black Trefoil Collection

I suppose that it is only fitting that a pattern like Black Trefoil (3) actually came in 3 variations.   Trefoil is sort of a strange pattern though, as it was released in the "Pre" P-series era.  You see, originally (1958-spring 1961), Corningware didn't have model numbers.  During 1958-59 the information was embossed on the bottom center of the dish, but in 1960 Corning began using blue ink to print the dish size in quarts (or inches in the case of skillets) along with "Corning Ware Pyroceram" and "Made in the U.S.A".

Black Trefoil was originally released in 1960...  It's intention was to appeal to the "upper class" that might look down upon the humble little Blue Cornflower.   P-series model numbers weren't introduced until the Fall of 1961, along with the knob handled lids.  Thus, every piece of Black Trefoil produced before Fall 1961 had a Fin lid (like mine), and all pieces produced after (with P-series model number printed in black) had knob handles lids.

Now I am not sure which pattern variant came first or if they all came out at the same time, but the most well known is this one (shown on the 2 1/2 quart below)

which is known to exist in 1 3/4 quart (P-1 3/4-B) and 2 1/2 quart (P-2 1/2-B) Saucepans as well as the Electromatic Skillet (P-12-ES with an P-22-ES dish -- AKA: the SK-10) and several Percolators in both Stove Top (P-136 & P-139) and Electromatic (P-13-EP) versions.  (Please note that the 1st Generation Electromatic Percolators had different model numbers depending on the printed pattern.  The 10 cup Electromatic Percolator in Cornflower is P-23-EP while the Trefoil was P-13-EP.....   Also note that though the Back Trefoil Range Top models are identical in form to the P-116 and P-119, they were assigned different model numbers none the less.)

I have succeeded in getting my hands on the "Scroll" variant, but I have only seen this one on the Electromatic Skillet (SK-10) and not on ANY other sized piece.

Next to my "Standard" Trefoil 1 3/4 quart (cause it's printed in blue on the bottom) is my most recently acquired Black Trefoil variant...

Up until this piece, I had only seen the SK-10 skillet with this design... But even more surprising is the size of the piece.....

Yes, it really is a "1 1/2 quart" and not the more standard and well known 1 3/4 quart seen in the Main Pattern...   Thus, this one takes a Fin lid as well, like all the others.  Since this is the only piece I have seen, I cannot say as to whether the design carried over into the model number era beyond being applied to the Electromatic Skillet. 

I do not believe there is a Fin lid for the Electromatic Skillet as they were released in the fall of 1961, in the post Fin Handle Lid era... 

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

A Change of Scenery - Macho Nacho in Floral Bouquet

This post is going to look a little different.  You see, I am house sitting for my brother and his wife this week, as well as baby sitting the children, because they are celebrating their anniversary.  Thus, I have been "forced", as it were, to bust out their CorningWare for all my cooking needs.

As far as "Classic" CorningWare goes, I collect Wheat, Trefoil and Blue Cornflower...  When I cook, I usually use the Blue Cornflower, simply because, if anything terrible happens, it is significantly easier to replace than my Wheat or my Trefoil.

My brother and Sister-in-law, on the other hand, are collectors of Floral Bouquet.  Most of their collection is of the 3rd version of the pattern and in the A-series, but they have a few 1st & 2nd version pieces from the P-series as well.  Sadly, I am not using any of those pieces, since I only need a Baking dish and a Skillet, cause I am making the Macho Nacho.

My mom use to make this ALL the time when we were kids.  I was quite surprised when, as an adult, I ordered "Nacho" in a restaurant and received melted cheese drizzled over chips.  Sorry, to me that is not Nacho, cause I am use to having this multilayer deliciousness.

Since I am making this for fairly young children, I have used mild salsa and left out the diced green chiles and the sliced jalapenos this time, but this is a basic recipe that is infinitely changeable to meet your personal taste...  And I must say, I often skip the Jalapenos all together and go for finely chopped Chipotles in adobo.

Macho Nacho

Olive Oil
1 lb Ground Beef
2 cans Refried Black Beans
1 jar Salsa (mild, medium or hot-- your choice)
optional - 6 oz can Diced Green Chiles
6 oz can sliced Black Olives
optional - 4 oz can sliced Jalapenos
6 oz Cheddar, Shredded

Corning Ware 10 inch Skillet (A-10-B or P-10-B)
Corningware 2 quart Baking Dish (P-332)

Begin by placing the A-10-B/P-10-B over medium flame and drizzling Olive oil over the bottom of the dish.

When the oil is hot, add the ground Beef.

Saute, breaking the Beef down with a fork, until well browned.

Drain the Beef on paper towels and begin preheating the oven to 350F degrees.

Spread the Refried Black Beans over the bottom of the P-332.

Spread the Ground Beef over the Beans.

Spread the Salsa over the Ground Beef.

Here is where you would add the diced Green Chiles as well.
Sprinkle the Black Olives over the Salsa/Diced Green Chiles.

Spread the sliced Jalapenos, if using, over the Olives. (or spread finely chopped Chipotles with the adobo)
Now cover everything with the shredded Cheddar.

(It is important that the cheddar is last, for it will melt and protect the Olives and Jalepenos from drying out during cooking.)
Toss the P-332 into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly... about 30-40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and spoon portions onto a plate... Sprinkle chips around...

Don't forget the big dollop of Sour Cream... And guacamole if desired.


Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

Monday, May 12, 2014

"My Collection Monday" - Festive Country Festival

From Gladys in Nebraska....   A veritable festival of Country Festival!

Where is your Corning Ware?? 
~~

Friday, May 9, 2014

About Town With Corningware - Blue Daisy & Primavera?

It's been a while since I have done a post on patterns.  Though there are a couple of gift line patterns left for me to cover at some point, I have pretty much covered all the "main" patterns.   Occasionally there are some strange ones that I have no idea what they are called or whether they were simply test patterns. 

That would be this one, that I found several weeks ago....   I have dubbed it "Blue Daisy", but Lord only knows if that is the actual name or not.  

It was an A-series piece (because of the wider lugs) but it was completely unmarked.  I am pretty sure it was either an A-8-B or an A-2-B depending on when it was manufactured. 

My guess is sometime before 1985, because it still had the depressions under the lugs for the A-10-HG handle to attach securely.

Unlike the Blue Daisy, some other mystery patterns are easier to identify simply because they match some of the Corelle patterns.  This is by no means the definitive pattern name, though.  Sometimes pattern names changed depending upon which product they were used, even though they were designed to coordinate together.  Oceanview (CorningWare Traditional Square/French White and Corelle), Mediterraneo (Corelle only) and Bahia (Corelle only) are an excellent example of this. All 3 designs are variations on the same pattern however, the Corning Ware version looks like this..... and as far as I can tell, is actually called Oceanview.


Thus is the case with this pattern...  I have only seen it once, and will probably never see it again.  It looks just like the Primavera pattern that was used on Corelle in 1999. 

I am assuming this was an extremely short lived CorningWare pattern, since Borden, Inc. filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter and was reorganized into World Kitchen, LLC.  (peddlers of stoneware and soda-lime glass) I have no idea how many different pieces have this design applied, I have only seen a 1.5 liter sized one in person and an A-5 online from Australia.  I am not sure how many other sizes were made in this pattern.

Where is your CorningWare??
~~


Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Electro-Magic Custard - Corning Ware Electromatic Skillet Custard

I have been wanting to give this recipe a try for awhile now, but it kept getting moved to the back burner for one reason or another.   Located inside the Corning Ware Electromatics "Use and Care Manual" are several recipes.

One of which just happens to be a custard recipe cooked IN the Electromatic Skillet.  I thought it sounded like something interesting to try.  Traditionally, I have always baked my custard in 4 oz French White Ramekins utilizing a French White Roaster as a water bath and a piece of aluminum foil to keep the tops from "crusting" too much.  The Electromatic recipe, while almost a dead ringer for the one I make in the oven, utilizes the heat of the skillet and a very small amount of water to kind of "Steam" the custard.  I found the premise rather fascinating and in need of execution.

The consensus?  It worked rather well and it was quicker than baking, which usually takes about 25-30 minutes.  Granted, I used Centura Custard cups, because they are 6 oz and the perfect depth to fit in the skillet.  They are not only thinner than standard ceramic ramekins, but the walls are also thinner than the Pyroceram French White ramekins I normally use for baked Custard.

My 4 oz French White ramekins are too shallow and wide to get 6 of them into the skillet.  The other nice thing about the Centura Custard cups (some are marked as Pyroceram Tableware) is that they fit perfectly on the Centura saucers, just like a tea/coffee cup would.  This makes serving a little more elegant.

Electromatic Skillet Custard

2 cups Whole Milk
2 large Eggs
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg
3/4 cup Water (the recipe calls for 1/2 cup, but it's not quite enough)

Corningware Electromatic Skillet Hot Plate Base and SK-10 Skillet of your choice, with P-12-C lid
CorningWare P-55/P-64 Sauce Maker (1 quart)
4 Centura (Pyroceram) 6 oz Custard Cups (these were made of the Suprema "Pyroceram" formula as well)
optional - Pyrex Opal 443 Bowl

Pour the Milk into the P-55/P-64 Saucemaker and place over medium-low flame, heating until a film begins to develop on top.

Place the SK-10 on the Electomatic Hot Plate Base and begin preheating the skillet to 250F degrees.

In a medium bowl (a Pyrex Opal 443 works nice for this) combine 3 Eggs with the Sugar & Salt.

Whisk well to combine.

When the milk is hot, begin slowly pouring it into the Egg/Sugar Mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.

Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer and back into the P-55/P-64 Saucemaker (this will make pouring in the custard cups easier and remove any accidentally cooked bits of egg)

Divide the custard between the four 6oz Custard Cups.

Sprinkle with freshly grated Nutmeg.

Place them in the preheated Electromatic Skillet.

Pour in the water.

Cover and Cook for 13-15 minutes, or until a knife inserted halfway between the center and the rim comes out clean (you want the very center to still be a little jiggly)

Remove the Custard Cups from the Skillet and allow to cool for 20 minutes before refrigerating.

Serve with Coffee...  Though some fresh berries are always nice too...

Aaaaaaaaah... I love Custard!

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

Friday, May 2, 2014

Tea Time! - My P-series Cornflower Collection (Part 5)

I am not really that much of a tea drinker.  Oh, on occasion I enjoy a cup of fresh Ginger Tea or a antioxidant rich Green Tea. When it comes to black tea I love Earl Grey (such a classic) and first flush Darjeeling.   But I really don't brew tea very often.  But that does not mean that teapots gather dust.  Oh no.  They are usually employed to warm stock when I am making Risotto, or in heating milk for Hot Chocolate... Even warming Apple Cider.  Yes, they get a severe workout regardless.

Back Left: P-105 (8 cup)  Back Right:  P-104 (6 cup) with tea strainer   Front: P-103 (3 cup)

I also ran across the P-106-N a few weeks back (which is also a 6 cup) though this is technically a coffee pot.  The P-106-N originally came with a plastic cone that fit in the top for making "pour over" drip coffee.  Alas, bereft of the drip cone, it does duty as a teapot as well.

This is the Deluxe Tea Kettle (P-57).

Which, incidentally, has the same lid as the original Buffet Servers (B-1 & B-1 3/4), though the knob on top is different.

Magic Bananas!!!!  See?

The P-57 Deluxe Teakettle isn't really designed for brewing tea per se. It is a Kettle after all.  By definition (and design) a Kettle's sole purpose is to heat the water; water which is then taken to the teapot for brewing the tea. 

Though the tea strainer came with my P-104 Cornflower teapot, when I actually brew tea, I prefer to use my English Pyroflam teapot.

I think it's much more fitting.

Where is your CorningWare??
~~