The Find of the Centura - Cornflower Centura Dinnerware

I have been concentrating so hard on actual Corningware that I have forgotten to mention one of the other Corning products I collect.  Though I really haven't had all that much of it in my collection so far.  As in, none.  Even though I have been searching tirelessly for it since 2010; ever since I first heard of it.  That is, up until now. 

That would be the somewhat infamous and elusive Centura.......

Centura (1966-1977) is kind of like the older brother, or sister, of Corelle.  It's similar to Corningware, in that it is a type of Pyroceram, but unlike Corningware, it is glazed.  Corningware is self glazing, in that it forms it's own smooth shiny surface during the crystallization process that changes it from a glass to a glass-ceramic.  The glazing on Centura acts as a compression layer and gives it it's unparalleled strength.  This same concept of compression would be used later for Vitrelle (Corelle).  The Vitrelle formula, however, is devoid of Pyroceram, and relies on the lamination of 3 layers of tempered glass.  This lamination process is slightly different than glazing.  The glazing step for Centura leaves three little unglazed "pin" marks on the bottom, where the piece sits during the process.  (I tried to get a picture of them, but they are so small and faint, that I could not)

Unlike Corningware, and Corelle for that matter, Centura suffers from microwave incompatibility.  I believe that was ultimately the cause of it's downfall.  Evidently, like some Pfaltzgraff (i.e. mom's grape pattern), it absorbs Microwave energy and gets really hot, while the food stays cold.  Vitrelle's introduction in 1970 with it's abilities in the microwave, as well as being much lighter, made it the new favorite.  Though Centura is beautiful, in that it resembles fine china, it's heavier than both Bone China and Fine Porcelain.  Centura was not only used for dinnerware though; it was also used for the lids of the Buffet Server and, if memory serves correctly, there was a point in time when the Buffet Server bottoms were made of Centura as well. 

I LOVE the stuff, though I only collect 1 pattern (there were about 30 different patterns made) instead of the multiple pattern/styles of actual Corningware that I keep amassing.  That pattern would be the infamous Cornflower.

I saw them right after I put down the 2 chipped pieces of Corningware Wheat that I had found...  So this was kind of like a consolation prize.  And what a consolation prize it was..!!!!!!  My frustration over broken Wheat pieces was quickly forgotten.

I got four 6 5/8 inch Bread & Butter/Dessert plates as well as four 8 5/8 inch Salad/Luncheon plates as a set.  Woo Hoo!

 Gratuitous secondary picture....

I searched high and low for the 10 inch dinner plates, but to no avail.  I couldn't find the bowls or coffee cups either.....

But I was so happy with what I DID find, that when I saw the 2 serving plates, I grabbed them as well...   (I was on a Centura high)   I figured that though they are plain white, the "white" is the same "shade" as the Cornflower plates; so in essence, they match.  Technically, I think they are part of the "White Coupe" set, but I don't care at this point.  To me, they are just down right sexy retro modern serveware.

Another gratuitous secondary picture.....

My real surprise was still to come, though.  For when I went to check out, they were all 50% off... So, not that I am bragging, I spent a whopping $3.00 at the Thrift Store.

WOO HOO!!

Where is your Corningware??  (or Centura)
~~

Freaky French White Fenomenon - New French White Design???

OK, so I found another one of those mysterious French White pieces that aren't normal.  Oh, they are made of pyroceram all right, but they are shaped different than the original French White that was produced from 1978 to 1998. 

They have no F-number-Bs on them, only measurements... In this case it's 7 3/4 side by 2 3/4 inch deep (19.5 x 7 cm) 2 quart - 1.9 liter.

These dimensions and volumes put it pretty much in the middle of my 2 classic French White pieces the 1.6 liter and 2.5 quart souffle dishes (F-5-B and F-1-B respectively).  It's design is strange though. (and yes, those are Hunter's food and water bowls.  It was the safest, most non-toxic, easy to clean thing I could think of to feed my dog in, so I hunted down an F-5-B (1.6 ltr) and an F-1-B (2qt) for him)

Not only do the edges around the rim protrude slightly, giving it handles on each end,

but there seems to be a flared shape to the whole piece, instead of the straight sides I am use to seeing.

The outside is not as smooth feeling as the more familiar straight sided design and the ridges seem a little more exaggerated as well.

It's just all very strange, odd. and mysterious.  I don't even know if this has a lid, though I would think that it does.  I have no idea when this was produced.  So again, I am back to asking the same questions as I did with the 13x9  Lasagne pan and the 9x5 inch Bread pan I happened upon a while back.

Did Corning Consumer Products updated the design before selling to World Kitchen?  Did World Kitchen revamp the French White line in 1999 and then discontinue it, in lieu of cheaper stoneware?  Maybe these are pieces that were made for the European Market and have made their way back to the United States.  I have seen stoneware pieces shaped like this, but I see them shaped like the classic French White too.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Where is your Corningware??
~~

Fortuitous French White Finds - Square Loaf & Lasagna Pans; Who Knew?

As a collector of French White (the REAL stuff) I am often frustrated by the fact that World Kitchen continues to manufacture the design in stoneware.  Thus, my hunt for vintage Pyroceram pieces has become a quest fraught with intoxicating highs and devastating lows.  I am often overcome with excitement upon catching sight of a piece in a thrift store aisle.  Object sighted, I fight my way through a throng of people comprised of little old ladies trying to trip me with their canes, children with runny noses touching everything within reach in order to spread whatever current plague outbreak has occurred in their school, and some strange man who is scratching his nether region in public... eww!  Finally, reaching the item of my desire, I turn it over, only to find a fireing ring.... Curses!   Another piece of stinkin' cheap stoneware.   ARGH!!!!!!!

But, I continue this exercise in futility, for moments like this one.

Behold!  Feast your eyes upon 2 pieces of French White that I thought only existed as stoneware.  At least, up until now, every time I have looked at one of these peculiarly shaped pieces, they have always been made of stoneware.   

Historically, French White pieces are Round or Oval... Not so with these oddly square shaped dishes.

The 3 quart (2.85 liter) Lasagna pan..... (13x9x2)

The 1 3/4 quart (1.66 liter) Loaf pan....... (9x5x2 3/4)

Neither one of them has an "F" model number on the bottom, which is also odd.  They simply have their measurements.  There is a raised ridge on the bottom, but it is no an unglazed firing ring like the stoneware pieces...  It's a little odd looking, but they really are pyroceramic Corningware.  I couldn't get a good picture of it, but you can see the glass ripples in the bottom. 

I wonder if the Consumer Products Division was in the middle of revamping their long running French White line, in the late 1990s, when they were suddenly sold off to World Kitchen and the big switch to stoneware was made?

Where is your Corningware??
~~

About Town with Corningware - Vengeance Served Cold, but in Stylish Bakeware

I figured that it was time that I expounded on one of the patterns that I collect.  French White.  After all, it is this pattern/design that is ultimately responsible for this whole blog.   Let me recap from the opening post of this blog.

In 2006, I was making a casserole for a Potluck at work.  Realizing that I did not have a baking dish that was big enough, I ran to the store and purchased a piece of, what I thought was, Corningware French White.  When I got home and took it out of the box, it seemed awfully heavy.  I began examining the piece and discovered that it had a firing on the bottom where it sat in the kiln.  This was weird.  So I dug out my quiche dish (purchased back in 1991 or so) and looked at the bottom... It was all nice and smooth, no ring.  I checked my Souffle dish as well, it was smooth on the bottom too.  So, I found "World Kitchen" on the Internet and started reading through their web site.  This is the excerpt from their "History of Corningware"

History of CorningWare®

The original CorningWare® bakeware which was first introduced in 1958, was made of a glass-ceramic material that could be used on the stove, in the oven and under the broiler. After World Kitchen acquired the brand in the late 1990’s, CorningWare products were switched to ceramic stoneware production.  Introduced later that year was the French White collection, which has been an all-time best seller among brides-to-be.

I knew this wasn't right.  There was no possible way that French White was introduced in the late 90's, because I purchased my souffle and quiche dish in the early 90's and it most definitely wasn't made of stoneware.  Something was amiss.

I called World Kitchen and asked if there was any place I could buy original Pyroceram Corningware in French White.  The Customer Service representative told me exactly what the web site said... French White was introduced AFTER World Kitchen purchased the Corning Consumer division in 1999 and it had always been made of stoneware and never from Pyroceram.

When I informed them that I had Souffle and Quiche dishes in my kitchen that were made of Pyroceram from 1991, the representative called me a liar.  TO MY FACE, or at least as "To your face" as you can get over the phone. They even had the sheer gall to argue with me after I gave them the "F-3-B" number off the bottom of the quiche dish.  Then I suddenly got disconnected.. (I still think they just hung up on me)  I was going to call them back and give then another "F" something, but decided against it.  There ARE other ways after all.  I am a very patient person, when I have to be.   

Now I will be the first to admit that I am not a big fan of change, but I understand that they changed the product because it was longer conducive to the way the majority of the population cooks in this day and age.  I get it.  What I do NOT like, is a corporation banking on a name that is associated with premium quality to sell an inferior product at a premium price.  That piece of stoneware was an absolute joke.  It crazed in less than a year.  It wasn't from the automatic dishwasher either, cause the apartment I was living in at the time didn't have an automatic dishwasher. Just a manual one; Me.

What I dislike even more than sneaky corporations, is when said sneaky corporation tells me I'M lying or crazy, when I am, in fact, quite correct and they are the ones lying through their teeth.

But it's all water under the bridge now, kind of.  As I posted earlier, REAL Corningware is back.  Though they still aren't producing my beloved French White, I am happy that it is available to the public, even if only Online.

Oh, and so, to prove my point...   I swear, after this blog post, I will let it go forever....

Vengeance is mine World Kitchen!!!!  Muah ha ha ha ha!!!!!!

Your Customer Service department (and the falsified history on your web site) can Eat Crow!!!!!!

Behold!  A box for pyroceram French White, BWK (Before World Kitchen)

Behold!  The date on said box and the producer... Corning Consumer Products.... (not World Kitchen)

After 6 years, I finally feel 100% vindicated.  All this information is out on the Internet for everyone to see.  Now, World Kitchen cannot pull the same shenanigans on other innocent unsuspecting customers.  The truth is out here.  (queue music from X-Files)

Vive la Pyroceram !

The Real French White

(1978-1998)

Corningware didn't stop at just French White, though.  It's true.  Eventually they began printing patterns on the French White as well, as evident with English Meadow, Callaway, Oceanview, My Garden and Delicious (which I have never been able to find); just to name a few.  But "patterns" were not the only way they altered French White over the years.

At one point a Blue trim was available.....

Then there was the Gold trim.  This was a special metallic trim that could be used in the microwave. (who'd a thunk it?)

But that wasn't good enough.....

There was French Bisque (1982-1985)

Then French Bleu; though it didn't last very long (1983-1984)

These colors were both sprayed upon the entire outside surface of the French White pieces.  The inside of these pieces was not painted.

Eventually culminating in 1990 with "Classic Black". (which went perfectly with the black and brass furniture of the late 80's & early 90's and prints by Patrick Nagel hanging on walls because of Duran Duran's Rio album) Please note, that although this is lovingly referred to as "French Black" the actual design name was "Classic Black" (1990-1993?)

The most interesting thing about Classic Black, is that it really isn't black at all... It's dark red.  Evidently, this has been a common practice with coloring glass.  The pieces are either so deep a purple or intensely red that they appear black to the naked eye.  Other examples would be Black Amethyst & Black Ruby Glass.

Just shine a super bright light through the glass and you will see the awesomeness that is Classic Black Corningware. (this is a halogen bulb shining through the bottom of a 10 inch quiche dish)

Cool party trick, huh? 

Where is your Corningware??
~~