Captivatingly Clad CorningWare - My N-Series Rangetopper Collection

I think these have been the hardest Cornflower pieces to get my hands on.....  The N-Series RangeToppers (being the aluminum clad bottoms) were only produced for a few years between 1977-1980 (possibly 1981) before they were supplanted by the S-series RangeTop line, which were missing the Aluminum bottoms (the skillets have waffling on the inside)  There are extremely difficult to find (in Cornflower), and when found, usually command a premium price; which I am loathe to pay. 

I will admit that I have resorted to eBay a couple times, but only when it was a really good deal...   However, that always comes with casualties due to lack of common sense when packing something made of "glass". 

But here it is... 1 year in the making...   My N-series Rangetopper Collection.  All of mine have the exposed aluminum bottom except for the 2 1/2 quart which is a 2nd generation piece when Corning began encapsulating the aluminum within the Pyroceram instead of simply cladding the bottom. This one piece is significantly easier to clean...  That's all I gotta say about that. 

Top to bottom.......
Top Shelf:  N-1 1/2-B (1 1/2 quart Sauce pan) on N-2 1/2-B (2 1/2 quart Sauce pan)
Middle Shelf:  N-1-B (1 quart Sauce pan) on N-8 1/2-B (8 1/2 inch Skillet) on N-10-B (10 inch Skillet)
Bottom Shelf:  N-5-B (5 quart Dutch Oven)

I can only guess as to why Corning decided to add Aluminum to their Corning Ware pieces.  Granted, the only safe way to cook in aluminum is to have a layer of pyroceram between it and your food.

Where is your Corning Ware??
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Taming the Wild Beast Part 2 - Abused Wildflower 8 1/2 inch Rangetopper Rehabilitation Program

So I found a solution to my cleaning issues with the Corningware 8 1/2 inch Rangetopper Skillet I posted about a while back.  A slightly expensive one ($10.00), but one that worked amazingly well.

The main problem with this Rangetopper is that the black coating on the Aluminum is oil that has actually carbonized.  The oily coating on the underside has been caked on and cooked on for so long that it has literally become Coal.  Thus, no amount of Baking Soda, Hydrogen Peroxide, Barkeepers Friend, Vinegar, Bleach, Oxyclean, Awesome, Simple Green or any sort of Grease remover worked.  It's just too far gone for any sort of "grease" remover to work; cause it isn't grease anymore.  It's charcoal.

So, I broke my cardinal rule and purchased chemicals (sometimes ya just do what ya gotta do);

Carbon-Off is used in professional kitchens to remove carbon from the bottoms of pans.  But the best part is that it is safe to use on Aluminum.  Not on anodized aluminum, and definitely not on a pan with any non-stick coating (it will dissolve it), but it doesn't harm glass either, which is a bonus.

Wear gloves!  You don't want this stuff on your hands.  Be SURE to work in a well ventilated area, (like outside) and not near any painted surfaces.  This is some serious stuff.

The directions say to spray the piece liberally from 8-10 inches away and let it sit for 15 minutes, then wash off with cold water.

Honestly, this did not work for me.  I had to reapply and let it sit, and sit and sit.... for about 5 hours.  Then I scraped a section with a stick (you can use a Pampered Chef scraper too) to see if it had loosened.  A lot of the carbon had been turned into goo, but not all of it.

I went ahead and washed off the loose, gooey carbon by giving it a quick scrub with one of those green scrubby things and some cold water.... (Outside faucet, in a area away from where children & pets will be playing... This stuff will kill a septic tank too, so not inside.)  It really DID succeed in removing most of the carbon.

But I applied some more spray and let it sit over night.

Now we are getting somewhere.

Enough of the Carbon had been dissolved so I could finish the piece off with some Barkeepers Friend this morning.....

Voila!!! Shiny clean, just like a brand new penny.

OK, not really like a brand new penny; there are little itty bitty pits in the Aluminum, left from the carbonizing.  But I believe those will eventually dissolve over time, with proper usage AND proper cleaning.
 

Another piece of Corningware saved!!  My work here is done.

Where is your Corningware??
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Taming the Wild Beast - Abused Wildflower 8 1/2 inch Rangetopper

So, I was at the Salvation Army today, when I found this.....

An 8 1/2 inch Rangetoper in Wild Flower.

Normally, this is not a pattern that particularly interests me.  Thus, as a general rule, I pass them by without so much as a second glance.  After all, I already collect and use 2 different print patterns as well as my French White, which seems to come in 2 forms (Original and II) along with a few of the Buffet Servers, the Grab-It/Pop-ins line and miscellaneous Storage & microwave browning pieces (even though I almost never use my microwave)  So I have enough "stuff" to look for as it is.

But I was completely overtaken by righteous indignation when I saw the abuse this poor skillet had endured in the hands of it's previous owner.

That is just down right gross...... Thus, I decided to try and save it.

I will admit that I may have bitten off more than I could chew this time. (first scrubbing - 15 minutes)

The inside was no problem.  So I guess it's technically useable at this point, however, the bottom is a nightmare incarnate.

I have scrubbed, and soaked, and pasted and let it set and scrubbed some more.

After 45 minutes of scrubbing, this is as far as I have gotten.  Then my sponge wore through....  (sigh)

It's aluminum bottomed, so oven cleaner is out of the question, I am thinking of soaking it in "goo gone" to see it that may turn the caked on, baked on and burnt grease coating off the bottom of the poor skillet.

Anybody else have any insights as to how to save this skillet?  I will keep you posted if I can figure out some way to save this wretched beast of a skillet. (that doesn't involve continuous scrubbing and arms like Popeye)

Where is your Corningware??
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Update 11/6/2013 - Solution Found, though it involves Chemicals.

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