Corning Ware of a Different Color - My Princess House Nouveau Collection (Arcoflam by ARC)

When I first came across the Nouveau line made by ARC in France, exclusively for Princess House, I was not interested all that much in it.  After all, it isn't Corning Ware, right?   Well, that has changed over the years.  Collecting it can be a bit of a chore though, since it IS a much newer product and was only available through Princess House originally And, when it hit the general market place in 1986, it doesn't seem to have sold all that well because it was more expensive than Corning Ware AND since it is a newer product and required a higher investment, most of the people who purchased it are probably still using it. This last reason is also an issue when collecting the late CorningWare patterns... they are only 15-20 years old and the original purchasers are more than likely still using them, so they are hard to find in the thrift stores.  Hey, I still have my original French White Quiche dish (F-3) and Souffle dish (F-5) that I bought in 1992 and even before I was a became Corning Ware nut, I never. at any point, considered taking them to a Thrift Store for resale.

Arcoflam is still available and is still produced by ARC in France.  It looks a little different now, since the Nouveau design was a Princess House Exclusive.  I have seen a smooth version and a swirled pattern design as well... All in white, of course. 

So here is my collection as it stands now.  I seem to find these in waves.  There will be nothing for months, then all of the sudden I am adding 3 pieces in a little over a week. 

1 quart, 1 1/2 quart and 2 quart Saucepans with detachable handles in Blue and Green.

10 inch Saute Pan / Chicken Fryer with Domed lid (for steaming) and detachable handle in White.

1 quart Casserole and 2 quart Casserole with 20cm Steamer Insert made of Borosilicate Glass.  (I do not have the original lid to the 2 quart Casserole, but the lid to the steamer fits quite nicely)

The Casseroles are shallow and wide, thus the lids are slightly off....  The 1 quart Casserole takes the same lid as the 1 1/2 quart Saucepan.  The 2 quart Casserole is 8 inches across, so I am assuming it takes the same lid as the 8 inch skillet.

Where is your Arcoflam??
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Steamy! - The Arcoflam "Nouveau" Steamer Insert

This site is technically about Corning Ware and it's use and care, however, every once in awhile something comes along outside of the sphere of the Corning world that begs to be made known.  Thus is the case with my post on Princess House Nouveau pieces by ARC (Arcoflam).  Tough in truth, they may or may not actually be Corning Ware under a different name.  This still remains unclear.  But the piece that I recently found is most definitely clear and though made by ARC and not Corning, Inc. it has the advantage of functioning with some Corning Ware pieces.  Thus I introduce to you.....

The Acroflam (Nouveau) glass Steamer Insert.

I already have the Microwave Plus steamer (M-225) with the accompanying plastic steamer basket, but in all honesty, I use that as a display piece.  It's not just because I don't cook food in the Nuke-U-Lator...  cause the whole thing is stove top safe as well.  I would never cook my food in plastic.  It sort of defeats the purpose of using Corning Ware in the first place.

Originally designed, I believe, to fit the 2 3/4 saucepan or the 8 inch skillet (neither of which are in my possession, as of yet)  from the Princess House Nouveau line of cookware.  The best part, honestly, is that this steamer assures that your food never touches metal or plastic.  It's made of Boro-Silicate glass, just like the original Pyrex formula.  (World Kitchen now makes tempered Soda lime glass under the Pyrex name)

The lid for these is marked with "France" and "20cm", that is all.  The knob on the lid is plastic, which is kind of a bummer, but it assures that there is something cool to grab a hold of when the steaming is done.

The current models, cause they still make them for the "Pyroflam" sold on the European market, have a arched glass handle....

I like this design a little better, but truthfully... If it's a choice between $4.99 as the Good Will or $55 + shipping off eBay... I'll deal with a plastic handle.

Now you may be asking yourself, "What good is this steamer if you don't have Princess House Nouveau pieces?"   Well let me tell ya....  I have a couple pieces of Nouveau, and I would like to get a couple more, BUT, I have discovered that this steamer fits on several pieces of vintage Corning Ware.  I was more than just a little excited about that.  Let's begin with the French... after all, this piece was made in France, so I think it's only fitting.

It will work on the F-8-B, which is the French White 8 inch Quiche baker.  Sadly, the 8-inch size was released well after the Bisque and Bleu era and wasn't included in the Classic Black line up, so it's only available in the basic French White.

It will also fit on the F-1-B, being the French White 2 1/2 quart Souffle baker.  This piece IS available in Bisque as well as Bleu, however, this size was not included in the Classic Black.

So if you are looking for an excuse to utilize your French White on the stove top, this steamer gives you an excellent opportunity to try it's chops.

The final piece, that I have found to work with the steamer, is the N-2 1/2-B or 2 1/2 quart "Rangetopper".  (these are the pieces with the Aluminum applied to the bottom or embedded within the bottom)

I am not sure if it works with the 2 1/2 quart saucepan from the S-series "Range top" line. (these are shaped exactly like Visions cookware and do not have aluminum bottoms)  I do not own any of these pieces because they were released well after the Wheat pattern was discontinued and I have yet to see one in Cornflower.  I am pretty sure I never will, simply because they were released in the late 80s and I believe Cornflower and Spice of Life had been discontinued.  They are, however, available in Peony, Shadow Iris, Peach Floral & Country Cornflower... at least, those are the ones I have seen.

And there you have it, a lovely cross-pollination of Arcoflam and Corning Ware, working together to create a delicious meal.

I love this stuff.... 

Where is your Corning Ware/Arcoflam??
~~

Update:  4/29/2014 - I dug through a box in the garage and resurrected that Microwave Plus Steamer..   The Princess House Arcoflam Steamer fits perfectly in the M-225.... Almost like they were made for each other. 

I am quite pleased... Needless to say, the M-225 isn't going back into the box in the garage...  though the other parts will remain there in. 

There is Nothing Nouveau Under the Sun - A Princess House Exclusive Arcoflam from France (by ARC)

I have been debating whether or not to post about this, but it IS "Pyroceram", or at least some form of Ceramic Glass Cookware, just like Corning Ware...  

This is Nouveau...   A Princess House Exclusive.

Made even more exclusive by the fact that it is no longer available in the United States at all, and the only piece available in Australia is a 3.5 quart oval baking dish. This piece in particular is the 10 1/2 inch Saute pan... Which is a piece I have always wished was available in the Corning Ware line. 

Made by in France by ARC, International; purveyors of other ARC-centric glassware goods such as Cristal d'Arques (crystal), Luminarc (transparent), Arcoroc (tempered) & Arcopal (opal) and yes, Arcoflam (vitroceram) cookware.  Which just happens to be what is embossed upon the very locking mechanism of the accompanying handle.

So, though Princess House had exclusive rights to this particular design, the actual product is Arcoflam, made of vitroceram in France by ARC, International who also just happens to have exclusive rights to produce Pyrex in Europe.  However, this licensing agreement didn't happen until 2005.

Now, I don't know if ARC owns the infamous Avon, France plant that began producing Pyroflam after the Netherlander plant closed down (who were making Pyrosil and Pyroflam for the European market), because this company is not really based in Avon, but in Arques; as evident from their original company name "Verrerie Cristallerie d’Arques".

Whether this is actually Corning Ware or, like Narumi's Neoceram, the result of the inevitable foray all glass companies make into the realm of ceramic glass, I have no idea.  But I thought it was interesting enough to begin amassing at least a small collection.  After all, though it may, or may not, be Corning's "Corning Ware" it IS ceramic glass, and that alone makes it pretty darned awesome in my book.

The only issue I have at this point is lack of knowledge.  My 1 1/2 quart saucepan and 1 quart casserole are both missing their lids.  Since I think it's safe to assume that they were not as "domed" as the lid for the Saute pan/steamer, that sort of leaves me in the dark as to what they DID look like.

One of the things I like the most about this Nouveau, is how flat the bottoms are, without being "ground" like Corning Ware was.  They are so flat, that when wet, they actually stick to my counter top. 

If anyone has any more information on Princess House Nouveau, please feel free to share.  

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

Update:  I found an article in the LA Times dates November 20, 1986.... Evidently Arcoflam hit the Main Stream Market at that time.  I still do not know how long it was available from Princess house before this happened.

Pretty Pretty Princess House - Nouveau by Arcoflam (France)

I remember, when I was a kid, before we moved out to the farm, the circle that we lived on was awash with home parties.  It was the mid 70's and it was all the rage.  Tupperware parties, Home Interior parties, and Princess House parties.

Many of the women on the street populated their homes with products from these parties....  Thus, many of the interiors of the homes on the street looked disturbingly similar.   I remember the Princess House parties most vividly, because there was a lot of crystal and bone china, so children were NOT allowed int he room amongst the breakables.  Mom's formal stemware (Esprite) came from Princess House, as did her frosted clematis dessert plates (Fantasia).   She even had a English bone china coffee pot and to cups (Windsor Rose).

Unlike Pampered Chef and some other companies that sell via the same "home party" formula, Princess House did not manufacture their own products, they would contract with companies to make products for them.  This is evidenced by the tea pot I mentioned.  The bottom was marked "Hammersley and Co.", a well known English bone china manufacturer who was also contracted by Tiffany & Co., on occasion, to make pieces for them.

The reason for all this background on Princess House is that I recently found a piece of "Corningware" produced for said "house of Princessness", though I do not know what the time frame of availability was, because we had moved to the farm in 1977 and Mom stopped having parties for such things.   I only found out about it's existence back in 2007 when I began hunting down vintage Corningware pieces in thrift stores.

The cooking line was called Nouveau, though technically, there was nothing "New" about it, except maybe the shape and the fact that it came from France instead of Corning Consumer Products Division in the United States.

It was produced by ARC (who also make Luminarc glassware and Arcoroc dinnerware) in France under the Arcoflam name, then shipped back to the U.S. to be sold at Princess House parties.  The shape is sort of a faceted round and the handles attach differently than original or current Corningware/Pyrosil/Pyroflam.  There is a large square "lug" on one end used for handle attachment.

Here is a picture of the handle used on Nouveau....

You place the handle over the lug and squeeze the trigger.

If you look really close, you can see the Arcoflam name on the clamping trigger.

To release the handle, you simply press the button on the side of the handle.

The formula for Nouveau is slightly different from Vintage Corningware.  It's still a Ceramic Glass (Vitro-Ceramic), but the formulation is more inline with what is currently used on smooth cook tops, both radiant and induction.  But for all intents and purposes, regardless of who is licensing what from whom and where the who is manufacturing under which product name and how it's sold....  it's still "Corningware". 

Where is your Corningware??
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