Nostalgia: Remember cooking with a CorningWare set

The CoringWare set was first introduced in 1958 and has remained popular throughout the years. Source: Getty

If you are clever in the kitchen and love whipping up a delicious feast for family and friends then there is no doubt you or someone in your family had a CoringWare set stacked in the cupboard at some point over the years.

First introduced in 1958 by Corning Glass Works the range of glass-ceramic based cooking ware were hugely popular throughout the 1960s with practically every family across the country owning at least once piece of the set.

Its versatility was its strong point as it could be taken from the refrigerator or the freezer and used directly on the stovetop, in the oven, microwave or under a broiler and then placed straight on the table.

Cooking was all that much more simpler for busy mums and wives with far less dishes to clean and more time to be spent with the children. Plus the chances of it breaking or smashing were minimal due to its pyroceram material. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAICndIwcU7/

Back when it was first launched there were 70 different pieces available in a range of colours, including white, white with the famous corn flour emblem or avocado, which was quite pleasing to women who wanted to design to match in with the rest of their home.

Over the years other patterns were introduced including ones labelled cool pansies, country rose, dainty flora, dandy blossoms and herb country.

As an added bonus, handles could be attached and detached to transform the dish from cooking ware to store ware. And if users liked the main piece that much, they could purchase a matching coffee maker and serving dishes, including a platter and a percolator.

Sadly in 2000, the original CoringWare set ceased production and then re-launched the following year as a line of stoneware-based bakeware.

However, around seven years later the much-loved stovetop line made a resurgence when it was reintroduced by Corelle Brands. The popular cooking items are still to this date manufactured in France at one of the only remaining factories in the world to produce Pyroceram-based cookware.

In 2017, the company CorningWare launched a set with a similar corn flour pattern as the original in celebration of its 60th anniversary.

This was an exciting moment for cooks across the world who were excited to announce that they still have some of the original pieces.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZe7zjNno5Y/

“I have my grandmother’s original set! Your stuff is too good, doesn’t need replacing for several generations,” one person wrote on an Instagram post by CorningWare.

While a second said: “I still have this pattern. Passed down from mum”.

And a third added: “Wow this brings back memories!”

Did your family own a CorningWare set? Do you still have any of the original pieces?

Stories that matter
Emails delivered daily
Sign up