My Gram's Pyrex & Corelle Collection
(Also, on the left, some of her PA Dutch Trivets. She had these hung around the top of her kitchen almost like a wallpaper border)
After moving all (not all - all that is currently in my kitchen.. I am pretty sure there is more in the attic ...) my Gram's Corelle and Corning Ware into the corner cabinet, I started getting ideas about repainting the table with these designs stenciled on (I'm not going to do that), and making dish towels and recipe cards to coordinate...
I haven't actually done ANY of that, but I did convert the images into svgs so that I can, eventually.
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They will download in a zip file and will need extracted before uploading
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After uploading these svgs, there are two things you will want to do.
(See the arrows on the right, above)
For the Corning Coneflower design (top, shown in black) make sure you attach, or weld
For the Pyrex Snowflake, it will upload with two pieces - the top piece is a thin black outline that you most likely will not want - hide, or delete that.
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ABOUT THE DISHES
Manuals, Flyers, and a great commercial from 1965
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"Originally developed for military applications in World War II, CorningWare®’s Pyroceram® also proved effective for bakeware in the home after the war. This glass-ceramic, non-porous material was capable of withstanding sudden temperature changes and was resistant to stains and odors. The same dish could be used for cooking, freezing, and serving food, a boon to cooks looking for kitchen shortcuts. "
View the 1963 & 1965 "Cabinet Cards" (Sales Flyers) for the Corning Ware Coneflower design, here:
Pyroceram
In 1953 S. Donald Stookey of the Corning Research and Development Division accidentally discovered Pyroceram, a white glass-ceramic material capable of withstanding a thermal shock of up to 450 K (840 °F).
Pyroceram was originally used in the ballistic missile program as a heat-resistant material for nose cones.
Stockey was working with photosensitive glass and placed a piece in a furnace, planning on heating it to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. When he checked on his sample, the furnace was at 900 degrees and the glass had turned milky white. He reached into the furnace with tongs to discard the sample, and it slipped and hit the floor without shattering.
Corning Ware Coneflower
The first pattern produced was Wheat; it was test marketed in 1958 but was not popular. Cornflower Blue Corning Ware was on the store shelves by November of 1958. The first line consisted of a skillet, three sauce pans and four covers.
The lids of CorningWare are typically made of Pyrex. Though some early lids were made of Pyroceram, most subsequent covers have been made of borosilicate or tempered soda-lime glass. Unlike the cookware, these lids have a lower tolerance for thermal shock and cannot be used under direct heat
After decades of continued popularity, Corning ceased production of Pyroceram-based Corningware in 2000. In 2001, the company rebranded with stoneware-themed bakeware.
There Are Similar Patterns By Other Companies
When Corningware introduced the Blue Cornflower collection in 1958, consumers snapped up the pieces like hotcakes. Immediately, other manufacturers created nearly identical copycat products, designed to capitalize on the Blue Cornflower buying frenzy.
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Watch a fun 1960's Corning Ware Commercial here:
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Dating The Pieces
- Before 1998, the read “Corning Ware” in two words.
- In 1998, the company switched to a one-word “Corningware”.
- In 2002, Corning discontinued their kitchenware.
- In 2009, the company brought its iconic kitchenware back. The newly made pieces displayed a one-word “CorningWare”.
With increasing interest in 1950s and 1960s brands, corningware recently brought Blue Cornflower cookware and bakeware back onto the market. In 2017, the company marked its 60th anniversary by reintroducing its enduringly popular Blue Cornflower line.
Corelle Snowflake
Corelle, a brand name for break-resistant glass dishware also originally created by Corning Glass Works, has offered matching designs to many CorningWare patterns
Pyrex snowflake blue (not to be confused with Blue Snowflakes, a different pattern) was introduced in 1970 and retired in 1976.
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For my children's reference:
Swan figurine is from Uncle Earl, top recipe box is Gram's (see card inside) bottom box is a variety of family recipes, mostly Truckenmiller, but most are not marked as to whose recipe /handwriting they are.
Also, there are a LOT of recipes for Rhubarb custard pie in that box. I don't remember ever eating rhubarb custard pie in my life - but maybe I just don't remember. Or, maybe Gram never actually made it. I have a lot of recipes for things I never made...
Clear Pyrex "Jell-o Bowls" on the top shelf - also from Gram. They are oven safe Pyrex.. I need to look up the pattern and name again. Gram only ever used them for Jell-O at Christmas time. Jell-o with fruit and nuts.
"There's a nose hair on the platter" (you have to be family to know that reference...) in the back is a Truckenmiller platter, and it is, as of the time I took this photo, still serving it's intended purpose.
When I was first married, we visited the corningware store and Pfaltzcraft outlet in Corning NY. That is quite likely where many of both Pat (Grandma Truckenmiller) and Gram's (Freda Confers) various dishes came from - the outlet there.
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