CorningWare

CorningWare was introduced in 1958. It was made of a glass ceramic material that could be used in the oven or on the stovetop.

As with many inventions, CorningWare was a lab mistake. A malfunctioning furnace heated to 900° instead of 600°, and amazingly, the glass inside did not melt. A chemist later dropped the white glass, and surprisingly, it didn't break. These accidents lead to the creation of Pyroceram and the very first pieces of CorningWare in 1957.

Though long out of production, the Blue Cornflower pattern remains synonymous with CorningWare for most (including me). It seems like everyone's mother had CorningWare pieces with this dainty blue pattern.

As a child, I remember playing with miniature CorningWare toys made to mimic our mothers' bakeware and coffee/tea pots.

These pieces will always hold a special place in my heart.

I think I'll start a collection...

images (top) amazon.com
bottom: flickr.com