...for those who savor the look and flavors of yesterday's kitchen...
September 2006
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1. Welcome! Mama's Kitchen is a free newsletter about kitchen collectibles. This newsletter is designed to be entertaining and educational, but also a dialogue among those who have a fondness for kitchen items of all kinds. I hope you'll join us for a few memories, giggles, laughs and some useful information about kitchen collectibles. I am not an expert in any field, but I have been buying and selling kitchen items for over 9 years and loving them for a lifetime. Remember collecting anything should be fun. This is especially true when you can use your collection on a daily basis. Please let me know if there is a particular item you would like featured in upcoming issues.
....In 1864 Amory Houghton, Sr. purchased the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company....four years later, this plant and 100 employees moved by canal boat to Corning, New York and the renamed business became Corning Flint Glassworks.
....In 1875, Corning Glass Works became incorporated....the products manufactured were predominantly railroad signal glassware, thermometer tubing and pharmaceutical glassware.
....the first light bulb blanks were produced for Thomas Edison in 1879.
....Pyrex brand glassware was introduced in 1915. This new glassware had incredible resistance to thermal expansion and contraction, making it very tolerant of sudden and extreme temperature changes. It's roots were in the heat resistant glass developed for railroad use.
....Pyrex brand chemical ware, introduced in 1917, was impervious to chemicals. This high level of resistance allowed scientists and researchers to conduct their work knowing the results would not be tainted.
....In 1920 Fry glass company was granted a license to produce Pyrex with the name "Fry Oven Glass."
....Round, clear mixing bowls were first produced in 1931, with the introduction of a 2 quart bowl. It was not until 1943 that nests of bowls were issued.
....Engraved ovenware was offered as early as 1918...."Style RD" was red decorated glassware produced in 1936 and 1937. The chemicals used to create this line were found to be poisonous and the line was discontinued....these pieces are most prized among Pyrex collectors.
....The first Pyrex measuring cup was introduced in 1925 and featured dual spouts. The design of this fifty cent item was altered almost immediately and a single spouted measuring cup was offered in 1926.
....The first refrigerator sets were marketed in 1925.
.....Flameware, a wonderfully durable line of glassware designed to be used directly on the stove ....was introduced in 1936....Flameware was produced until 1979.
....The first colored bowl set....The famous 400 Multicolored Mixing Bowl set of four nested bowls was produced into the 1960's....the "Opal Bowl Set (entirely white) was produced only in 1954.....an extremely rare set.
....Cinderella bowls were introduced in 1958....the colors predominantly reflect those of the 1960's.
....Set 500, a colored refrigerator set , were first made available in 1949.
....Many casseroles were briefly offered as promotional items....they were made available seasonally....or part of named collections, allowing one to saturate a kitchen in lovely matching Pyrex colors.
Elizabeth E. Lea, "Useful receipts and Hints to Young Housekeepers," 10th ed., Baltimore, 1859 (1st ed. 1851).
4. What is it?
Grease Jar
Our What's It this month is the ever popular grease jar. Grease jars were ever present in the kitchen from
Pioneer days. Economically, you didn't waste any by product of any form of food. Many of us grew up with some kind of can or jar sitting on the stove or in the refrigerator with leftover grease to be used in preparing the
next meal. They ranged from plain to fancy and have become a hot collectible. They were often accompanied by matching salt & pepper shakers. The one pictured was made by the Universal Pottery Co. and has a cattail design. If you can find one in good condition, it sells for around $65.00-$85.00 depending on the market.
Reader Query
I am trying to find some replacement pieces for some cutlery that my mother purchased in California in the 1950's. It was called Acock Knives or Acock Cutlery. I think it was made in San Jose, California. There were large mixing and serving spoons, steak knives, paring knives, butcher knives, etc. They looked like all one piece. Metal handles, not wood. There is the imprint of a Rooster on some of the handles and the word "Red" under the rooster. Have you ever heard of this ??? I have a few pieces and would like to add more.
Thank you,
Mary-Margaret O'Connell
For Rhonda: I heard from a reader who identified your gravy fork as a similar one made by Foley in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Do you have an odd piece of kitchenalia that you'd care to share or ask others to help you identify? Just e-mail a picture and your thoughts to mamas@tias.com and we'll post it and any responses here.
Home on the Range - Range Sets
I'm sure the grease can came before Range Sets. However, Range Sets are what most of us remember. They were one of the most functional kitchen tools in the 40s, 50s, & 60s. I don't know how many movies and plays I've seen where you can see one sitting on a stovetop. The grease rarely made it into a refrigerator as it was used at almost every meal. No one worried about purity or food poisoning. To my recollection few people ever became ill from the grease with which almost everything was cooked. Salt & pepper was the main seasoning. In fact they were the only ones my mother ever used unless she was baking something. Somehow everything tasted wonderful and few chefs today can equal what our mothers and grandmothers did with so little. The first set was made by Anchor or Fire King. It was made in white, cream or custard, and jadeite. This set is a combination of the white and cream and is commonly referred to as a married set. It would still sell for around $65.00 if in good condition. The second is a Tipp City Rooster design with the original stand. The Tipp City sets are highly collectible and book for between $75.00 - $100.00 depending on condition and market.
The third is a Kromex set which was very popular in the 1960's. It was made of spun aluminum and has also become very desirable since the stainless steel look has come back into fashion. It would sell for between $35.00-$45.00 depending on condition and market. The fourth is a set from the 1970s. It was made in Hong Kong and also made of spun aluminum. It combined the aluminum color with a copper color top that had a lot of market appeal when copper pans were all the rage. This would sell for between $20.00-$30.00 depending on condition and market.
6. Mama's Kitchen Stories
I grew up with five brothers and being the only girl you would think that my mother would have taught me everything about cooking. If I showed an interest that was fine, she'd pass on a tidbit here or there. Being a tomboy, I showed very little interest. After all she was always there to cook everything so why waste my time. My mother owned only one cookbook her whole life. I remember it clearly because it was so heavy. It was Meta Givens "Encyclopedia of Cooking, Volume I and II." I can remember looking at the pictures growing up but I have no memory of ever cooking from it. I know I spent time in the kitchen with her and you would have thought something would have worn off by osmosis if nothing else. When I married I was a horrible cook. I hate to admit this but I actually burned frozen food which my wonderful husband ate anyway. I remember asking my mother one day why she never took the time to teach me to cook. The next thing I knew that big green cookbook came flying across the table at me hitting me in the chest followed by these words of wisdom, "Linda, if you can read, you can cook." I believe that was the only formal cooking lesson my mother gave me.
As to the osmosis thing, I did discover one thing that has been passed down to not only me but all my brothers as well. My mother always cooked with a dishtowel draped on her shoulder. It never came off until the job was done and sometimes it came to dinner with her. My five brothers and I all do the same thing. I never realized it until my sister-in-law pointed it out to me. Too bad it wasn't her knack for making cornbread.
Dorothy in Ohio wrote:
Mom was a wonderful cook, nothing fancy but her meals were the best. We had everything home grown and homemade. We had our own meat, fruits and vegetables. Very little was store bought. Mom could beat a cake with her wooden spoon as well as the best of mixers today. I have her wooden spoon and the bottom side is worn off from all the beating. I can still remember the smell of the baked goods including the homemade bread that she made in an old wood burning cook stove. She also used a fork to beat with and the kind we had were metal with either a bone or wooden handle. I sure do miss those days. I hope my children and grandchildren have as good of memories of me as I do of my Mom.
Do you have a kitchen memory to share. Please send it to Mama at mamas@tias.com
7. Tip of the Month
Hate taking off those gum labels on plastic items? Goo Gone works great and can be purchased in almost any supermarket or hardware store. Just saturate the label, wait a few minutes and it will peel right off. It doesn't mark up the plastic either.
Mary from Illinois wrote:
Before polishing shoes, apply a little bit of lemon juice to remove grease and grime.
Kay from Utah wrote:
Brush a little oil over the cheese grater before grating, so that the cheese will not stick to the grater.
Have you got a great kitchen tip or question, please send it along to mamas@tias.com
8. What's New at Mama's Treasures
The home page of Mama's Treasures has been revamped to make it easier for you to find your favorite collectibles. I've also added a new category called the "Half Price Table." Any item from this category has been discounted 50%. Joining my mailing list also makes you eligible for promotional coupons and advance notice of sales. 15% Off orders of $50.00 or more through September 15th. See store for details and exclusions. New items added include Pyrex Pink Bowls and an Aqua Balloon Chip N Dip; Anchor Red & Black Stripe Barrel Salt & Pepper Set; Lincoln Tater King Scooper; China Chamber Pots; Hazel Atlas Refrigerator Jars; Empire Ekco Pink Utensil Set in the Original Box; Chamber Pots, Hull Milk Pitcher; Crocheted Potholders; Blue Calico Salt and Pepper & Spice Sets; Kitchen Gadgets from the 60s &70s; Federal & Hazel Atlas Glasses; Green Utensils; Tipp City Flower Spice Set; Green Stripe Barrel Range Shakers; Kromex Pink Spice Set, Canister Set & S&P Set; Androck Bakelite Bullet Utensils; West Bend Canister Set; Federal Dot Bowls; Vintage Sewing & Hankies; Primitives, Christmas, Cookbooks, Potholders and much more. Drop by and visit at www.tias.com/stores/mamas I love to chat, answer questions and we always consider reasonable offers.
9. Helpful Resources
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