RIP, Corningware Saucepan - 32 Years Old!
Jun. 14th, 2023 07:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerThe other day my last piece of CorningWare broke. Hawk was moving it from the sink to the dishwasher, accidentally banged it against the lip of the granite countertop, and it cracked.
This piece is a small saucepan, maybe 0.5L rated capacity. It was part of a small set I originally purchased back in 1991. I've had this piece of cookware— and used it regularly— for 32 years!
The other components of the set, a small skillet and a 1.5L saucepan, didn't last as long. The nonstick coating on the skillet wore off maybe 15 years ago, so I tossed it. The 1.5L saucepan cracked even longer ago than that. My mother told me the folklore that CorningWare "could survive one drop but not two". Indeed the other saucepan cracked after a small drop a few years after it survived a big drop. This piece... I don't remember how long ago, if ever, we dropped it.
Some might wonder, "Half liter/one pint, that's so small, why bother?" In a two-person household it's actually very useful. It's the right size for heating a can of vegetables or a cup of sauce. And the beauty of CorningWare is that it's safe for the stove top, the microwave, and the dishwasher.
Ironically within a day of this last piece of my old CorningWare collection breaking, Instant Brands, the company that now owns CorningWare— along with brands like Instant Pot, Pyrex, and Corelle— declared bankruptcy. 😬 Example coverage: ABC News article 14 Jun 2023; CNN article 13 Jun 2023.
The bankruptcy is only Chapter 11, a restructuring bankruptcy not a liquidation, so the company may come back. But already reports have emerged that classic kitchenware sets on auction sites have shot up in price. A quick check I performed showed the 0.5L saucepan by itself going for about $65. A three-piece set (technically it's called "5 piece" because they count the lids) similar to what I bought in 1991 is around $250 now. In 1991 I paid $12.99, new.
This piece is a small saucepan, maybe 0.5L rated capacity. It was part of a small set I originally purchased back in 1991. I've had this piece of cookware— and used it regularly— for 32 years!
The other components of the set, a small skillet and a 1.5L saucepan, didn't last as long. The nonstick coating on the skillet wore off maybe 15 years ago, so I tossed it. The 1.5L saucepan cracked even longer ago than that. My mother told me the folklore that CorningWare "could survive one drop but not two". Indeed the other saucepan cracked after a small drop a few years after it survived a big drop. This piece... I don't remember how long ago, if ever, we dropped it.
Some might wonder, "Half liter/one pint, that's so small, why bother?" In a two-person household it's actually very useful. It's the right size for heating a can of vegetables or a cup of sauce. And the beauty of CorningWare is that it's safe for the stove top, the microwave, and the dishwasher.
Ironically within a day of this last piece of my old CorningWare collection breaking, Instant Brands, the company that now owns CorningWare— along with brands like Instant Pot, Pyrex, and Corelle— declared bankruptcy. 😬 Example coverage: ABC News article 14 Jun 2023; CNN article 13 Jun 2023.
The bankruptcy is only Chapter 11, a restructuring bankruptcy not a liquidation, so the company may come back. But already reports have emerged that classic kitchenware sets on auction sites have shot up in price. A quick check I performed showed the 0.5L saucepan by itself going for about $65. A three-piece set (technically it's called "5 piece" because they count the lids) similar to what I bought in 1991 is around $250 now. In 1991 I paid $12.99, new.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-15 10:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-06-16 04:31 pm (UTC)I've been following the bankruptcy story, and it seems like the general conclusion is "private equity continues to do bad things to good companies which could have had happy little businesses and didn't need to zoom upwards".
no subject
Date: 2023-06-16 05:16 pm (UTC)That said, "Not all PEs...." My spouse joined a small company a few years ago that had recently been bought from its founder-owner by a PE firm. This PE specialized in buying founder-owned companies in a particular industry that had good product(s) but didn't know how to grow. They brought in strong entrepreneurial leadership and better capitalization, enabling the company to grow its operations, revenue, and profits.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-16 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-06-16 08:16 pm (UTC)