Corningware is a line of stoneware pots and pans originally made by Corning Inc., a specialty manufacturer of glass and ceramic products, based in Corning, New York. These bakeware pans are nonporous, easy to clean and stackable, so you can fit a lot of them into small spaces. Does this Spark an idea?
History
Corning introduced the Corningware line of glass-ceramic baking pots and pans in 1958. The first Corningware dishes were white with a decorative spray of blue flowers on them.
In the late 1990s, World Kitchen, LLC, acquired the license to manufacture and sell Corningware. At that point, the composition of the pots and pans changed from glass-ceramic to stoneware, so the company could offer Corningware in a range of vivid colors.
Cooking in Corningware
Corningware pans are bakeware, intended for use in conventional, convection and microwave ovens. You can also broil food in Corningware pots and pans in a conventional oven, but you can't cook in them over direct heat, because they may break. Thus, you can't use Corningware on the stovetop, in a broiler/griller, a toaster oven or under the broiling unit in a microwave oven.
Care
Corningware pots and pans are very durable, but they will shatter if you drop them. They also are susceptible to extreme temperature changes---if you put hot liquid into a cold Corningware pan, for instance, or set one straight out of the oven onto a cold stone countertop, it may shatter. You shouldn't put packaged foods intended to cook in their wrappings in the microwave, like popcorn, in Corningware before you put it into the oven, nor should you heat a small amount of food in a big Corningware pan in the microwave, because such uses, again, may cause the dish to break. If you chip or crack a piece of Corningware, you should throw it away immediately.
Everyday Cleaning
Corningware is nonporous and thus won't stain or absorb odors. It has a slick finish that cleans up easily. You can wash these pots and pans by hand or put them in the dishwasher. If you scrub a Corningware pan with an abrasive cleanser, you may scratch the surface, so you should remove baked-on food by filling the pan with warm soapy water and leaving it to soak for a while. Then finish the job using a sponge and a non-abrasive cleaner.
Special Cleaning Problems
If you use metal utensils on your Corningware, you may notice that they leave gray marks on the pot. To avoid this, you should only use wooden or rubber utensils when you're cooking in Corningware. To get the marks off, you can scrub them gently with a soft (not a scratchy) sponge and a little nonabrasive cleanser.
Some Corningware pots have decorative gold bands that may get dull after you've used them for a while. To polish the bands safely, put a little white vinegar or a metal cleaner that isn't abrasive on a cloth or a paper towel and rub the bands until they sparkle again.
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