Cooking with glass

[infrogmation]

I guess I was one of about 5 people who liked those all-glass rangetop cookwear they apparently don't make anymore. Maybe they stopped making that stuff for liability reasons (no doubt someone somewhere was shocked to learn that glass breaks). Or because, as I said, I seem to be one of about 5 people who actually liked the stuff.

A relative who recieved a set of them back in the era of wide lapels passed them on to young Froggy. For some 20 years I did half or more of my cooking in them. I liked cooking with glass -- clean, and hey, you can see through it.

The last of the big stove-top pots with matching lid broke the other day. I've known for a while I need to get a new set of range-ware. The closest I've seen to my old stuff in recent years are some with glass sides and Teflon bottom -- no. I don't care for teflon. I'd prefer to avoid aluminium for my daily cooking.

What do my fellow LJ'ers like and reccomend?

Comments

[mcmatz.livejournal.com]

Strangely enough my father-in-law was one of the moldmakers of those pans...

As with all things obscure, seek eBay...

eBay search for visions cookware (http://search.ebay.com/visions-cookware_W0QQfromZR40QQfrtsZ50QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsojsZ1)

Hope there is something there you like!

--Madeline

[hephaestos.livejournal.com]

My first thought would be to poke around eBay looking for the glass stuff. I've got a couple of those, they're way cool.

[hephaestos.livejournal.com]

OK that'll teach me to not read the comments first. :)

[jecook]

I honestly don't know. I've been using the Ultrex stuff they sell on hsn, and it works pretty well.

I've used the vision cookware, and it was very nice to use.

As far as non-teflon coated cookware goes, I honestly don't know. Possibly something like this:

http://www.hsn.com/cnt/sf/default.aspx?sf=qc&attr=181&prev=hp!sf

I'm the lazy chef, which is why I like the teeflon coated stuff. easy to clean.

[mshollie.livejournal.com]

Magnalite is nice cookware. I'm not sure if it's aluminum or not, but I've heard good things about it. It's practical, and can be found at the local Wally World.

[ernunnos.livejournal.com]

Was gonna' say, this glass stuff comes as a shock. Thought the frog was already converted to cast iron.

awww..

[jennconspiracy.livejournal.com]

I got rid of my Visions cookware a while ago (just had too much cookware).

Try ebay or a thrift store and keep your eyes open for yard sales.

Funny you should mention teflon - just two entries below you in my LJ friends, tgeisel provided this link on the dangers of teflon: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2027&e=1&u=/chitribts/20050118/ts_chicagotrib/epachargesduponthidteflonsrisks

Pots

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

Heh. I had stuff that worked good for me, and used it till it wore out.

I've tended to think of cast iron pans as the thing for frying.

How is it for pots? Cooking rice? Making soups?

Glassy

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

Hm, I dunno if I want to make a habit of relying on dwindling resources of discontinued items on ebay for my everyday use.

Do you have any info on why they stopped making the stuff?

I've got a couple of those, they're way cool.

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

What, I've finally discovered one of the other 5 people who like the glass ware?

Or are there secretly more of us?

Re: awww..

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've ever seen any at a yard sale here in NOLA.

Yeah, I heard that about teflon.

I do tend to think of glass as benevolently inert (at least the non-leaded varieties).

So, what are you cookin' in now, Jenn?

Re: I've got a couple of those, they're way cool.

[hephaestos.livejournal.com]

Well I've only got two (a boiling pot with a lid and a frying pan) and I inherited those from my mom, who bought them more or less as "novelty items". But they're among my favorites, they look cool! And they hold up well too.

Ultrex

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

I've tended away from "Made in China" when I can avoid it ever since the Tian'anmen massacre. I dunno, I might give up on that finally, with an administration so eagar to appease the Bejing butchers, and acting internationally like they did domestically to the point that I'm not sure that buying something in a domestic "red state" is any more supportive of democracy than a foreign literal one.

Or maybe I'm just in a cynically bitter mood at the moment

Re: Glassy

[mcmatz.livejournal.com]

I have no clue as to why they stopped making them. We had a set in cranberry which I loved to cook in. They were dreamy. I also used cast-iron but have a couple of old Revereware copper bottomed stainless pots for cooking anything acidic like tomatoes which do not play nice with the cast-iron.

--Madeline

Re: I've got a couple of those, they're way cool.

[glitter-ninja.livejournal.com]

I love my Visions cookware. Turns other saucepans into sauce, etc. etc. Several years ago the biggest pan of the set of three I have broke, and I haven't really gotten around to looking for a replacement, but I guess there aren't any.

I may try eBay, though, because I do love these a lot. Much better than the metal or enamel pots I used before.

Re: Pots

[ernunnos.livejournal.com]

Never done rice in it, but it's great for soups. Cast iron holds and transmits heat better than anything else. Everything gets heated more evenly.

Re: awww..

[jennconspiracy.livejournal.com]

Boiling in Revere stainless steel, everything else in cast iron.

Re: Pots

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

I guess rice and tomato-based pasta sauces have been the two things I've loved my glassware best for. Easy cleanup, right into the dishwasher. The one I've been using for rice was the one that broke.

What do you use for rice, and are you happy with it?

Re: I've got a couple of those, they're way cool.

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

Wow, it looks like there are more of us.

Before this thread I'd encountered a fair amount of snearing at glassware but no one else who admitted to liking them.

Glass cookers stand up and be transparently proud!

Well then. I might go for cast iron for other stuff, but unless I hear good alternative proposals, I may keep doing my rice and pasta sauces (which are among my staples anyway) in glass as long as the ebay prices don't get too high.

Re: Ultrex

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

Pardon, I should have said "thanks for your reccomendation."

Well, regulars here know that I periodically go into rant mode.

What's wrong with aluminum, anyway?

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

Well, since you asked, for example google "aluminum" "alzheimer's". Jury's still out on that, but some folks are more comfortable using something else.

Magnalite

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

"Originally developed in 1934, MAGNALITE Classic Cookware is best known for it’s distinctive Cast Aluminum material"

http://www.worldkitchen.com/Magnalite/web/

Re: Pots

[ernunnos.livejournal.com]

Honestly? Circulon. I know you don't like anodized aluminum, but for aluminum it's very heavy.

Cooking with glass

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

Via Ms.Hollie:

Vermont Country Store sells Vision Ware (http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=12037&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=Visiions).

"Originally introduced in 1982, Visions cookware by Corning hasn't been available in the U.S. since 1998-until now. We're the only company in the States offering it, and in the original see- through amber color."

So it seems to be still made, just not retailed in the USA. I'm betting they were sued by some dufus indignant over discovering that glass can break. (If it hadn't been sold by many companies for hundereds of years, they'd probably ban glass drinking glasses here in the Land o' Freedom (TM) too.)

Hm. Looks like for the time being eBay is still a good deal cheaper, but nice to know.

BTW, I hadn't been aware the stuff was called "Visions" before this thread.

Re: I've got a couple of those, they're way cool.

[petalbreeze.livejournal.com]

*raises hand quietly*

I have a set, brown, and I still love it, though it gets relegated to the past more often than not now that valiant_200 and I have set up housekeeping together.

He bought Revereware aluminum with copper bottom when he got divorced, and he has never looked back.

I have noticed that the glass holds the heat more than the copper-bottom pots even when we turn off the gas stove burner.

I shoulda posted

[vardissakheli.livejournal.com]

this (http://www.livejournal.com/users/infrogmation/56675.html#t219747) here.

Man, that aluminum-Alzheimer's link is so lame and `80s.

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

It is?

Strange, I don't remember that.

[Music: Dramatic sting!]

Re: Rice?

[hyla-regilla.livejournal.com]

rice cooker. Too easy.
My only aluminium object - and my next one will be nonstick coated!