You'd be hard-pressed to find an American who doesn't know about the classic white cookware with the blue cornflower design on the side.
Even if you have never owned a set of CorningWare dishes, your mother or grandmother used them while you were growing up. If anything, you've probably come across them in articles discussing how much money vintage casserole and baking dishes are worth today.
The iconic glassware are durable and able to withstand extremely hot and cold temperatures without breaking, changing color or affecting the taste of the food, making them a staple in households across the country for decades.
Interestingly enough, the creation of CorningWare happened by mistake after Dr. S Donald Stookey, an employee of Corning Glass Works, the same company that created Pyrex, had a little accident in the lab.
In 1952, while testing a piece of glass used in early TV production, Dr. Stookey, an oven malfunction baked the material at 900 degrees Celsius, which is two times hotter than the highest temperature a normal oven produces.
Instead of melting, the glass kept its shape and formed a white film all over. Stookey then accidentally dropped the fragile glass but to his utter surprise, it didn't break.
After these incidents, Corning started selling the material to the military, who used it to make rockets. A few years later, in 1958, the company decided to use the material, named Pyroceram, to make a new line of cookware.
These dishes were some of the best-selling kitchen items for decades, but overtime their popularity declined and they were no longer on store shelves.
More recently, collectors have rekindled the interest in the ceramic dishes, and people have been spending hundreds of dollars on websites like eBay to get their hands on them.
If you've been on the lookout for affordable CorningWare cookware, then you're in for a real treat. Corelle Brands, the company that now manufactures the dishes, announced that they're releasing a full collection of the beloved blue-and-white cookware to mark its 60th anniversary.
Not only will you be able to snag the retro casserole dishes in a variety of sizes, the anniversary collection also includes a mug with a lid, a cornflower-patterned knife set, a three-piece ramekin set, and plates.
The best part? You won't have to spend hundreds of dollars. The casseroles are affordably priced and are already available for purchase online and in stores.
Buy yours here before they're gone.
Are you excited to buy some new CorningWare dishes? Let us know in the comments!
