Find Discontinued Microwave Utensils at eBay Auctions
When it comes to cookware that is no longer manufactured, one of your best resources for acquiring the items you want is an online auction. Quite frankly, eBay outdoes them all. I've used one of those consolidated searches, as well as checked out individual auctions. I always find lots of results at eBay and next to none at the other auctions. I'm not saying that you shouldn't look at the other auctions, just that you're more likely to find what you're looking for quicker at eBay.
If you've already purchased a copy of Microwave Cooking for One, you know that the introduction suggests using several CorningWare products that are no longer manufactured like the browning utensils, gravy maker and menu-ettes. The only negative comment I have ever heard (actually read) about my mother's cookbook is that she described utensils by name brand. I have to agree with the critic at Publisher's Weekly on that point. While the CorningWare items described were readily available when Mom wrote Microwave Cooking for One, unfortunately CorningWare decided to quit manufacturing those items several years ago.
This is really not a problem because what is important in microwave cooking is that size and shape matter, not the brand of the utensil. If you don't have a utensil with precisely the same dimensions as the ones called for in a recipe, just try to approximate it as closely as you can. The Menu-ettes looked like round saucepans with handles, about six inches in diameter. There was a 1-pint and a 1½-pint as well as a 6-inch skillet. You can use soufflé dishes that approximate the same size. The handle is really not important. It was convenient, but not necessary. If you would really be more comfortable using the exact items described in the book, there are always the Internet Auction sites. Here are the search results for the eBay auctions for those items.
Notice the small feet on the browning skillet? Corning browning utensils have small feet to raise the tin-oxide-coated bottom from the surface. This is the only utensil you should cook empty in your microwave oven. You should never place this utensil in a regular oven, or use it on your stovetop.
The CorningWare Menu-ettes are especially helpful when cooking for one in the microwave.
The CorningWare 1-Quart Gravy Maker Pot (sometimes called a Sauce Maker) is useful in avoiding boil over when cooking in the microwave.
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