Every time I get this particular piece of bakeware out I think of that saying, “Real men don’t eat quiche,” and it really bugs me. It’s just another slam at gay men, and I got news for you, real men do eat it . . . quiche, that is.

My friends know what I’m bringing when they see me carrying this dish into their house from the car. This French White 10” Quiche/Pie Pan was actually the first piece of Corningware I ever owned. It’s stood me in good stead for nearly twenty years and is as white and attractive as the first day I got it. To be honest, it was so long ago I don’t even remember what I paid for it, but knowing me it was on sale.

I hate to have to repeat all the Corningware information in each of these reviews, so I’ll paraphrase a lot and bring up a few things I forgot to mention in the ramekin review. One thing is storage: I stack mine, one inside another to save space in my minuscule cupboards. The quiche pan goes on the bottom with the round casserole sitting in it. In the casserole I have one of those fat/liquid separators that I never use and I invert the glass casserole cover over that. The ramekins live in the roaster with enough space to keep a hand mixer in there, too.

Corningware is made of a space-age material that can withstand extreme temperatures. It’s dishwasher, microwave, oven, freezer and stovetop safe. I would hesitate to use it on the stovetop because of it doesn’t seem to conduct heat to well and you end up with one spot being too hot and the rest not. Surrounded by heat it does fine and can go from the freezer to a hot oven with no problems.

As far as care goes, common sense tells us not to scratch and abuse these cooking pieces with steel wool pads and harsh cleansers. I use wooden spoons and Teflon coated spatulas. I soak it in soapy water a lot, and for scrubbers I use a liquid soft scrub and 3-M pads. Really tough baked on gunk gets a shot of oven cleaner and a half-hour in a warm oven. When things come out of the oven they go on a trivet or a cooling rack. If I must set something in the sink, I cushion it with a damp dishtowel.

That 10-inch measurement is the inside measurement and sides are about 1 ¼ inches high. There’s a slight lip on the edge and those nice ridges on the sides that help with grip. I’ve only made a pie in it once with a frozen pie shell. It worked fine. I have made my mother’s cheesecake with its pressed-in short-crust, but I like a metal pan better for that, and preferably a tart pan with a bottom that pops out. That’s just a personal quirk. I like to be able to remove the baked goods to a plate or cake stand.

I have included the main URL in each of these product reviews so you can look up details about Corningware. All you do is go to the top of the page and click on the information bar/menu for any type of information you might want: you will find New Products, Products, Table Trends, a Recipe Box loaded with all kinds of free things to copy. If you’re getting married, you will find a gift registry. There’s an Expert Answers section with help on FAQs, Warranties, Use & Care and a list of retail locations across the US of A.

http://www.corningware.com/products/default.cfm

Here's the URL for the Ramekin review: http://www.epinions.com/content_83299765892

Here’s a recipe for a Sweet Potato & Apple casserole that I use for Easter hams and Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys. It tastes so fresh and wholesome that it just may work any time of the year. It’s NOT a pie. It should not be overly sweet. This is something someone told me about, but I added the ginger and a lot of other ingredients. I changed it for the better so I claim ownership.

I like to make it in one layer and this container is perfect for that as far as I’m concerned. It’s so easy, I do all the prep the day before, build the dish that night and stick it in the fridge. The next morning I take it out, shroud it in plastic wrap and carry it out with me to the waiting car. All it takes is about a half-hour to forty-five minutes of re-heating and you’re ready to serve.

Ingredients:

4 to 5 large sweet potatoes
3 to 4 large cooking apples
A small jar of chunky apple sauce
Candied ginger cut in small pieces
2 Tbs. Cranberry Relish
Zest from one lemon and one orange
The juice from the lemon and orange, or
Orange juice, apple cider or apple juice

Wash and prick the sweet potatoes (I wrap mine in foil). Bake them in a 350 oven until almost done. Remove, cool, and take off the skins. Slice into 1/2 inch round slices. Save the scraps for something else, you only want nice round slices for this. Peel and core your favorite tart baking apples. Slice into thin half-round slices and place in a bowl of water with lemon juice. In your Corningware French White 10” Quiche/Pie Pan that has been buttered, spread a thin layer of the chunky apple sauce. Over this alternately arrange the sweetpotato and apple slices in a one-layer concentric circle to fill the pan. If you have a rectangular pan, just to the slices in rows.

Mix the orange juice and lemon juice with the apple cider and pour over all. Dot the top sparingly with cranberry relish. Sprinkle with chopped candied ginger and the orange and lemon zest. Sprinkle the top with the brown sugar and bake in a 350 oven for 45 or 50 minutes. The apples should remain relatively crisp and the taste should remain fresh. Remember this is not a desert but a side dish and a condiment. Serve this as a side dish with turkey or even a ham. It’s equally good with pork chops, pork roast or even a duck or goose. Remove the plastic and re-heat at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes and serve directly from the Quiche pan.

© Ed Grover - 2002


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): ???