Archive | Interesting

I recently discovered that Revere intended (or advertised) their double boilers to have more than one use.

This is from 1947.

In this article from Buzzfeed lists “55 Things Literally Everyone Used To Have In Their Home 30 Years Ago That I Can Guarantee NO ONE Has Anymore”

Obviously the clickbait title is a little extreme.  And they missed the timeline on Revere Ware by a decade or two.  30 years ago, 1993, Revere Ware had already gone through two bankruptcies and was producing shoddy cookware in Korea and then China; they had long since lost their title as the cookware everyone wanted.

50 year ago, maybe …

Interestingly, many of the other items look far better suited to the 70’s than the 90’s.  Perhaps to the 20-something blogger that wrote the article, the 90’s don’t seem that different than the 70’s. 🙂

I decided to try out the new Microsoft Bing Image Creator to try and create some Revere Ware related images.

revere ware copper bottom pan on a stove cooking eggs

Revere Ware images much not be a very big part of it’s training model. I love in particular the double long handled pan (looks useful if not easy to bump into one of the handles) and the pan with the logo on the inside.

revere ware copper bottom tea kettle pouring hot water into a mug

Again, doesn’t seem to really know what Revere Ware looks like.  It thinks it can throw the name on a kettle and it becomes Revere Ware.  It perhaps does at least know that Revere Ware is a historical brand, as the style of the kettles is not at all modern.

revere ware stainless steel with copper bottom tea kettle with bakelite handles pouring hot water into a mug

Absolutely no better.  🙂

I’ve been corresponding with reader Andrew about a double boiler he picked up.

The bottom part is without any handles and has this stamp:

The Revere Copper & Brass Incorporated name was used in the late 1920’s to the late 1930’s I believe.  The top part says made in Korea.

Revere did at some point make double boilers that looked a lot like this, but the bottom had long and short handles on opposite sides.  My best guess here is that the bottom is a vintage storage container and the top is from the 1980’s or so, and they just happen to fit together.  The lid, who knows; it has a Phillips head screw holding the small knob on, which puts it as a more modern lid.

Can anyone shed any light on this apparent Frankenpot?

Talk about deja vu.  A popular cookware brand that took the world by storm, could be found in almost any kitchen, sales start slowing, competition grows, sales shrink, company files for bankruptcy.  It it like the story of Revere Ware over 50 years but it only took Instant Brands a decade to file for bankruptcy. file for bankruptcy.

But a few things about this bankruptcy make it even more interesting.  For one, the Instant Pot is essentially just a more modern rehash of what Revere Ware came out with in the 80’s, the Meal-n-Minutes pressure cooker.  Tell me these things don’t look alike:

But wait, there’s more.  In 2019, Corelle bought merged with Instant Pot.  So not only does the Instant Pot story resemble the Revere Ware story, but the same company now actually owns the Revere Ware brand.  One has to wonder if it isn’t the ghost of Revere Ware that ultimately caused the bankruptcy.  The successors to Revere Ware have bounced around in mediocrity for the better part of 4 decades, and now they are taking Instant Pot with them.

Another interesting thing is that the brand rollup that is Corelle Instant Brands also includes Ekco.  Ekco isn’t listed as one of the brands Instant Brands includes, but it is included in the bankruptcy filing.

I can’t say I’m mad at Corelle Instant Brands for killing off Revere Ware; the cookware they produced over the last 30 years was almost famous for it’s poor quality.  I think perhaps discontinuing the brand might have contributed to the renaissance Revere Ware is having in the hearts and minds of cooks across America.  There are 5 times as many Revere Ware pieces for sale on eBay now then there were when Revere Ware was still being sold.

In any event, we do happen to love our instant pot.  I must admit, my wife is the master; the only thing I can cook so far in the Instant Pot is rice.  But there are at least half a dozen alternatives to the Instant Pot, so I don’t think this type of appliance will be leaving our kitchens anytime soon, the outcome of the Instant Brands bankruptcy notwithstanding.

The Revere Ware brand remains popular among enthusiasts and long time cookware owners, as evidenced by our strong sales of parts, and the growing amount of vintage Revere Ware cookware for sale on eBay.  But actual news about Revere Ware is thin on the ground.  If you search Google or any other search engine for “Revere Ware” you will mostly find (a) us, and (b) old, recycled content. And of course, people using the term in paid search results to grab web traffic, as we wrote about the other day.

This lack of real Revere Ware news is further evidenced by the above mentioned article becoming the news in our latest Google search alert for Revere Ware.

That gave me a good chuckle.

Update: And on it goes

Reader Henry send in this interesting stamp on the bottom of a vintage Revere Ware piece.

The S on the bottom marks the piece as a second, meaning, there was something wrong with it that it wasn’t up to the standard for sale as a new piece.  But given the fact that a number of people have come across well-used pieces with that stamp, seconds were likely perfectly functional nonetheless.