Tammy asked about the hermetically sealing bins I'd bought. I thought I'd included a link, but I failed. I haven't done one of my favorite purchases posts in quite a long while. I did purchase a few things I think you might find useful or helpful, every single one for the kitchen.
Oven liners were something I'd never even heard of until I was watching a vlog post by Tara (Living on a Dime). I thought this was the most brilliant thing and wondered why on earth I'd no one had mentioned them before. I bought these oven liners because they could be cut to fit the size of my gas oven, leaving the vents free.
They come 2 to a package and I can tell you truly that wiping them clean once they cool is so much easier than cleaning the oven after every single drip or spill. You can use them on a gas or charcoal grill as well. I saved the pieces I cut to use on our grill when cooking meats likely to slip into the coals. I can't tell you how long they last. I can tell you that I got mine around Thanksgiving and I put them in the bottom of the oven as soon as I'd cleaned it.
I love my French White corning ware casserole pieces. The 4 piece round casseroles came with glass lids for the two larger pieces and plastic lids for each of the four pieces. I've loved having the air tight storage for the fridge, as the lids do not slip out of place the way the glass lids can. As well, you can stack the casseroles on top of one another using the plastic lid. You obviously cannot when using the glass lid. You can NOT use these in the oven and I don't use the plastic covers in the microwave either.
Over the years the plastic lids have split and warped. Considering that they lasted close to 15 years, I have no complaints about their quality. Replacement lids can be found on Amazon.
I'm only linking to the one size, but you can find the others with a bit of nosing around.
Another item I love: my pyrex bowls. I mostly use these in John's lunch bag. I have 1 cup and 2 cup sizes. These lids too have split and torn over time. They haven't lasted nearly so well as the corning ware lids did but I think that's partly because he will use them in the microwave, despite my saying he oughtn't. Over time I've kept all these glass bowls and lost all the lids. Here I had all these dishes and I didn't want to have to buy new sets. Again replacement lids are the answer.
Okay....I really didn't want to invest in plastic storage pieces nor zippered bags as convenient as they are to use, hence all the replacement lids for my pieces. But now and then all of my glass pieces are in use and I need a little more for food storage. The solution I found on a now defunct blog was silicone lids.
I loathe plastic wrap. All I've ever gotten from a box of clingfilm is upset as it tends to stick to itself better than any item I care to wrap. I like these silicone lids pretty well. They stretch to fit different sized bowls and pans or pie plates. I will say that while these work fairly well, they don't work on every bowl but I've learned about which lid will fit which piece. I can say it's expanded what I can use for storage and again, I'm dealing with a load of new disposable type plastic pieces.
I am still loving Flat Iron Discs as my go to hanger for plates and trays and will eventually put them on pictures as well.
The discs come in various sizes. They are easy to apply but read the directions. You can't just slap them on a plate. They are removable but they have never turned loose of anything until I soaked it off. Unlike the wire plate hangers they do not put stress on fine china pieces.
The hermetically sealing bins I mentioned that I purchased are a no name product, but they are exactly like these by Ziploc and cost about the same.
They are weathertight bins and you can buy them in various sizes from small to much larger. I am super happy with these for storage in my pantry. I've had ants get into packaging in the past and while we now have pest control coming routinely, I really didn't want to keep dry goods in that closet without having them properly stored. These bins would also be great for garage storage or in a shed.
Finally I ordered an aqua blue pasta bowl from Zulily
These are the items I had on my order history list or can recall purchasing in the past few months. I've felt each of these was money well spent
13 comments:
Terri,
If you have any plastic wrap around, it’s much more controllable if you keep it in the freezer. I prefer glass and silicone too and have pretty much replaced everything with glass. I enjoyed all of your holiday posts. Thank you.
Happy New Year 2019 to you, John and the family. Dale
Thank you!
I added some of the containers and the silicone lids to my Amazon shopping list. I'd seen the lids and wondered about them. I was glad to read that they work well for you.
That blue bowl is lovely.
I love when I buy things and end up enjoying them more than I realized I would.
I also bought an oven liner recently, but my oven currently looks like a food fight took place in there so it won't go in until I work up the courage to sit down and clean it. I really miss the wall oven I used to have. It's soooo much easier to clean. I'm always afraid of twanging my back and breaking the door off on our regular one!! Or, I wish they'd invent and oven that has a swing open door instead of up and down. I have orangutan arms, but they're still not long enough to easily get the back!
I think my favorite purchase for this year was a cross we got at Hobby lobby. It's fairly simple, but it was exactly what I needed to begin liking the wall over our fireplace. I've tried various things, but that cross seemed to center perfectly and gave me all sorts of inspiration to surround it. Plus, it's a cross!
Dale, Waving hello and thanking you for the card! I'm so happy you're in your home. Thank you for sharing that tip! I don't keep plastic wrap around but if anyone gives me any, I'll be sure to try this.
Tammy, I'm glad you were able to get some of both those items.
Debby, in the 1950s they DID have an oven with a door that would swing out to one side rather than open down. I can remove my oven door. I'm not saying it's the easiest thing to do nor that it's easy to get it back on (well some days it all works great) but your husband could do it for you. You just partially open the door then lift and pull upwards and it slides off the hinges. Makes cleaning much easier. The best thing though is that with the oven liner unless I really mess up badly, I don't have to worry about removing the door to clean the oven.
I have meant to ask you for so long what it was you used to put trays on the wall. I thought I remembered you mentioning it ages ago. Then you told us again. Thanks!
Thank you for the recommendations on things. Also I never thought about looking on line for replacement tops for my Pyrex. DA. :))
I saw the oven liners at Aldi the other day so I will see about the width I will need. I don't know the quality of theirs verses others but it is a start. Can it lay directly on the bottom of the oven? I see it in the picture it is on a wire rack. I will keep the vents uncovered.
My corning ware was given to us at our wedding shower almost 49 years ago. Remember the plain white with the blue cornflower. I was given 5 pieces with lids plus two pie plates and they are still in use. After all these years I know just which ones work with different recipes. It would not seem like my kitchen without them. I think most of my pyrex is even older than them. I got them as I saw them used when we first married. Real workhorses. I always clean any stains or burned one food with baking soda made into a paste.
Isn't it such fun to shop for housewares. There are so many pretty colors and things to look at. Sometimes it is hard to choose which color to buy. There used to be so many stores with beautiful housewares departments. Also decorating objects. Seems Marshals, Home Goods and such stores now have more than the major department stores that are left. I miss actually being able to see all the pretties.
Sarah
Sarah, I actually enlarged that ad to read what it said about the oven liners: if you have an non visible heating element you must put it on the bottom rack. I have a gas stove and there is no heating element. You can cut these to size which is why I purchased the ones I did. I am sure the ones at Aldi can probably be cut as well. When I find something I like at Aldi I dare not leave it behind because it might anywhere from months to never that it's in stock once more!
I suppose your corning flower blue corningware is considered 'vintage' by now. I wonder if you can buy plastic lids to fit those dishes. My nesting casseroles are all round ones, but I have a big 9x13 with a heavy metal roasting rack and an oval roasting casserole (I think it's 5 quarts). I like that one for roasting a chicken.
I agree there seems much more variety in dishes at Marshalls or TJMAxx of Homegoods than at any department store, but I remember when the department stores actually carried dishware and glassware too. In Macon the Belks store always had a huge section devoted to china and stoneware and glass and crystal. Granny and I loved to just look when we were in the store. She had a thing for pretty dishes but eventually settled for a pretty blue and white Corelle set that was unusual. I think she and Mama visited an outlet store somewhere and she bought that set.
I love that color of green in those bowls.
I had the oven liners in my old oven but when we bought our new one with self-cleaning feature it says to not use them so I haven't. They are really handy though!
I love that blue bowl! SO pretty!
Terri, I had no idea that the oven door came off!! Thanks for letting me know. I have only started the struggle to reach in the past 5 yrs. or so. (Welcome to the 50's lol). It was never easy to clean the back, but I felt strong enough to do it without worrying about falling.
Hi Terri! Thanks so much for the great recommendations! I am embarrassed to say I never knew oven liners existed!
We have a self cleaning oven but I use our little toaster oven every day and will cut them down to use in there...so much better looking than the foil that currently lines the bottom tray!
Love,
Tracey
Xox
The reason I am so glad to find pretties at Marshals and other stores is I DO remember the big department stores of the past. :-) Now we seem to be reduced to so few places where they display home things beautifully and in quantity. One place where I lived had a whole huge floor of top quality furniture and dishes and housewares. The store had 4 stories. Each dish set on glass shelves set out with mirrors behind. Open stock patterns. Anything from Lynex..I hope I spelled that right, to Franciscan ware. I used to go as a teen and pick out things in my head and dream of the day I would have a home of my own. We have Macy's but things are not set out that pretty. I guess this is another..those were the days story! LOL Sarah
During the Christmas shopping season, I noticed Lowe’s stocked a few small kitchen appliances for gifts. They also had a limited edition Corningwsre casserole dish set in white with the blue cornflower pattern. Was so surprised to see that. Searched online and learned that the company celebrated the 60th anniversary of that pattern last year.
Out My Window: my favorite color at present. My Yeti's are that color and my phone case and wallet and...Seriously that color just makes me so very happy, so I keep adding it in to my life.
Karla, good to know that self cleaning ovens can't have the liner in.
Tracey, I had no idea about them until just about Thanksgiving when Tawra ha a pecan pie bake over in her oven. I was astonished and went right to Amazon to see how I too could have something so awesome, lol.
Sarah, wouldn't it be lovely to see department stores come back?
Carolyn< how cool! I don't need more corning ware but my very first set had those little blue flowers. That all got broken and then I had the cream with the fruit pattern on it. I got over those pieces and decided on French White as a good all around style to have.
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