This is a fan site for Descoware–a brand of enamel cookware made until the mid-seventies. The enamelware was originally manufactured as “Bruxelles Ware” with the Descoware name coming from the American import company D.E Sanford Co. The brand was popularized by the wonderful Julia Child, who was kind enough to recommend products without endorsement fees. All are welcome and if you have an interest in Descoware– toss your two cents in. Your email stays safe, no spam here. Please be kind and enjoy your stay. The “Author” has no commercial interest except his own small collection. There are some ads on the site and most years those ads pay for the hosting and nothing more.
Please email pictures if you have some! info-at- descoware.com and YES pictures with food in the piece is good!
The buttons on the right (and top) will move you around the site. Mostly words at the top–pictures on the right.
Your moderator is Kevin, an artist, writer and tinker in Oregon. His Descoware story is here.
I have a piece of Descoware which is alligatored–tiny criss-cross lines all over the bottom of the inside. A friend of mine had a similar problem with a piece of his Le Crueset, and the company replaced it free of charge. Any chance of Descoware doing the same thing for me?
Thanks,
Teresa Barton
I have two small covered roasters in Flame. They have white interiors.
Both are marked Made in Belgium and DescoWare. I have to down size and can no longer handle the heavier cookware. How can I determine a fair value if I decide to sell these?
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weblog Descοware | A Fan Site for
the Antіquе “Made in Belgium” Enamel
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Here iѕ my website; psychic medium
I am not sure if you are aware of this. I read a info just like Descoware | A Fan Site for the
Antique “Made in Belgium” Enamel Cookware the other
day on … shiver me timbers I can’t remember the websites just now however it was also about loan officer lead too. I will get back to you if it comes to me.
A buddy was moving and cleaning out his kitchen. Knowing that cooking is a passion of mine and I am an ardent purveyor of thrift store kitchen implements, he asked if I wanted a “box of kitchen stuff He (I) no longer use.” Replying quickly and eagerly with a resounding “YES” I stopped by his place and picked up my box of “stuff.” Lo and behold, there were not one, not two but THREE pieces of Descoware cookware! A large skillet 2 inches deep, and both a small and medium sized pots with wooden handles and lids. I know of Descoware from my thrift store pursuits but had yet to acquire any, until now. I am happily using my new found quite stylish Descoware for all things culinary. I look forward to many years of cooking with this most excellent, high quality kitchenware.
Hi Kevin:
Thanks for creating this site. I found a flame orange, size 16-2-H round Descoware Dutch oven that I purchased back in the 70′s buried deep in my pantry. It’s in great shape but is lacking a lid. I just purchased a yellow lid until I can locate a reasonably priced matching flame orange one. If anyone has a lid this size who wants to sell it, I’d appreciate your contacting me at jglevin11@yahoo.com.
I’ve used my new found friend several times already, making stews, chili, roast chicken, etc and everything has turned out great. I love it.
JL
I have the orange belgium cookware and was pasted down to me from my passing mother. I have a question for you how in the world does one get the stains out from it and if you have any ideas please e-mail me on that.
I do wish you well in finding a match top for yours and I will keep your e-mail if my bottom pot does get dropped or cracked for you to have the top orange in color.
Love Cooking
RE: Removing stains from enamaled cast iron ware;
What JoanMarie said, plus heat it on the stove top on low to medium heat. This “activates” the clorox more, and removes the deep stains better & faster.
Good luck.
Hi, I have a full set of Descoware given to me as a gift when I was 18 years old-I just turned 63! And I have added numerous pieces over the years.
Most of the time the stains can be removed by putting warm water and a good dose of Clorox bleach inside the pot. Let it soak a long time. If it fails the first time around-try again using a stronger bleach/water ratio.
Then just give the pan a good scrubbing with soap till you can not smell the bleach.
I have done this with all my pots over the years-and they all look new-inside and out.
Stains or built up grease on the outside can be removed by using some Bon Ami , which will not scratch. I have tried many things over the years and this is the most reliable and safe.
Enjoy your pots and the memories attached-
The bottoms of the pieces get worn out and abused–and that leaves a very nice lid. The only reasonable source is eBay… which is very reliable over time.
2-E
10
The bottom of my pan is stamped with
Descoware Made in Belgium
FE
Belgium
Any ideas on what year ?
I have a number of pieces of Descoware made in Belgium that I have had since 1956. Only one piece is in near mint condition — a 3 compartment baking dish — which I don’t use. Most of the wooden handles have come off of the saucepan and skillets but I still use them. I think Decoware was the best cookware ever made.
I too had handles coming off. I simply found a machine shop that could turn a handle for me and he was happy to make one. It it was great. I did have him just glue it in the pot so no more cooking in the oven.
You may be able to replace the handles if you visit the website Etsy.com. I noticed someone there makes the wood replacement handles for the Creusets. Worth a try.
Maria
I found two Red/Orange Descoware Pot holders. I cannot find them on the web anywhere. Does anyone know anything about them? Or a website that talks about them so I can research them. Thank you
Would really love to have a picture of that, Kelley! info -at- descoware.com
Hi there,
I have a pan that measures 14 1/4″ L x 8 3/4″ W and is 2″ deep. It is orange on the outside and white on the insde. It has handles at both ends and is made of cast iron and enamel (of course). My question is, can this piece be a Descoware piece if there are absolutely no markings on it what-so-ever? I dont know if there was ever a lid to this piece or not, but either way, I dont have one if there was. I am wondering how to tell who made this pan. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME?
Hello Cori,
I just bought what sounds exactly what you described at an estate sale,
only with a lid. On the underside of the lid is MADE IN BELGIUM.
Hope this helps.
Karen
I have a delightful collection of miniature Descoware in yellow. these were obviously made for the children’s market.
Hi! I just bought a 9 piece set of Descoware today! Nice Lemon yellow color and the set looks great with only one chip out of the larger pan on the outside. Will have some pics soon so you can see what they look like.
While researching Descoware, I came across this site on Etsy which replaces the handles!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/68947145/free-shipping-hardwood-replacement?ref=sr_list_1&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=descoware&ga_view_type=list&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade
I just bought a 9 piece set of Desoware today. It’s a Lemon yellow color and has all the handles. One lid is missing a knob and I need to see if that can be replaced… Will have pics soon so you can see what the set looks like. It’s in great condition with only one chip on the outside of the larger pot.
Here’s link for a guy who replaces Handles for Desoware:
Free Shipping Hardwood REPLACEMENT Handle for Descoware Cast Iron Enamel Coated Pots Pans & Skillets
http://www.etsy.com/listing/68947145/free-shipping-hardwood-replacement?ref=sr_list_1&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=descoware&ga_view_type=list&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade
Wow interesting, I didn’t knew anything about descoware, until 2 days ago when I bought a mint condition 24cm dutch oven one on a flea market. I paid about 3usd……. guess I was lucky.
My husband purchased a small turquoise frying pan at a Goodwill. The Markings on the bottom are Descoware Special Made in Belgium. Above that are the markings of B1-B 21 C. Is this a rare find and is what is the approximate value? Thank you.
HELP!!!! I broke the Handel off my six inch fry pan ( the lid to my sauce pan) do you know of any way I can have it replaced? I have been cooking my morning egg in it for over thirty years (I started when I was six) eggs just don’t taste the same.
Thank you
EgglessJess
have had disco ware set since collage, problem is, enamel has started to
peel. can I repair(how?) or is it safe to continue cooking with it? please
help!…………………….akanadre
Hi y’all……..thrift store and garage sale addicts….fellows!
picked lovely red saucepan with lid, with grid on bottom, middle of which has DESCOHARE, neath which SPCC-I8, under which is I 1/2 QT.
NO, I TOO THOUGHT IT OUGHT BE DESCOWARE BUT ON HAVING MARGE READ IT SHE RECKONED THE CONTROVERSIAL LETTER IS AN ….M.
about two year ago at such a sale got for nought a lid that fits this beauty, by Le Creuset but lighter in colour than the Belgian…..which i have renamed my Poirot!
Hi, does anyone know if Descoware ever used cadmium in their cast-iron pieces? I noted concern over Le Creuset’s flame orange pieces, and Descoware has a lot of the same color. Was looking to buy a vintage piece, but not if there’s the potential for cadmium leaching. Thanks!
i have a pot and skillet with cover and i was wondering what can be done about missing the handles for it. it just came off after being loose for some time.
I was hoping you would replace it.
Thanks
Sabine
I just inherited a set of DescoWare last week – thought all these years it was Le Creuset brand, but looked at the pieces and saw the name… set is the flame orange color, and dates to the early to mid – 60′s, as my mother, who received the pieces for Christmas, Mother’s Day, etc., passed in 1965. All pieces would probably date back to that time.
There are handles missing from two pcs. and I hope you will be able to help with obtaining replacements. I have a large frying pan and lid, a very small frying pan, a dutch oven with lid, a smaller casserole with lid —
I am also looking for a handle for a 7″ flame descoware boiler. Has anyone found a substitute?
Hi Descoware fans! I just wanted to post the link to the brand new Facebook fan page for Descoware (amazingly, there wasn’t one, so I created one.) Please join and post your pictures and stories!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Descoware/223489987677107
Thanks Emily!
I have a green tea kettle/steamer that I purchased in 1974 from the same store in which I purchased my first Descoware in 1968. (Franklin’s Hardware in Woodland Hills, CA) and Descoware was the only enameled cast iron product they carried at that time. They had carried Griswold in the past and indeed still had an advertising piece for Griswold that I tried to purchase – no luck.
The lid to the tea kettle was significantly damaged in the ’94 earthquake when it fell off the lid rack above the stove and struck the cast iron grate on my stovetop at just the correct angle to break the handle and half the enamel from the lid.
Descoware produced this distinctive handle on this style teakettle and a slightly different one on a coffee pot.
I have seen other green Descoware items but they are not the same shade of green and they are sort of cream colored inside. This gray interior is exactly the same shade as in the yellow Descoware I purchased at the same time.
I got the green teakettle because the store was sold out of the flame and the yellow.
It is quite heavy.
You can see photos of it here:
http://s63.photobucket.com/albums/h129/Basenjibabe91/COOKWARE%20ANTIQUE%20and%20VINTAGE/
I just picked up a beautiful pale blue Descoware dutch oven with lid yesterday at an estate sale. It has the nice gradation of a pale blue morning-glory. I’m not finding much online regarding this color. I am already totally in love with this piece.
I recently found these two yellow descoware pot and pan set and am trying to learn more about them. Does anyone know what year descoware officially started production? Why are they made so small? Thank you for any help!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/69167296/1950s-descoware-pot-and-pan
We have some Descoware from about 1970 that my mom bought when she first was married. We had a frying pan somewhere. There are now 3 pots. A small one with a wooden handle, a dutch oven, and then a larger dutch oven. They are in sort of an avocado/sage green. I prefer to use them rather than anything else. They are great for stews, rice, poaching pears, making custard, cranberry sauce, making soup, mashed potatoes. You can put them in the oven and cook a pot roast. They are great. Sort of an early Le Cruset.
I just snagged a SQUARE casserole/baker piece in cherry flame! I have never seen one before, anyone else? It has the “fishtail” style handles on either side with a white enamel interior. Actually, it’s technically a rectangle, but 9″ x 6″ and 3.5″ deep. It’s not specifically marked “Descoware” on the bottom, but has “Made in Belgium” and #20 stamp with an interesting DD (the second D being backwards) mark on the back.
I just love it. In fact, I just went through and labeled all my food posts picturing my collection of vintage Descoware and Le Creuset. Some interesting stories there!
http://bentobloggy.blogspot.com/search/label/Descoware
Emily! Thanks for the link showing Some Actual Food. Seems All I ever get is pictures of empty pans…
BTW, I have a food blog that I regularly feature my Descoware collection in! For instance, baked mashed potatoes in a small casserole: http://bentobloggy.blogspot.com/2011/01/baked-mashed-potatoes.html
I just found this site and love it. Have been “collecting” Descoware since 1998 and now have way more than I should, but will never part with one piece. (and still look for things I don’t have)
Now my question: Does anyone know how much pink Descoware was made….what pieces? The first Descoware item I bought was a pink pot…..small Dutch oven…….and the only other thing I’ve ever found in that color is an exact replica. (I bought it, too)
I agree with the poster who said these items are great rice cookers. But then, the only things I use to cook in now are Descoware or old black cast-iron.
To the other poster concerning the black interior of a Descoware dish……I have two that are blue outside/ black inside and use them all the time. No, I don’t think it’s “teflon”…..mine appear to be just cast iron with no enamel on the interior.
Would love to hear from anyone who knows more about the pink……..or has some to sell!!
I have never seen pink, I would love to see that.
My daughter gave me a set of DescoWare that she received from her mother-in-law. My daughter said she tried to fry and sautee in the pans, but everything stuck. Is there some way that the porcelain has to be conditioned, or is there a secret to the temperature? I love my cast iron ware (of which I have about a dozen), and I’ll try the DescoWare to compare it against the plain cast iron. Please encourage me.
Tarheel Hawkeye
People have forgotten the tricks to using regular pans without sticking. Follow these rules and you shouldn’t go to wrong.
1. Make sure the pan is already HOT before you put your food in. Put the enamelware over medium flame and let it sit for a full minute or so without your oil.
2. Add your oil or butter to pan.
3. Put your ingredients in next. Meat should be thawed and even ‘tempered’ up to room temp is best. I usually bring the thawed meat out of the fridge and let sit on the counter covered while I prep all my other ingredients. That’s usually plenty of time. If your ingredients are too cold, they will cool the pan considerably and now it’s as if you never warmed it.
4. Even though you have done everything right it will still stick! Don’t fret the glass is half full! Now you’ll know when it’s time to turn it over, because you do it when your able to flip it without tearing it a up! It will release when it has a perfect sear, and the brown stains left behind are the beginnings of a sauce:
5. Deglaze the pan with a splash of wine.
Happy cooking!
Great tips! Thanks, Tom.
Descoware is a porcelainized cast iron. It is NOT non-stick. Treat it like any stainless steel pan, in that you need oil or butter for sauteing. Use heat to about 350 degrees for best results, not higher (MEDIUM.) You can go hotter, but it isn’t necessary. If things stick, it is sometimes because the meat is NOT YET DONE, and it needs to cook longer. Then it should release, when it is cooked through the outside areas, unless the pan is too hot and it is burning.
“Butter and/or Olive oil” should not go above 300 degrees; canola maybe 350 degrees; peanut Oil, a little higher. I never use Crisco, but opt for “SPECTRUM non-hydrogenated palm shortening”. The good thing is you can soak the inside of the Descoware, by filling it with water, and placing on the range and reheating a bit. It usually cleans up really well. If you do stain it, BON AMI made into a paste, and let stand a few hours should clean it up. ( I have even used a tiny bit of bleach in water to remove tough stains, but know that this will weaken the enamel over time, and should not be done often, but it does work to whiten the stains. ) I love my DESCOWARE.
IF YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING in HIGH HIGH HEAT, USE REGULAR WELL SEASONED “BLACK CAST IRON” WITHOUT THE ENAMEL coatings (with no PORCELAIN) FOR EXCELLENT RESULTS. YOU CAN USE BLACK ENAMEL IN YOUR BBQ EASILY TOO!
I have three pots of various sizes. The Brand name is Descoware, made in Belgium.
The wood handles have long been unusable, I would like to replace the handles but I cannot locate a source. can you help. Thanks.
Here’s my Descoware story!
http://bentobloggy.blogspot.com/2010/07/flea-market-treasures.html
and
http://bentobloggy.blogspot.com/2010/08/flea-market-treasures-continued.html
I continue to collect, I’m obsessed with them!
Anyone ever seen a piece of Descoware with a BLACK interior, rather than the usual shiny cream or grey? I just received a piece I won, on Ebay–the elusive sky blue gradient color–and now I’m sitting here, wondering if I dare USE it. If it’s teflon, I’ll just have to admire it, instead. Boo hoo.
I’ve searched various Descoware fan sites, and cannot find any mention of a time when Descoware did the “Straub thing” and had black, non-stick, NON teflon interiors. Anybody know?
The pot states “Made in Belgium” so that helps date it. I’m hoping that helps date it as PRE-teflon, as well.
Thanks.
In the mid-to-late 1960′s Descoware was acquired by Le Creuset . . the mating of these two companies was both confusing and experimental for a number of years. Le Creuset used a number of the Descoware molds acquired for a few years and applied their own porcelain interior and/or early non-stick surface. I could tell you more, if I saw a picture of the piece.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salvation-Army-Thrift-Shoppers/153655304655008?ref=ts
This is my new Facebook site, where I ask you all to tell me what your favorite THRIFT SHOP FINDS are. Of course, my favorite is DESCOWARE!
I have never seen ANY cast iron with a “teflon” inside, but I have seen many with the original black inside. I would use it. If it is black enamel, it is easy. If it is untreated cast iron, put some PALM OIL SHORTENING, my favorite is SPECTRUM ORGANIC, no transfat or hydrogenated oils (won’t go rancid) in a thin layer on the black parts. You only need to “season” the untreated parts. Put in in a 300 degree oven for an hour, wipe it out and it will not rust. It is probably wonderful. Not sure if it is actually DESCOWARE, but the BELGIUM cast iron manufacturers did a great job. They made things for many companies.
If the underside is not enamel, and is unseasoned black cast iron, use a cookie pan covered in foil, and place the greased pan inside so it doesn’t get your oven sticky.
Works great. I have a few brands of cast iron, INNOVA, PRIZERWARE, Le CREUSET, FARBERWARE, and they all cook just fine….
but my most used and most loved is my DESCOWARE!!!
Finding the LATE history has proved more difficult than finding early history… the company kept changing hands. I have one of those non-stick coated blue fry pans, too. I can’t find any brochure or ad that mentions that pan. Sure looks like teflon to me.
Hi. I recently picked up a what looks to be a “matched” yellow pot and skillet. The skillet fits perfect on the pot when you put it on upside down and align the handles. The pot is marked 89-B 22 O at the top and FE Belgium on the bottom. The skillet does not have any markings. I’m wondering was it really made to be a “set”? Or is it just coincidental that the skillet fits so perfect? I’m wondering if the pieces are hard to find or common items. Thanks!! Here’s a link to a picture:
http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae236/tippythecat/Decowareshrunk.jpg
Look at the ADS and BROCHURES on this site. In the one I supplied there is a picture of the set we are talking about. It is called “CONVERTIBLE”.
Also on the other brochure there looks to be a picture of a pan and saucepan with a black interior. Is that the other one mentioned above in another letter?
—————————————————————–
Thanks, DESCOWARE GUY for keeping this site so well organized!!!
A BIG FAN OF YOURS!
Candy Eve
I have two, they are a set. They were sold as the saucepan, and frypan lid. One of mine is the flame orange red by DESCOWARE, and the other is a “copy” of the style in brown by Le Creuset. The Descoware is lighter weight and easy to handle. Anyone want to buy the LC??? LOL!!!!
I just bought the exact same set at a garage sale – and know nothing about this set except that it appears to be of high quality – i was coming online to try to discover something about it
Did anyone ever notice that the cosbies Le Creuset cookware ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_98jhhZhB0Q
Hi Kevin,
I so enjoy marveling at the wealth of info on your site, as I am a proud new owner of some fantastic descoware. As a potential collector of this cookware, I am interested to know if there is a catalog of all the items that descoware produced over the years, and, for example, the capacity, size, etc. of the items.
Specifically, do you know if a bean pot larger than 3qt capacity was made? I am planning to purchase one on E-bay, or Etsy, or Shopgoodwill.com as they come up, but as an avid home cook who often cooks for several people, I feel like 3 quart capacity might be a bit on the small side. Please do share what you know before I am tempted to shell out for something that may not be exactly what I need.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Tx
Hi Teri–I’ve been watching nealry 10 year and it’s just the one bean pot size.
I inherited a piece of flame Descoware from my grandmother. After looking at the Le Creuset website, I would consider it to be a braiser, complete with the lid. I didn’t see any pictures of it on the website, though. Does anyone else have one? I have used the thing like mad, making everything from pot roast to lasagna in it. I can remember my grandmother making pot roast in it, then using it on the stove to make gravy from the drippings. She passed when I was nine, so it was quite a while before I inherited the pan, but I’m glad that I ended up with it. It’s been with me since college.
Thank you so much for this website. It’s very interesting to finally learn about the one piece of cookware that I will never leave my home until I die. Now I have promised myself to keep a lookout for Descoware at garage sales, flea markets, estate sales, and antique stores. I want more of it!
Drat the Luck… more competition on eBay! Send me a picture LeAnna…?
I posted my collection of descoware on youtube.com (I only have 1 piece). I put a plug in for this site in my youtube video. So far, no one has seen it. I am surprised that when you look up descoware on youtube, no one has showed their collections. I think it would be a good idea.
HEllo,
i have seen both of your videos on you tube , you have a very nice collection of vintage cookware .
Wow…after 30 years on the road…hotel food, some great meals…many not so great…I have retired to my kitchen and found my wife’s few pieces of Descoware. Good food is so much better when you can cook with the right tools. I only have the dutch oven and small wooden handled saute pan. Both in orange handed down at least two generations. Both are superb.
Great site. Thanks.
Congrats on the return home, D.R. Now that you’ve taken up cooking… send a picture of something that you made! Far too many pictures of empty pans here.
Greetings Kevin!
It sounds like a lot of other folks here have fond memories of this large, heavy, cookware! And like many others, I have inherited my Aunt’s set. Mom used several of the pieces until they became too heavy for her to hoist around the kitchen. Its a beautiful set. Used, but lovingly. But it’s so danged heavy! When I fill the fry pan w/enough hamburger helper to feed this brood of 7, I can’t lift the fry pan off the stove! The set is sitting in a box on a chair… should I keep it? It’s really NICE. Much much nicer than anything I currently have. But they’re really heavy! (side note: i have issues w/my wrists) I’m debating whether to ditch what I’ve got (everything is from the dollar store) and replace it with Mom’s Descoware or part ways with it. Can anyone give me a good reason not to find it another home?
Patte,
Get some magnetic bracelets. They will help your wrists to feel better, and give the muscles more strength to lift the heavier Cast Iron Pans more easily. Luckily the DESCOWARE was made 35 percent lighter than the other brands! Best of luck and health to you!’
Candy Eve
I just got an article I wrote about my favorite DESCOWARE published on another site.
http://www.frugal-cafe.com/kitchen-pantry-food/articles/descoware-tips-info-cleaning-collecting.html
Please see it. I mentioned YOU KEVIN and your great site in the article. The link is there too!
Candy Eve
Patte, I might be interested in taking those heavy pans off that chair if you would be interested in selling them. what pieces do you have?
thanks,
Ann
annstran@bex.net
We just bought our first Descoware piece at a garage sale for $2.00. I happened to look it up online to see how best to care for it. It is a yellow skillet with a beautiful wooden handle. Any tips on how best to cook with it/care for it?
Thanks!
Tab at the top…. Maintenance! If you come across any good tips, pass them along.
I just saw the JULIE and JULIA movie and it was wonderful. I loved every minute of it. I only have one gripe, I suppose they got paid a heap to do this, but they swapped out the DESCOWARE DUTCH OVEN for the LE CREUSET, and kept showing the LC logos throughout. They even swapped in while shooting in the ACTUAL kitchen that once belonged to JULIA!!! That was not authentic and made me cringe!!!!
To be accurate, all they had to do was leave the scenes with JULIA CHILD using her DESCOWARE, (there was one scene that I noticed with an old DESCOWARE fry pan with wooden handle hanging there….) and then JULIE could have used the LE CREUSET. That would have been fine.
But, OH WELL, only we DESCOWARE lovers will notice that piece of lost history!
The rest of the movie was WONDERFUL, and I hope that Meryl Streep gets an academy award for her performance. I heard her say in an interview she had to gain 40 pounds for the role!!!
GO SEE IT!!!!
Hi – I thought it was a Dru Holland casserole that went into the oven – a blue one with tulips painted on it. I have one like that, and more. Does anyone else have Dru?
Excellent information.
I have a complete set.
You can use Descoware on any stove, and a diffuser will help alleviate hot spots, if the range burners have uneven heating, but do not use a diffuser on high heat, they will warp if cooked much over 350 degrees. The pot won’t, the Nordicware burner cover will!
I just got another set on EBAY inexpensively, as my older burner cover got really warped making the pots rock on the range. I boiled spaghetti water on high on the diffuser burner cover, and forgot to lower it fast. DUMB MISTAKE!!!
Hi Olivia,
See my Reply to Kevin about the Range top DIFFUSERS made by NORDICWARE, allowing use of DESCOWARE on an electric range.
These also work well with PYREX and CORNINGWARE glass pots, and percolators. BUT keep the heat to MEDIUM LOW, and never go high for more than a few minutes. You can heat the diffuser but not the glassware!
The finish on the diffuser may change permanently with excess heat, but it will still work, but I recommend the lower heat. It helps the food to heat evenly in any pot, even stainless ones. My favorite cookware, and I have collected MANY MANY things, is absolutely DESCOWARE!!!!
Can Descoware be used on an electric stove? I know gas is best but I now have electric.
Thanks in advance for any information
You bet–it works well but it’s very slow to heat when used on electric. If you have a smooth top, the descoware can cause some scratching to the stove–the very bottom edge is cast iron. Iron is a little rough.
Kevin,
You can buy a diffuser for the electric rangetops. NordicWare makes them.They cover the electric range heating elements and are fabulous. Nothing will burn if you keep the heat between medium and MED-LOW. Plus you can heat the pots after washing them for a few minutes instead of putting them into the oven and heating up the whole house!
I use them on my range and they heat up fast, and evenly and work great. I don’t know if this would work on a glasstop, but on a standard range it is great. you can probably use them on a gas range too. They come in two sizes, for each burner, and run about $20 each at the most.
See http://www.surlatable.com/product/id/126434.do
Candy Eve
Hi Descoware lovers,
Was watching an old episode of The Odd Couple on late night TV and noticed that Oscar and Felix have a lovely set of yellow in their 70s kitchen. Just sayin’.
Hope we get to see some in the upcoming Julie and Julia movie.
which leaves me with one of those lingering 70s question… am I an Oscar or a Felix?
Hi Kevin,
I sent you a copy of a Descoware ad. The Flame was called CHERRY FLAME, the Yellow was called CITRON. Funny for orange and pale yellow, huh? Did you receive it? I can resend it if you never got it.
Candy
I have a set of yellow which includes 3 pots, lrg, med, small, 4 sizes of sauce pans, 1 double boiler, 4 frying pans, lrg, med, sm & xsm, plus all the wooden handles. These were my grandmothers which I had been watching her cook with since I was a teenager (1970′s). Approx. 7 years ago she moved into an ALF and left behind her Descoware, it sat unused in her home for 4-5 years. She passed away 3 years ago & approx. 2 years ago I finally got the courage to go in & clean out her belongings. My son moved into his own home & I gave him my complete set of Visions cookware & started using Nanny’s Descoware. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I did that, the Descoware is the BEST cookware I have ever used. Not to mention the memories of Nanny’s kitchen everytime I use it. I just had no idea how awesome & valueable Descoware was, what a nice surprise. Maybe someday my grand daughter will “discover” these treasures.
Thanks for the website!
Dawn
Hi Kevin,
I have a piece that I picked up recently that has me puzzled. When I first saw it I was sure that it was Dru Holland. It is a light blue with a darker blue decorated pattern. But when I turned it over, it was marked Descoware. I can’t find any other pieces like this on line. Do you know anything about it? I have pictures I would be happy to forward to you.
Thanks!
Alex
Descoware did some “clones” of the other companies’ patterns so it seems. I have seen them as well. I do not think that is actually a Dru Holland piece. They are priced now about the same.
Kevin, thank you for this site, I have a sauce pan that I found for a quarter at a yard sale and it just really caught my eye,(flame/orange), and the other day my father-in-law brought a box to me two pots, one with the wood handle and both with lids and a set of three varied sizes of skillets. I was excited to say the least!! I found this site and it has helped me know a lot more about my wonderful gift. Keep up the great work.
My daughter and I recently bought 2 cool casserole dishes at a garage sale. They were marked Descoware. It has been fun finding out about this cookware. My question is: One of the casseroles is still in the box never used with the instruction/recipe insert inside. This was obviously bought for a gift and never given. How much do you think this is worth? It says on the box 2 3/4. I assume that means quarts? It is oval and flame colored.
Is there a piece of Descoware that anyone is just DYING to find/own? Rare type, shape, color or item?
Discuss.
looking for Descoware Autumn Leaves Casserole, measures 14″ by 9″ by 5″, I think this is atleast 6 quarts . . . willing to pay $$$ if the interior is in good condition as I will use for cooking
I am delighted that I found this site. I wish they still made their pans. The idea of the removable wooden handle is fantastic and so practical. I have several sauce pans and frying pans. They are so much better than le Creuset. The best was the sauce pan with the lid which was shaped to cover the pouring spout. Where might I be able to buy some more?
Thank you