Kitchen Pickin’: Lots of glasses and a French surprise

EAST TEXAS (KLTV/KTRE) - In this week’s edition of East Texas Kitchen Pickin’, after Jeff displays his finds from last weekend’s treasure hunting, Mama Steph surprises the guys with her own kitchen gadget.

Budweiser/NASCAR glass

Jeff: I spent four hours driving all over Smith County last Friday shopping garage sales. I had a good time, but didn’t find a single kitchen item. I headed for home and two doors from where I live was this garage sale. So I got my wife from home and we walked over and had a good time. This was our first kitchen purchase of the weekend and it was so close to home.

So this glass brands NASCAR and Budweiser and the New Hampshire Speedway. I got another glass that looks the same but has the branding of another race track. But those are two popular brands so I decided to get this. By the way, I noticed I have a habit of saying “I grabbed it” and “snatched it up” a lot in these summaries. I’ll try to stop that.

Steph: I know how East Texans, men and women alike, love NASCAR. I raised three boys so I got into it myself for a few years there. I am certain you’ll find a buyer for your shiny, mint condition glasses! Whoever hauled that all the way from New Hampshire without it being broken is a hero.

Christmas glass

Jeff: I have to admit, I didn’t do a good job of my research this week. I didn’t think I needed to know much about this week’s selection until Steph said “Is this Libby?” “I don’t know.” Those three words came out of my mouth a lot today. So I’m taking the time now to do a quick Google image search on this beauty. Standby. OK, so this is something called Houze. A company founded out of Pennsylvania in 1902 and they shut down in 2004. I found a great article on the company.

Steph: I absolutely love the stained glass look of this Christmas glass. It’s just beautiful. I bet someone has a collection of these and is looking for more! Houze did a lovely job with this design. I can taste the eggnog now....

Christmas mug

Jeff: Steph was funny. She very delicately stated, “this is worth about a buck.” Again, I came in clueless on this one. Full disclosure: when my wife sees something pretty and the price is right, she elects to buy it. It’s actually not a bad strategy! She was right about the Houze glass and now I’ve learned this one is from Houston Foods and it’s also vintage. Created in 1992. We’re also learning you can’t go wrong with Christmas themes.

Steph: Christmas is a good theme, yes. When I saw this mug, my mind went straight to the dollar store mugs because they flood the shelves every year, but honestly, I see this particular one on Ebay for $10 to $20, so I guess because of where and/or when it was made, it’s better. Yay for you! You got me on this one.

Corelle plates

Jeff: If it’s Corelle or Pyrex or Corningware, we take a look every time. This design looked unique compared to others we’d seen.

Steph: This is Corelle’s Country Cottage pattern. I like Corelle, as I said on the show, because it’s light, inexpensive, and practically unbreakable, which is so great if you have kids. I particularly love their pasta bowls. I think this pattern is really sweet, and I love the shine on all their dishes. I am a sucker for shiny, glittery things, in general.

Pyrex dish

Jeff: This was in excellent condition and an easy pickup. I love the color. Steph says it’s harvest gold or something like that. It has the ID number of 043 and it’s 1.5 quarts. Looks like it comes from the 1970s. Steph says this glass is tough and I believe it! It’s 50 years old and looks like I just pulled it off the shelf.

Steph: This is so cute. It’s called Butterfly Gold, which is super sweet and very ‘70s. This is in very good condition. I didn’t see a scratch on it! The lid is missing; you can find the lids occasionally on their own at Canton, in vintage shops, or in yard sales. I love using casseroles like this on my table, especially at Thanksgiving!

Fire King

Jeff: My wife found this and gasped! A little backstory: we were introduced to Fire King in about June and had some great luck with it and we consider it our first love. This was a set of four mugs and saucers. I can’t even explain what’s so great about these but they’re made in the USA and they have a very unusual feel and pretty color. Again, built to last.

Steph: I understand; I love Fire King, too. I’ve been collecting the mixing bowls since I found my first white swirl set in a Pensacola antique mall in the mid 1990s. I still use them regularly, and have added quite a number of them to my collection. This “peach lustre” cup and saucer set is so beautiful and highly collectible. I have to reiterate to everyone reading this that Fire King doesn’t belong in the dishwasher....ever. It’s tough, but the sheen will be diminished terribly with the harsh chemicals we use now in our appliances.

Mouli grater

Jeff: Steph pulled out a surprise this week! After I thought we were done, she pulled out this weird metal tool you have to put together. Turns out it’s to grate cheese. Being the cheese fan I am, I need this! But Steph isn’t selling. I guess I have a new item on the bucket list (along with uranium glass).

Steph: The Mouli grater IS a pretty neat tool. It’s French, and was made in the 1940s. They still make them today, though a lot of knockoffs are now made of plastic. They won’t last 80 years like this one has, of course. My husband’s grandmother owned this one, so it holds more sentimental value than anything. I love it.

By the way, if you find any uranium glass, you MUST bring it to show us. It’s amazing. Happy pickin’!

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