My Earliest Memory
What a Two-Year-Old Remembers
What a Two-Year-Old Remembers
Cookware from the 19th Century is Still In Use
My parents, who met in a university biology lab in St. Louis, Missouri, married in East Chicago, Indiana, eventually moved to Detroit soon after and settled in an apartment in a four-family flat. I was born the next year, and somehow several elements and actions of that time are still in my memory.
I remember that our living room walls were peach-colored, but most of all, I remember standing next to my mother at the front door of our apartment as a blue-speckled enamel roasting pan was passed between her and the person at the door. I don’t remember who the person was on the other side of the door, but I remember that roasting pan being passed from one hand to the other.
Many people think that using roasting pans of this type is “old school,” but I actually have a similar pan that I still use regularly. Of course, I have many more modern pots and pans, but when I cook from scratch (as I have been doing more and more during the pandemic), I love to use this roasting pan right on top of my gas stove.
This type of enamelware cookware has been around since the mid-19th century, replacing other cookware that may have had minerals and metals that leaching into the food being cooked. The term “enamelware” refers to enameled steel or cast iron, and by the late 1800s, blue-spotted Agateware became popular. These roasting pans do well for slow and low-heat cooking, and every time I use my blue-speckled roasting pan, I remember the scene where my mother gave or received the same type of pan to cook great recipes for our little family in the peach-colored apartment.
About Me
I am a native Detroiter, a wife, mother, grandmother, and homeowner, and I am recently semi-retired and loving it. I would love for you to follow me on my Facebook and on my Instagram pages. Any opinions expressed in this publication are my own.
I invite you to read the stories in publications: Pam’s Passions, Your Business Your Brand Creatively, and Detroit Ink Publishing.
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