The Thrift Store Disease

I wanted to make popcorn, and did not want to use a microwave or even eat microwave popcorn.  But the only pot I had to use had no lid.  It was an old Revere Ware pot....but not that old, mid 80s, and NOT part of the real American tradition that was Revere Ware.  Back in the late 30s, a company began to make a type of cookware that was created with stainless steel and had a bottom section covered in copper.  It was for decades, one of the finest cookeware lines in the history of American cookware, famous for it's very even heat distribution across the bottom of the pot.  But after 1958, an effort was made to save money in production, and the cookware's patented electroplating process was shortened to lessen the amount of copper that would adhere to the stainless steel pot.  This was by far NOT the death of Revereware, but it ceased to be 'your granny's Revere Ware' after that decision cut the thickness of the copper layer in half.  

ANYWAY, I wanted a lid for my pot, so I started hitting up the Goodwill store in the neighborhood where I work, hoping to find a Revere Ware lid.  I didn't find one, but I ended up finding  something that would work. What I DID find was a couple of Revere Ware frying pans.  I found one of the amazing 12 inch skillets just like my mother had.  What I would find out after buying three frying pans though, once I got back to work and searched the internet, was that...well, all the info I passed on above plus a lot more.  The pots I had were great, but they were NOT the same as the REALLY good stuff.  And if I was gonna waste time buying used pots and cleaning them up, I wanted the best used pots I could get, or I would just do what I had done for 30 years, make do with  the crap selection of cookware I had.  But one thing DID happen that day, I found out what to look for on the bottom of the pot that told me what to buy and what to leave on the shelf.  And in the span of 3 weeks or less, I found a GIANT selection of pre-1958 Revere Ware cookware:  2 more frying pans, 2 medium stockpots, 4 small stockpots, 1 4-quart pot and two lids (finally got my matching LID!)  Plus a couple of spare lids, because one thing I found out about thrift stores is that you grab what you find, even if its only a lid.  If you don't, the next time you go, you will invariably find the matching piece for the lid you saw yesterday, but in that one day span, someone else WILL snatch your lid.  If you buy lids and no pots, eventually the pot will show up.  You can also find nicer Bakelite knobs and handles on stuff and swap them onto your best pieces.  

Some of the stuff I bought was just WASTED, covered in cooked-on gunk, electric eye scorches, bad scratches....and many would require several hours of hard work to get back into prime condition.  In the end though, I have totally filled out my collection of stuff, and now if I pick up anything else, it will only be because the pots I find are best bought by someone who knows what it is and what its worth and is willing to bring it back to prime form.  And sure, maybe sell it to someone on Ebay.  Its REALLY true about this product, they DON'T make em like they used to, and if you want the best, nowadays you have to go online and find it second hand.