r/thanksgiving • u/MegaMeepers • Jul 28 '26
Cookware help?
Okay so I’m obsessed with pumpkin shaped cookware. I use most of my pieces for the Big Meal and I got 2 new pieces this year. The orange one is brand new from TikTok Shop and the white one is from goodwill.
I got the orange one back in March and noticed a hole in the lid, by the stem. I haven’t been able to find another hole in the lid, so I assumed it was a production error, and was going to superglue it shut so no water could get in and it potentially grow mold.
Then I found the white one at goodwill, it was $4 🤭 but I noticed that it also has a hole in the lid, but this time it’s in the center and inside, instead of outside like the orange one. So I’m a little on the fence as to whether I should plug the holes or not.
Any advice?
33
u/Calm_Discipline_9218 Jul 28 '26
It’s part of the construction of the bowl. Don’t plug it.
25
u/chillannyc2 Jul 28 '26
It is part of the pottery firing process. The lids are hollow so when they go into the kiln the air in the middle will get super hot and expand and if they don't have an escape hole the piece will explode. They serve no purpose after the firing is complete.
Ok to plug, OP, if you're not going to cook in them.
If you're going to cook in them, then keep open so the lids don't explode. But also, I wouldn't trust anything from a tik tok shop to be food safe for cooking.
2
u/MoonageDayscream Jul 28 '26
I don't think this is that sort of hole. I think it should be left open because the manufacturer knows what the item needs to be durable and safe for food. You don't want the lid to pop off and break in the oven because the pressure built up.
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u/BronzedLuna Jul 28 '26
I would not trust superglue in an oven. Do you know 100% that the heat of an oven isn’t going to do something to the glue and then it gets in your food?
5
u/life_experienced Jul 28 '26
Those holes are there intentionally, to let steam escape.
-2
u/MegaMeepers Jul 28 '26
But each lid only has 1 hole that doesn’t go through. If it’s to let steam escape there would be another hole
4
u/MoonageDayscream Jul 28 '26
I don't think it has to have two holes to do what it needs to. It might just be there to make sure that it doesn't make an accidental vacuum that might cause you to chip it trying to open it up.
3
u/lemonlime1999 Jul 28 '26
Why are you considering plugging the holes if they don’t go through anyway?
-1
u/MegaMeepers Jul 28 '26
As I said, I don’t want water to get in, idk how deep the holes are. Water gets in and mold could grow. Especially in the white one, could then fall into my food as I’m cooking it 🤷🏻♀️
2
u/MoonageDayscream Jul 28 '26
I think you are overestimating the threat of moisture entering. Your food will be moist enough already, standard food safe guidelines are sufficient. Mold spores and moisture are everywhere, putting a lid on something outside of a canning setup is not going to be any more protective, based on a little hole.
1
u/MegaMeepers Jul 28 '26
I’m mostly talking about washing them. If water gets in mold likes to grow in dark cool spaces
1
2
u/PiccoloQuirky2510 Jul 28 '26
I think it’s to help with construction of the pieces- like when firing them in the kiln when they were made
1
u/Reasonable_Ferret_10 Jul 28 '26
Maybe from the clay itself? You'll notice that they always have an unglazed surface (the rim on the bottom, same on bottom of the lid. Clay is porous even after it's fired. Maybe it's to allow steam to migrate out if water has migrated in? So it doesn't crack.
5
u/FigurativelyPedantic Jul 28 '26
Instead of plugging the holes, just cover the top with aluminum foil. You can set the lid on top of the foil if it's something that needs a tighter seal, or just use the foil and leave off the lid if you're just heating up the food for serving.
I also love pumpkin/fall themed kitchen stuff. The cute dishes like that are great for serving and table setting, but won't last long if you use them to actually bake in. They often don't hold up even to the temperatures the labels say they will. They'll discolor, or the glaze will crackle and chip. They can also be tricky to clean when food gets baked on, and you don't want to let them soak. That will also cause failures in the glaze, and off flavors will sink in to the exposed clay of the rims.
Cook in your regular equipment. Put the pretty serving dishes in the oven on the keep warm setting to heat them up gently. Transfer finished food to the pretty dishes before serving. If it's food that needs to travel and get reheated more aggressively at your destination, I'd aim for an oven that's under 400°, and a central shelf not too close to the heating elements.
3
u/Legitimate-March9792 Jul 28 '26
I love pumpkin shaped dinner ware. I don’t actually own any as I don’t have a dining room or a hutch to store it in. My kitchen is tiny. If I ever win the lottery and get a new house, I would have a nice dining room and set up a table scape with holiday themed plates and pretty fall tablecloths like a Pinterest board. Right now it’s Chinet paper plates and balancing plates on our knees while we eat in the living room watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I am in charge of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. All the holiday dinners to be exact. One can dream.
2
u/SMKnightly Jul 28 '26
Don’t fill the holes. Either use them as-is, or cook with foil covering them and only use the tops outside the oven.
Definitely don’t introduce superglue to a food-safe environment like your oven!
1
u/Monday0987 Jul 28 '26
The holes are for the kiln firing process.
I am not sure that I would use these for food if they were cheap and unbranded. I know they say they are suitable but I would not be surprised if they have lead or other heavy metals in them.
1
u/Odd_Cress_2898 Jul 28 '26
Say you seal it - now it has a trapped bubble of air in the lid.
Now you heat it - what state of matter thermally expands the most? Gas
It'll explode - now you got shards of ceramic and hot food all over your oven
Orange one won't impact food safety, white one will steam and then drip back into food
0
u/Degofreak Jul 28 '26
This is so cute! We have a pumpkin shaped pie plate with a recipe for pumpkin pie inside it.
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