Ramekin is thought to come from a Dutch word for "toast" or the German for "little cream."




Name

Ramekin

Variant

Ramequin, Ramekin dish.

Pronounced

(ramə kin)[RAM-ih-kihn]ræməkin

Function

English Noun

Plural

Ramekins

Hypernym

A type of dish

Purpose

Cooking

Etymology

French Ramequin from Low German ramken, diminutive of cream, circa 1706. middle Dutch rammeken (cheese dish) dialect variant of rom (cream), similar to old English ream and German rahm. Ancient French cookbooks refer to ramekins as being garnished fried bread.


Meaning

1. A food mixture, (casserole) specifically a preparation of cheese, especially with breadcrumbs and/or eggs or unsweetened pastry baked on a mould or shell.

2. With a typical volume of 50-250 ml (2-8 oz), it is a small fireproof glass or earthenware individual dish similar in size and shape to a cup, or mould used for cooking or baking and serving sweet or savoury foods.

3. Formerly the name given to toasted cheese; now tarts filled with cream cheese.

4. A young child usually between the ages of 3 months and 11 years exhibiting a compulsion to force or "ram" their head into various objects and structures.

These days, a ramekin is generally regarded as a small single serve heatproof serving bowl used in the preparation or serving of various food dishes, designed to be put into hot ovens and to withstand high temperatures. They were originally made of ceramics but have also been made of glass or porcelain, commonly in a round shape with an angled exterior ridged surface. Ramekins have more lately been standardized to a size with a typical volume of 50-250 ml (2-8 ounce) and are now used for serving a variety of sweet and savoury foods, both entrée and desert.

They are also an attractive addition to the table for serving nuts,dips and other snacks. Because they are designed to hold a serving for just one person, they are usually sold in sets of four, six, or eight. Ramekins now are solid white, round, with a fluted texture covering the outside, and a small lip. Please bear in mind that whatever you ask for them on Internet auction sites, someone is still getting the same thing in an op shop for peanuts.

However, there are hundreds of decorative ramekins that came in a variety of shapes and sizes. They came in countless colours and finishes and many were made by our leading artists and ceramicists. My collection has ramekins with One handle only, fixed to the body at one point only. If it has no handle, it is a bowl. If it has two, it is a casserole dish. But the glory day of the Australian Studio Art ramekin is well and truly over. See some here, ask questions or leave answers.

P.S. Remember, just as real men don't eat quiche, real ramekins don't have lids or two handles. Also remember, two handles makes it a casserole dish. Also, please note If it aint got a handle, it's just a bowl.

P.P.S. To all you cretins who advertise your ramekins by associating them with "Eames" or "Eames Era". Get your hand off it, you are not kidding anyone. The Eames people have told me that they never made ramekins.

P.P.P.s To all the illiterates out there in cyberspace, just as there is no "I" in team, there is no "G" in Ramekin. I am the Rameking, they are ramekins.

If you have a set of Grandma's ramekins at the back of a kitchen cupboard, have a look through the site, maybe you will identify them. Thank-you for looking.

There are many of you out there that have knowledge of Australian pottery. Please let me know if you have anything that I can add to the notes. It is important to get the information recorded. You probably know something that nobody else does.

Please note that while your comments are most welcome, any that contain a link to another site will no longer be published.

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Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Ganymede Enterprise Co Ltd



Designer        
Similar to many other Asian made ramekins
Maker
Ganymede Enterprise
Marks
Impressed “Stoneware Taiwan” around base
Material
Glazed slip
Description
Mass-produced machine pressed mid-brown glazed slip bowl with unglazed footring.  Darker brown colour to rim.  Dimpled tab handle attached to to of rim containing air hole to underside. 
Condition
Very good
Number
No number
Production Date
Early 1980s
Width at rim
110mm
Width at Base
60mm
Depth
47mm
Length (with handle)
140mm
Weight
235gm
Volume
250mm
Acquisition
Purchase
Salvo Stores
October 2014.
Rameking Reference Number
GAN 001-006

In the early 1970s, the floodgates opened in Australia to imports from Asia.  One of the industries most affected was inhabited by studio potters.  To add insult to injury, many of the designs used by these imports looked suspiciously like those of the local makers.  Like the Chinese, Japanese and the Koreans, the Taiwanese makers also produced ramekins similar to those of Australian makers such as Raynham.  Even though Raynham was then owned by Bendigo Pottery. 


These Taiwanese ramekins were most likely supplied by Ganymede Enterprise Company Limited.  The company began in 1975 and exported products made by around 200 companies around Taiwan.  They have a design department and also have manufacturing plants in Canton and Shanghai, China.  Their products include ceramic tableware, glassware, stainless steel, plastic homewares and bathroom products.  They export to Europe, Canada and the US as well as Australia.

Pottery and Ceramics are a major industry in the country, most notable presented at the town of Yingge, about an hour drive south-west from the capital Taipei.  It is named for the eagle shaped rock on the town’s north side.  Pottery has been made there for over 200 years when famous Chinese potter Wu An moved in to take advantage of the clay found there.  The Yingge Ceramics Museum opened in 2000 and is on the other side of town.  It is a three-storey steel framed glass building and is about 15 minutes walk from Pottery Street.   


“Old Street”, re-named “Pottery Street” is home to dozens of pottery shops.  At one time there were over 800 potters working there.  The area has been re-built and top quality ceramics can be found in most of the shops.  Don’t expect any bargains though.  They know what therir products are worth and are priced accordingly.  A landmark in the area is the remains of an old kiln called “Square Kiln” surmounted by a chimney flue.  It appears to be a rectangular downdraught kiln.

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