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 They were originally made of ceramics but have also been made of glass or porcelain, commonly in a round shape with an angled exterior ridged surface.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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Friday, March 13, 2015

Kitchen Craft


These are not strictly speaking, Ramekins, but they fit the description.  They are a set of ceramic measuring cups ranging in size from 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 to 1 cup.  Each cup has the measurements in cup, millilitres and fluid ounces printed on the handle.  These are from a collection known as their “Classic Collection.”  A wide range of matching ceramics and accessories, many of them made in China.


Unlike many makers of pottery and porcelain, information about the founder of the Kitchen Craft Company is sparse indeed.  If I got the right one, he was born in Warwickshire in 1799 and died there in 1867.  He began as a wholesale Ironmonger and seller of household goods.  The company was founded in 1850 as a foundry and continued in family hands registered as “Thomas Plant (Birmingham) Ltd” but trading as “Kitchen Craft”.  Its registered office is at Plumbob House, Valepit Road, Garretts Green, Birmingham, UK  (Company No 3411690). 

Kitchen Craft is one of the largest suppliers of household goods in Britain, offering over 3,000 products for sale through a number of different subsidiaries.  These are; Master Class, Bar Craft, Le'Xpress, World of Flavours, Miniamo, Home Made, Clearview, Kitsch'n'fun, Coolmovers, Let's Make, Colourworks, Sweetly does it, Santa and Friends, Let it Snow and others.

Kitchen Craft were taken over in 2014 by the New York based company; Lifetime Brands Inc.  The Great Great Grandchildren of the founder Thomas Plant are still managing the company.  They source their goods world-wide and export to over 70 countries.



Designer        
Not known
Maker
Thomas Plant (Birmingham) Ltd
Marks
Stamped to base
Material
Glazed slip
Description
Set of fou glazed slip bowls, fitting inside each other.  Tab handles with measurements printed to upper surface.
Condition
Very Good
Number
No number
Production Date
Not Known, possibly 1990s
Weight

Volume
As shown below
Acquisition
Purchase
Waverley Antiques
13 March 2015
Rameking Reference Number
KIN 001-004

Size of cups

1 Cup   250 ml        9fl oz        90mm w 120mm with Handle     68mm D         80mm base
1/2Cup  125ml    4.5 fl oz        80mm w 110mm with handle      40mm D         70mm base
1/3 Cup   80ml       3 fl oz        77mm w 112mm with handle      30mm D         60mm base
¼ Cup   60ml    2 fl oz       73mm w 100 mm with handle     26mm D         53mm base               
            

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