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(More customer reviews)I received my first Wilton Armetale piece last holiday season from a dear friend. A bread tray with the sentiment "Bless This House". The sentiment and graphics are raised up a teeny bit from the surface of the tray, but not enough to create a mess for cleaning any foods cooked/warmed/served on it. It is HEAVY!!! With approx. 1 1/2" depth on the narrow sides and 1" on the longer sides, nothing slides off or spills over if it is slightly tipped. It is a little over 10.5" x 6" at the widest part on the top and narrows in as it goes toward the base. Stunningly beautiful, with an appearance like a hybrid of sterling silver and pewter, but not that 'brushed' look. The graphics and verbiage appear to be outlined in a shiny black enamel. I don't know what it is exactly, but it doesn't scratch or chip or melt.
I was hesitant at first even though the instructions indicated this was safe for cooking and serving food and beverages. However, little by little I found myself reaching for this time and again for hundreds of uses. As a bread tray for warm homemade bread at meal time, as a fruit bowl on the counter/table, I've even flipped it over and used it as a trivet for a hot serving bowl on the table. It keeps warm/hot things warm/hot and cold things cold for quite a while. I've actually put it in the toaster oven (perfect fit) for rewarming lasagne, pizza (crust stays crispy), breakfast muffins and croissants, grilled cheese and poppers. I've served crudite (?), ok, so I'm not real fancy - I call it veggie platter, and I loved the way it kept the veggies cold and crunchy. It looks a bit small at first glance, but once I began using it, it seemed to grow and grow. I've been to their website many times wanting to get some of these for friends and family, but left empty-handed due to price and shipping costs. Just this morning, I thought about Amazon. (Yeah! DUH on my part, I know)! Prices are amazingly lower for most of the products and my Prime Membership will help out also.
Although I don't see the "Bless This House" tray offered here, it isn't on the Wilton Armetale web site either. Wanted 2 of those particular trays as house warming gifts: one for my nephew who just bought his first home and one for his sister, my niece, who just moved into a new home. With homemade bread and homemade jam I've just made from the garden, I thought it would be a nice gift that would last. Think I'm going with the "Home Sweet Home" trays instead.
Oh, this goes in the freezer too. I've used it to hold ice cubes just before serving iced tea and they don't start melting and stick together nor do they start swimming in 10 seconds. Haven't tried serving shrimp cocktail on it, but I sure do intend to do so!
Wash by hand only with mild soap and warm water. Rinse with hot water and dry immediately. Actually, once rinsed with HOT water, it pretty much dries itself.
Edit: 1-2-10 Should have edited sooner, but kept forgetting. The trays purchased from Amazon arrived in wonderful condition, excellent packaging for gift-giving and look very 'similar' to the original that I received as a gift from Wilton Armetale. BUT, while they do 'nest' in each other and in my original, my original will NOT nest in them. The dimensions are a teensy bit off - sides a fraction bit higher, depth not exactly the same, outward curve of the sides/rim a hair different also and the individual pieces are much, much, much lighter in weight. I was completely baffled by this until I read the box - these come from China...not made in the USA. However, they are still just as functional and pretty/handsome on their own. Had I NOT gotten an 'original', I would never have known the difference or even suspected they were not quite 'right'.
Edit: 3/30/10 ok, so I've been using both my original (made in the USA)and the one made in China together for baking potatoes in the toaster oven, warming leftovers side by side in the large oven, etc, and always using them together. This week, the one made in China has started showing small areas where it appears the metal is defective: discoloration, almost like a bad welding spot that doesn't match the rest of the piece. These marks are appearing along the rim and travel down toward the base of the tray in sporadic locations. At first I thought it was baked on food, but it isn't. I figured, ok, I can live with that. But now, I must take-back my statement in the first paragraph above in my original review...the shiny, black enamel (?) that makes the design stand out is chipping off with each use and each washing (no dishwasher so these have been hand washed with each use). Baked potatoes last night and as I was washing this tray, I noticed little black oblongs and squares on the sponge...I knew it wasn't baked potato skin because I didn't burn the potatoes! When I picked it off the sponge with my fingers, it was hard and easily broken into smaller pieces;felt like very thin plastic, but what do I know? Hope to goodness no one ate any of this stuff because I still don't know exactly what it is. Had this happened shortly after purchased, you can bet I would have returned them very quickly. Unless you're buying Wilton Armetale made in the USA, stay away from these. This beautiful tray is now being used as a drain plate for my Easter lily. What a waste and a great disappointment.
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Wilton Armetale Home Sweet Home Bread TrayThe Wilton Armetale Home Sweet Home Bread Tray is a classic serving piece. Made from Armetale metal, a food safe alloy designed to endure the demanding stress of resturant use as well as the everyday use of the home cook, this bread tray will not chip, break or crack. It will also not rust or tarnish and is hand-crafted for everyday use. Each tray is 11-inches by 7-inches in size and holds one loaf of bread. This bread tray makes a wonderful new home or hostess gift in addition to being a great addition to your own serving collection. Wash with warm soapy water. Slight scratches from silverware are normal. Give the gift of friendship with the Wilton Armetale Home Sweet Home Bread Tray.
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