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My mother recently bought these from an old second hand shop because she thought them pretty, but I am just wondering if they are suitable to cook on the hob.
I tried to google them on Google images but it kept showing me Serveware. Does anyone know if this is actually cookware? We think so but just want to be sure. We use a solid plate hob.

A picture depicting 5 pots stacked on top of each others, each pot being smaller than the next one. The pots are white with colorful paintings (mostly flowers) at the front. The edge of the pots has a metallic looking ring.

Click for full size

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    It's hard to say from the picture, they look like enameled metal but they could just be painted. Is there a stamp on the bottom of any of them, or identifying marks?
    – GdD
    May 20, 2021 at 16:48
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    @GdD they are enamel And rather new, it seems.
    – Stephie
    May 20, 2021 at 17:01
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    The real question is if you would want to (no).
    – eps
    May 21, 2021 at 16:43

5 Answers 5

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These are enamelled pots - perfectly fine and intended for cooking, albeit a bit sensitive to chipping if not handled carefully. You can find various listings of that exact set on the Internet, e.g here or here.

Enamel is a hard, glass-like, non-porous substance and pretty non-reactive. As long as you are not exposing it to extreme temperature changes (when it can crack like glass) or excessive scrubbing, it remains pretty much the same even with prolonged use. So buying them secondhand is a good investment, if they are in a good condition. Do not use enamelled pots with chipping, less because of the rust from the iron core, but because in that case there’s a (small) chance of enamel shards or splinters ending up in the food. With good care however, enamel pots can be used a long time.

Note that the surface is quite hard and scratch-resistant, so not bad per se and reasonably well to clean. It’s not non-stick, though, so you will want to use a bit of fat if you intend to fry or roast something in them. Some cooks like the light inside color, because it makes it easier to judge the color, e.g. when browning onions.

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You don't see them around so much these days, but they look like a million variants of the old enamelled steel casserole pots, probably last popular in the 70s.
They probably ought to have lids.

enter image description here

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    I have been buying the kind in the question (but without the print) in the late 1990's and in the 2010's, and will buy them again when our local shops stock them in the right colours again. Good for potatoes and veggies, not so much for meat.
    – Willeke
    May 22, 2021 at 20:01
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They went out of fashion after the seventies but I still have them and they are particularly useful for pot roasting or simmering over a low heat.enter image description here These pots came from the Netherlands more than 40 years ago and are still perfect. Yes they can be used on a hob.

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  • Maybe they went out of fashion but they were still for sale here for much later and I bet I can buy the like in many of the stores here still. (But likely not in this kind of decor.)
    – Willeke
    May 22, 2021 at 20:02
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Yes, those are enamelled pots and they are perfectly safe to cook in (on gas, on an electric stove or in the oven), but may not work on induction. They're also easy to clean and safe to put in the dishwasher. I have two sets and have been using them for nearly 40 years (and I cook a lot), and they still look almost as new.

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I wouldn’t use the on the stove top. I tried to melt some butter in one, once (at probably too high of a temp—I was 11 or 12) and the enamel started cracking and breaking off.

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    Kids mistake. They are not frying pans but boiling pans and work well for that.
    – Willeke
    May 29, 2021 at 21:35

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