blue bowl blog

Rachael Ray Cucina Dinnerware Stoneware Cereal Bowl, 5-1/2-Inch, Agave Blue

I am really Really REALLY enjoying my single solitary bowl, and would enjoy creating a bowl set for myself with two each of the Agave Blue amazon vine sent, Almond Cream, and Cranberry Red. At 5.5 inches in diameter they're a tiny bit smaller and a little more compact that the quite similar gray-blue Scandinavian-tinged Ikea Dinera 6-inch bowls I've been using, and because of its slightly concave rim, the shape hugs the contents a little more than the Ikea bowl does. But the Ikea bowls that also come in creamy "beige" cost only $10 for a 4-pack and last time I looked, Amazon charges $5.99 plus shipping for only one of these bowls! Rachael Ray is the cool type of celebrity I actual enjoy and can relate to, but no one could be famously renowned enough for products with their name to be worth more than twice as much as other similar ones. Besides, almost $60 is too high a price for a basic 16-piece set of regular dinnerware with no serving pieces, though comparing it to Montgomery Ward's $90 for the same set does make the price appear tame. Next door neighbor where I used to live mentioned she'd discovered finer, more expensive tableware "sort of bounces" (rather than breaking) when you drop it, but there's definitely a distance limit to that truth. And despite their high $$$ amount, these dishes still aren't in the category of bounce rather than break.

The blue especially is a lovely, countrified, slightly retro hue; design configuration also carries a touch of country, a hint of yesteryear. In addition to the aforementioned blue, cream, and red, these Cucina (Italian for "kitchen") Stoneware pieces come in Mushroom Brown and Pumpkin Orange. My bowl arrived well-packed with double boxes and plain brown paper encasing the bowl itself.

So far I've enjoyed a full bowl of cold cereal with berries, brown sugar, and milk, and also a lunch salad. This size would be good for cream soup, but maybe smaller than ideal for the correct sized portion of non-cream soup or stew. Perfect for an ice cream sundae with fat blackberries, hot fudge, juicy peaches, or yummy butterscotch. How about strawberry shortcake? In the complete place settings, I don't much care for the mug/cup design, and I'm neutral on the plates, but these bowls are groovy.

my amazon review: groovy but priced too high