Customer Joseph writes to us with the following question:
I bought a set of pre-1968 Revere Ware on E-Bay and one of the sauce pan lids is different from the rest. I’ve attached a link to pictures of two 7 inch lids. You can see that the one on the right is shallower than the one on the left. All of the other lids have the same design as the one on the left and fit perfectly. The one on the right fits somewhat sloppy. Did Revere Ware change the lids and did we end up with a later model lid?
The historical information on lids is very fuzzy. From looking through the Revere Ware photo guide I was able to identify that early Revere Ware lids were called vapor seal and had a tight fit to the cookware for “water-less cooking” which was popular at the time. I believe both a high domed lid and a tight fit were essential for this type of cooking.
With the cheapening of the cookware in the lats 1960’s, it makes perfect sense that they would move to a construction that was cheaper to manufacture and there are a couple of things about the construction of the shorter lid that seem to indicate this
– The lack of the little lip on the lid would one less step in the manufacturing process
– The shorter size would require less metal
So, my theory is that sometime in the late 1960’s they switched to the cheaper construction. That is approximately when the construction of Revere Ware cookware changed to reducing the overall amount of metal in the pans (about half the amount of copper and stainless steel) and moved from the two-screw style handle to the single screw style handle, so a change in the lid also makes perfect sense.
If anyone has additional (or contradictory) information on the different lid styles, please respond to this post.
Hello Joseph,
There are three types of lid edges to Revere lids. The lid in the picture on the right is from 1939 to 1968, they had no lip and could cut like a cookie cutter. I know this because my mother has pans from that era and they have no lip on the edge, none of them do. In 1968 when Revere changed to thinner metal they added the lip to the lid edge, possibly as a safety device so you wouldn’t cut yourself on the edge, but the lid had a thin lip on it. My mother also has pans from that era and they all have the thin lip on them. When Revere was sold to Borden, who then reorganized as World Kitchen, they changed the lip to a wider piece of metal, I believe the lid on the left is World Kitchen. If you look inside the lid and it has a brushed look to it, it’s from World Kitchen. Also, World Kitchen lids have a higher dome look, you’ll also notice the lid opening narrows with the lids that have the lip.
Tim
@ Tim Jarrell — Thank you for sharing your insights on RW lids. Info on vintage RW cookware is sparse enough…but historical info on lids is almost nonexistent. Often I wondered if I got true vintage lids when I bought 1968 RW.
i GOT A SET OF REVERE WARE WITH COPPER BOTTOMS FOR MY WEDDING OVER 60 YEARS, HAVE LOVED THEM EVER SINCE AND HAVE ADDED TO THE SET. THEY ARE STILL HOLDING UP. ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO, I PURCHASED A 20 QT. SOUP KETTLE AND THE GLASS COVER SHATTERED IN PIECES. DO YOU HAVE ANY REPLACEMENTS FOR THIS, I WOULD PREFER A STAINLESS STEEL COVER IF YOU HAVE ONE.
No, unfortunately we don’t carry any lids.
Just A Thought: I still use and love my RevereWare frying pans and pots that I got for a wedding present in 1953 !!! I like them because they are just the right weight, not heavy like cast iron, and clean up beautifully. I do occasionally put the 6qt pot in the oven at 350 but no higher.
I was wondering if there is a difference between lids for skillets and lids for pots. Namely, skillet lids have an angle to their lips while pot lids go straight down. This would make sense given that skillet sides are sloped and pot sides are straight. I have lids that are each way.
It’s a good theory for sure. However, I do not believe that was the case based on what I am seeing in the Revere Ware information I have. For example. from a 1967 replacement parts price list, you will find the “Utensil Covers” (lids) listed as such: 6″ for 1 1/2 qt. sauce pans, 6″ skillet, 599 S/pan. I would appear they sold replacement lids as working for either straight edged sauce pans or sloped edged skillets. I also see sets in catalogs that show some sauce pans with covers and skillets without, which appears to indicate that one cover is included that is intended to fit multiple different types of items of the same size.