Lids, Baskets, Trivets

Those things can get out of control pretty darn quick, can't they?

I like the plastic lids, but after you get so many sets, you see that many pieces can use the same lid, so most of my plastic lids go to the basement, and I keep one of each size in the kitchen for regular use.

The baskets are a nightmare. I think the dish looks more finished if displayed in the metal baskets, but to store the stoneware with the baskets is very space consuming. Here again, when you have 10 9x13's, it is easier to keep one or two of the racks in the kitchen and the rest in the basement. I have a pegboard type area in the basement and have the baskets hung by size. Even at that, it is getting out of control, but I don't want to eliminate them, as if I wish to sell or give them away later, giving them the complete dish and basket seems better.

The trivets are the worst, although take up the least space to store. They make the whole presentation look more complete and finished when serving or displaying, but after several sets, they get out of control, so many of them get stored as well. I'm tired of the tempered glass ones, and would like to see more of them in the ceramic, as they look higher end, and seem to be more usable as serving pieces.

I secretly admire the people who openly say they throw away the baskets etc. and never look back. I don't do it because I want to keep the system complete, yet hate storing them at the same time!

Daysdee I have been saying this for a long time: they should give us the option of wire racks or no. I understand some of the wire racks being made to coordinate with the set, i.e., the farm animal sets (the racks were designed to look like fences, and then painted a matching color to the tt) but for the most part they take up needed space. So I went through all of mine and donated a bunch to Goodwill

Hi Daysdee, good question & I hope you get some good answers as I would also like to know how others use their trivets/baskets!

I use the them both when having company & go to family reunions and always get compliments! I have used just the baskets using a big napkin or small towel and put slices of bread(French, Italian, sour dough, etc.) in it for serving. I have also put chips and/or crackers in the baskets and used the trivets (whatever size you need) and put a cheese ball on it or a block of cream cheese/block of cheddar to go along with the crackers.

Remember, you can always use the trivets as a "hot pad" without the basket. My Mom always used a pot holder on the counter/table when placing something hot on it but the TT trivets look so much better!

I only have one set of stoneware lids and never used them for anything else than to cover the dish.

Looking forward to hearing answers to your question!

I don't discard the baskets or trivets either. Need to go through my "tons" of the original plastic tops and toss a lot of them. Some are an accident waiting to happen as they are so ill-fitting I'm afraid if I or someone else grabs the dish the wrong way it may cause the dish to fall out of hands. I do use some of the trivets as trivets and one is next to my stove for placing hot dishes or even sometimes as an extra spoon rest. I really don't think I will buy more TT since I have so much and no more room, but mostly because the quality has gone down so much. I also wouldn't want more baskets. I think Tara continues this same amount of pieces for new customers and also it was her product selling point to include the serving basket, a trivet, the baker and those lids that never were a good fit. I'm sure most of us still resort to storing with the foil or plastic wrap which Tara always says you will no longer need.

They must be including the wire baskets and trivets to differentiate themselves from other stoneware brands. There's lots of competition in this product area, and lots of good stoneware bakers on the market. I've bought only two bakers, a 9x13 that came with a lid-it, and an 8x8 that came with a thermal bag. I kept the baskets and plastics around for a while, but never used either, so now they live inside the thermal carrier bag. Oddly, the 9x13 baker, with the lid that makes it easy to take places, doesn't fit in the bag with the rack anyway. I guess I'm keeping the accessories in case I decide to get rid of the bakers at some point and want to pass them along as nice sets. Illogical, really, but there you are. I use the lid-it all the time as a platter; the bakers only occasionally.

I had the blue old world set with wracks, and trivets, and gave them to my daughter. She has limited space in her apt, and so I threw out the wracks and trivets before I gave her the pieces. She told me she didn't want them, and I didn't feel they would work to donate them because without the stoneware it was pointless. Having too many wracks and trivets is one of the reasons I have not purchased tons of Temptations. I have the old world cobalt blue carved set with the wire wracks, and trivets, serving spoons, pot holder mitts, and 13x9 baker with lid it, and two loaf bakers, four square ramikins, and carrier for church potlucks. I got the set because of wanting to take stoneware to those dinners, and for the lid it. I bake two batches of scones every week and have two lid its for that purpose. I have purchased Rachel Ray's Cucina Rustica stoneware for the reason that they are round, and are completely different than Temptations. My trivets are used for putting under my olive oil cruets on the counter, or as a center piece on my table for a pillar candle, and to set hot pans on like soup for lunch, and cutting fruit near my Vitamix. They are great on my desk too for my coffee mug, and bottled water in the morning. I definitely use the wire wracks for their intended purpose to get the hot pieces to the table. Also for rolls with a cloth napkin, and for nail polish on my dresser so they aren't all piled in a basket. I don't want tons of them around my apt because I do not have the space. I wish Tara would offer sets without them, or give us the option of order with or without. I might order more Temptations.

I use all the pieces and baskets. Since I only collect one color, OW blue, I don't have duplicate pieces for the same size. I do use them sometimes with a napkin as a bread or cracker basket, but mostly I use them because they make it far easier to pass a hot dish around the table and to protect my oak table top. When I use lid-its or trays as cookie sheets, I always use the baskets so that when I put them on the counter to cool, they are raised for better cooling and counter safety.

They can be a challenge to store. I have a couple of the old covered casseroles that I store in the basket on a shelf in my cabinet, and an older round set where the baskets and bakers nest nicely and they are together on a shelf in the kitchen. The 13 piece oval lid-it, I have out, kitty-cornered at the end of my counter with the baskets standing up in the corner behind them.

While I prefer lid-its to tempered glass, I use them all the time also. I am quite careful not to put a hot pot on my counter tops, so I always have a glass trivet handy to prevent a scorch on the counter. I use them for spoon rests and as a small cutting board if I am just doing a couple of carrots or an onion.

I will sometimes put some plastic wrap over a baker and then the plastic lid, but I do use the lids since they make it possible to stack something in the fridge while simple plastic does not.

So, yes, I use them all.