Pattern List - Corning Ware Petite Pans 

Petite Pans date to late 1962, and initially only the small size was available.  At the time, they were sold in sets of two or four with no lids at all.  Early advertisements suggest inverting one Petite Pan over the other to create a covered dish.  This explains the The handles are cleverly designed to allow Petite Pans to be their own lid.purpose of the bump-up on the handle, and the pans fit together perfectly when one is placed at a right angle to the other. 

(Photo: Ads from 1962-65 state:  "Two together make covered dish.")

Clear plastic lids were introduced in 1965.  It seems that large Petite Pans made their first appearance in 1969.

The small Petite Pan, a P-41, is marked either 1¾ cups or 12 oz, while the large one is a P-43, marked with 2¾ cups or 22 oz.  Backstamps vary widely and some do not state the model number or capacity, and a few P-41s are marked as 1½ cups.  Metric capacities are stated as 400 ml and 700 ml.

The P-41 disappeared from the market in the early 1980s, while the P-43 would remain until at least the late 1990s.  However the large size is still produced in France for international markets.

 

P-43 Petite Pan Spice O' Life
P-43 2¾ cup Petite Pan Spice O' Life (with lettering).

Box for Petite Pan Glass LidsBoth sizes use the same lids which are marked P-41, then suffixed with -PC for plastic cover or -GC for glass cover.  Generally Petite Pans were sold with plastic lids meant for food storage only, not for oven, stove-top or microwave use.  Pairs of Petite Pans with one glass lid and one plastic lid were included in certain large sets of Corning Ware.  Otherwise, glass lids were sold as a separate accessory in packages of two.
Detachable Handle for Petite Pan; image from 1979 catalogue.                 
The tab handles for most Petite Pans are compatible with the specially-sized Petite Pan detachable handle, a P-41-HG.  But it appears that Newer flat handle (top); older handle (bottom)sometime between 1993 and 1997, the tab handles became flat on top, presumably to fit the new white plastic lids which cover the tab handle entirely.  The original plastic lids were clear with a cut-out to fit alongside the bump on the tab handle instead.

(Photo: newer flat handle, top; original handle with bump, bottom)

The lists encompass all Petite Pans whether they are a Corelle match or not.  As always, the patterns listed here are definite confirmed sightings, there may be others. 

P-41 Blue Medallion; P-43 Green MedallionTotals so far: 10 (P-41)
                        25 (P-43)
              
1¾ cup Petite Pans (P-41): 

Blue Cornflower
Blue Medallion
Country Festival
Floral Bouquet
Green Medallion
Spice O' Life (no lettering)
stars design (blue)*
wheat design (gold)**
wheat/floral design (avocado)‡
P-43:  Autumn Meadow, Wildflower.Wildflower

                    

2¾ cup Petite Pans (P-43):

Autumn Meadow
Blue Cornflower
Blue Dusk
Blue Medallion
Country Cornflower
Country Festival
Floral Bouquet
Fresh Cut
Fruit Basket
Green Medallion
P-43: Shadow Iris, Peach FloralJ.C. Penney exclusive (avocado)‡‡
Just White
Lyrics
morning glory design (avocado)‡
Pastel Bouquet
Peach Floral
Shadow Iris
Silk & Roses
Soft Beige
Spice O' Life (no lettering)
Spice O' Life (with lettering)
stars design (blue)*
Strawberry Sunday
P-43: Spice O' Life (no lettering); image from 1981 catalogue.wheat design (gold)**
Wildflower

(Photos from top:  Blue Medallion P-41, Green Medallion P-43, Autumn Meadow, Wildflower, Shadow Iris, Peach Floral, Spice O' Life (no lettering) with plastic lids.)

For Spice O' Life, the difference between the two versions goes beyond whether the French phrase is present.  They are two distinct designs with different arrangements of vegetables. 

* - official pattern name not known, the design consists of eight five-pointed stars of different sizes, the three largest stars are within solid blue circles.

** - official pattern name not known.  Items with a gold-coloured wheat design typically are prefixed with 'W', so these Petite Pans are marked W-41 & W-43.  This pattern was available in 1969 & 1970, but exact starting and ending dates are not known.

‡ - official pattern name not known.  Both decorations are light avocado green.  The wheat/floral design features five wheat stalks and two daisies.  The morning glory design has nine star-shaped blossoms on a vine.

‡‡ - Marked on bottom: "Made exclusively for J.C. Penney by Corning", also with JCP-43B instead of P-43-B.  It is a dark avocado green design.  This pattern was available in 1971, but exact starting and ending dates are not known.

 

Related Articles:

What about the French phrases on Spice O' Life?
Corning Ware Profile: Autumn Meadow
Wildflower
Strawberry Sunday
Spice O' Life
Pastel Bouquet, Shadow Iris
Peach Floral, Country Cornflower
Blue Cornflower
Country Festival Brochure
1963 Corning Ware Advertisement
1968 Corning Ware Advertisement

 

 
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