Here's a question from Amy. Can you help her?
My husband and I are deciding to stay put in our small home because of the horrible housing market, and we're trying to make it feel a little more spacious. One effort is downsizing our kitchenwares. Instead of separate mugs, small and large glasses, and wine glasses, we're looking for an "everything" glass. We love the double-walled Bodum glasses, and even found a great stacking version, but at $19.99 - $29.99 a pair, they're definitely out of our price range.
Is there such a thing as an affordable "everything" glass?Something we can use for warm and cold beverages, as well as wine? Can you help us find a space-saving solution?
Amy, the Bodum glasses are indeed lovely, but we know from experience how fragile they are. Here are a few more options for you. None of them are quite as delicate and lovely as the double-walled tumblers you like, but most of them are able to stand up to a little heavier handling.
• Duos Collection, $24.99 for a set of 4 - Target has these knock-offs at about half the price of Bodum. They are also made out of borosilicate glass, so they will be just as delicate, and it is not clear whether they stack. But if you want the double-walled look, these are a good bet.
• Cue Barware, $2.95 to $3.95 at Crate & Barrel - Other glass options include these stacking tempered glass tumblers from Crate & Barrel. We use tempered glass cups (the Duralex Picardie glasses, which are becoming hard to find again) to drink some of our teas. But we don't use them for hot coffee; mugs are still more manageable than tempered glass.
• Working Glasses, $1.50 to $1.95 at Crate & Barrel - One more tempered glass option. We offer these too because they are really multi-purpose: you can buy plastic lids for these glasses, which makes them good for small storage. You could use them for serving almost anything: soup, yogurt, ice cream, pasta.
• Square Cup, $3 at AsianIdeas.com - Overall, though, we think that ceramic or porcelain is a better choice than glass. You can't see wine through it, which is the one drawback, but it's more reliable when drinking hot beverages.
• ÄLMHULT, $.29 and POKAL, $ 1.99 - And here is the truly inexpensive option: from IKEA, of course! These two tumblers are both able to hold both hot and cold drinks, and they stack very well.
Any more ideas for Amy?
Related: Good Question: Looking for Bright and Colorful Tea Towels
(Images: Amazon.com, Target, Crate & Barrel; Asian Ideas, IKEA-USA)
I came across these knit glass cozies on a blog: http://knitwitmama.blogspot.com/2007/10/glass-cozy-brigade.html
They would make regular drinking glasses usable for hot drinks, but you'd have to wash and store the cozies, which somewhat defeats your goal of having fewer things to store.
Cute, though.
view heather77's profile
You should check out TJ Maxx or Tuesday Morning-they almost always carry a box or two of these Bodum glasses at a significantly reduced price. If you keep checking in once every other week for a few weeks you'd probably be able to buy yourself a nice set. Good luck!
view jamielynnhollis's profile
I have a set of the Working Glasses from C&B, they are awesome for drinking and storing! We eat ice cream out of the short ones, too.
view willson's profile
The bodum glasses are on sale at Starbucks. At least, they are at my Starbucks. They are sold individually but the seem to be a good deal. Good luck.
view ejbrammer's profile
Seconding working glass love. Great for drinking and storage!
view sara jane's profile
We have a set of stemless wine glasses that I love for cold beverages. Personally, I'd probably stick with a mug or two for hot beverages, plus a few of the stemless wine glasses, and you can easily have a collection of 6 cups for everyday use.
view mandarinmarie's profile
I have these glasses from Crate & Barrel and really love their flexibility (and price!)
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=150&f=1691
I would agree though with mandarinemarie - You could easily save 2 wine glasses and a mug or 2 along with your everyday cups.
Or, the "Ridel" glasses that Target sells could easily be used for everyday and wine.
-Ruth
view cptnruthless's profile
I suppose it's an indication that I drink too much coffee, but I have some good quality pint glasses that I love. I'll make iced lattes and iced coffees in them but they're definitely sturdy enough for a hot coffee/latte, too. And they're great for other drinks, of course. Though maybe not the wine.
view laetitiae's profile
Working glasses are my all time favorite. Been using them for years, amongst others.
view Pixie's profile
I like vintage Pepsi Collectors Series Glasses. They have really thick walls and can really take a beating. AND they are fun.
http://shop.ebay.com/items/__pepsi-collectors-glass_W0QQQ5ftrkparmsZ72Q253A570Q257C66Q253A4Q257C65Q253A12Q257C39Q253A1QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQ_sopZ16QQ_scZ1
view Comicgeek's profile
this is cross posted from the duralex picardie thread...(read on for suggestions on other multi purpose drinking glasses besides the frenchy duralex ones.)
the store i work at in williamsburg brooklyn sells those duralex glasses! we sell them individually as well as in sets of four with the matching carafe (the glasses nest inside one another inside the neck of the bottle so you can carry the carafe and stacked glasses all with one hand!)
we also sell a couple of great water/wine glasses from bormioli. my favorites are the double old-fashioned and the mini bodega glasses (which are also great for nuts and snacks.)
the duralex glasses aren't listed on our webstore yet, but you can still order them over the phone anyway (or just swing by the store if yr in the hood!)
check out the other glasses:
http://www.thebrooklynkitchen.com/web-store/barware-and-party-supplies/?q=bormioli
view liladobbs's profile
I got the Duralex glasses at World Market just a few weeks ago and they are great. They stack well, are practically indestructable, and can be used for hot and cold beverages.
view J's profile