A Christmas story, almost

One day in the late Fall of 2011, I reached into the lower cupboard, next to the sink, to pull something out. In the process, I knocked the cast-iron frying pan off the upper shelf and it crashed down to the next level. I heard a discouraging sound and my heart sank. When I inspected the damage, I found the upper part — the insert — of my Pyrex double boiler was broken.

I felt so bad. I used my double boiler but also, it had been given to me by my mother way back when I was in one of my early apartments. I was quite sentimentally attached to it.

One of the first things I remember using it for was to make the pastry cream to fill my very first batch of cream puffs. Yes, I made the pâte à choux also and it turned out perfectly. The puffs looked like this:

The cream, made to perfection in my double boiler, was smooth and silky — no lumps.

I also used it to make a lovely cooked salad dressing that my mother used to make. She called it "mayonnaise" but it wasn't the classic mayo that's made from egg yolks, lemon juice, vinegar and oil added in a thin stream while you whisk until it thickens. Mum's "mayonnaise" had both vinegar and sugar and has a lovely tart/sweet taste that's very good in a potato salad.

And of course, pies: banana cream, lemon meringue, and several variations.

I needed a functional double boiler and I preferred it to be as close as possible to the one I was used to.

So Dan went to eBay on the quest. He was looking for this:

The pieces had model numbers and we specified the size and before we knew what was happening, we had identified what we were looking for. I can't remember all the details but I remember being happy to see this:

Congratulations, the item is yours!

Hi Dan,

Congratulations on winning this item! The next step is to pay the seller. Check out and pay with PayPal to get your item as soon as possible.

Vintage TOP POT ONLY of PYREX Flameware 1 1/2 Qt Double Boiler # 6283-U

Sale price: US $19.99

Estimated delivery: Varies

Shipping & Handling: USPS Parcel Post 0

USPS First Class Mail International US $10.00

Seller: acjake423 [contact seller]

Seller Information: Gail Nargiso

West Milford, NJ 07480 United States

It didn't take long to arrive and it was a perfect fit. I couldn't tell the difference from the piece that had broken and, once again, I marvelled at the world we live in. Internet, eBay, PayPal, UPS two-day-delivery — makes my head spin.

I felt grateful and I decided to write to Gail in West Milford NJ to tell her it had arrived and to explain the circumstances around my search. I told her it was a gift from my late mother and how much of what I cooked in it was what she used to cook in it. I said it was kind of a sentimental piece of cookware and I was so glad to have been able to replace it. It was this time of year so I wrote something like this: "Thank you for selling this piece and you can be sure it will be well-used during this season. If it's appropriate, I would like to wish you a 'Merry Christmas.'"

Gail wrote back, so happy to hear from me and happy the piece had arrived intact. She was glad it had found a good home as it had belonged to her late mother. Her mother had died recently and she had found the piece while clearing out her mother's house. She almost threw it away, it being part of a set and all, but at the last minute, she decided to put it on eBay. She said she felt a little teary when she read my note because her mother had used it for the same type of cooking.

She assured me that "Merry Christmas" was perfectly appropriate and she wished me and my family the same.

It was a rather sweet exchange.

And one of the latest things I made in my double boiler?

Mmmm, that was a good pie. Strawberries, eh?