Why I Will Never Again Purchase Any Pfaltzgraff Product

My husband and I purchased two boxes of Pfaltzgraff "Taos" dishes in 2011 from Kohl's. It took us several years to notice that some of the dishes were not, in fact, microwave and dishwasher safe. I found this out slowly because sometimes the dishes would go through the microwave and dishwasher just fine, and sometimes they would burn my hand after being in the microwave, or come apart in my hands as I removed them from the dishwasher. For example, I sustained a blister on my index finger from grabbing a plate that had been in the microwave for 120 seconds (two minutes) at half power.

The back of the plate where the dish that is cracking from the middle
outward claims to be microwave and dishwasher safe.

In 2015 a plate broke in half as I was taking it out of the dishwasher. I don't mean it fell from my hands and shattered on the floor. I mean I reached down in the dishwasher, grabbed it, and half of it came up in my hand, while the other half remained sitting in the dishwasher. Later, a mug handle broke off the same exact way. When I examined the break, it's a clean break that fits right back together. It was then that I began noticing that some of the dishes were cracking from the middle outward. It wasn't happening with all of them though. I surmised that one box of the dishes that we bought was microwave and dishwasher safe, and one wasn't. 

On the left is one plate that is beginning to crack from the middle outward, on the right is a closeup. The crack looks vertical, but actually it's emanating outward in an X shaped pattern, but the intersecting crack does not show up well in pictures.

I took these concerns via email to Pfaltzgraff immediately, noting the differences in quality and the burns I had sustained from removing some of the dishes from the microwave, and made sure to include pictures of the cracking plates. I never got any response. I continuously checked my junk mail to make sure it hadn't been marked as spam, and sure enough, nothing. I then took to twitter and again received no response. Finally, after stating my concerns on Facebook I got a canned response that was identical to every other person's Facebook complaint, "Hi (name), we're sorry for your experience and want to make this right. Please call us at 1-800-999-2811."

I couldn't find my exact post, but you can go to the Pfaltzgraff Facebook page by clicking through the post below. The response they left Sara Ann is exactly the same as they left me. Also, have fun scrolling through the scores of other dissatisfied customers with similar horror stories about so-called "microwave and dishwasher safe" products including rusty flatware and plates with completely cracked finishes and mug handles that come off in your hands.

Hello Pfaltzgraff.I received one of your flatware sets awhile back and recently broke it out to use them in my new...
Posted by Sara Ann on Wednesday, November 18, 2015

It took me from November until now (February) to make the time to call them. (Why do they have other customer service outlets if they are just going to force everyone to call?) After spending a significant amount of time on hold (seriously, I literally had time to clean out my closet while listening to their godawful hold music) I spoke to a very pleasant and determinedly unhelpful representative who informed me that because the dishes were five years old, the only recompense they would offer is 30% off replacement dishes. So, no, they really don't care to make it right, despite what the social media intern is stating on every single complaint.

This mug handle cracked cleanly at the top and bottom and came off
in my hands as I went to take it out of the dishwasher. 

I was particularly not impressed with the offer of thirty percent off dishes that may or may not be microwave and dishwasher safe. I asked her if five years is the standard lifetime of Pfaltzgraff dishes and she said no, but since no one else had had problems with this line (seriously, no one?) they wouldn't be offering me anything more than that. I said no thank you, I think I would rather just resolve to never again purchase Pfaltzgraff brand dishes than to spend more money on dishes that might burn me or fall apart upon being removed from the dishwasher. She didn't offer to let me speak to anyone else, she made no excuses and basically said, I'm sorry, that's all I can do.

This is the same mug as in the above photo showing how the handle is completely broken off, but cleanly, because the ceramic split before the handle came off.

What did I expect? Honestly? If it were my company and someone contacted me with this issue, I would ask the dishes to be sent back to me so I could test them, and then I would send them two new boxes of thoroughly tested new dishes. The manufacturing stamp on the back says "China" and we all know the level of quality of the products produced in China. It seems clear to me that one of their factories was using inferior materials. 

I will be pursuing the possibility of making a complaint with the office of the Attorney General, the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, since it seems obvious to me that Pfaltzgraff is selling products that are not what they claim to be and in fact could be injurious (through burns sustained and cuts from broken dishes). This surely constitutes some sort of fraud. I will be certain no Pfaltzgraff dishes ever end up in my house again, and I hope you will think twice about spending your hard earned money on a product that used to be a very good quality brand name. 

Kesha, Did I Misjudge You?

I wrote a blog about Ke$ha (does she still stylize her name that way?) in 2013 I wrote a blog about how much I really didn't like her music, mostly based on the flippant attitude toward sexuality that she took in virtually every song. As a mom of girls, I'm constantly aware that pop culture icons can have a big impact on my kids, so I choose to limit their exposure to things that I think could be detrimental to their self-image or their development into strong, intelligent, discerning women of character. Kesha, I determined, was the antithesis to everything I wanted my girls to be.

no woman should have to go through this #FreeKesha pic.twitter.com/4MBXG7sC3h

— Houssein (@CheekyHoussein) February 19, 2016

Shortly after that she sort of faded from the forefront of the music scene, and I just assumed she must be taking a break to enjoy her wealth, since I hadn't heard of any unsuccessful albums being dropped. Turns out I was wrong about that. I read an article on Mashable that revealed that Kesha has been in a legal battle to get out of her contract with her producer "Dr. Luke" (who presumably received his doctorate from the same institution as Dr. Dre). Kesha alleged in court that Dr. Luke had been sexually harassing her, assaulting her and threatening her since he brought her to fame out of obscurity at the age of 18. (She is now 28).

Astonishingly, the courts upheld her contract and are forcing her to continue to work with and for her alleged abuser to make six more albums. Dr. Luke countersued for defamation of character, stating that this whole thing is a charade to get out of her recording contracts.

This is a tough case. On one hand, as a woman, I never want to disbelieve another woman when she says she has been abused or raped. I am inclined to immediately believe and want to offer help. On the other hand, artists making false allegations and suing to get out of unprofitable contracts is not unheard of in the recording industry. Another thing that is not unheard of in the recording industry though, is older, powerful men taking advantage of young women who desperately want to be famous and will put up with a lot of crap for it.

I am pretty sure Kesha is telling the truth on this one for the main reason that she's not seeking money in the suit, just dissolution of contract, and was even willing to work with another producer within the Sony record label. It's hard to look at those things and still think this is all about money.

Now, based on my previous blog, you might think that this is where I start finger wagging and saying that Kesha's loose morals is what led her to this situation. No. No. No. No victim blaming. It doesn't matter if she walked around mostly naked like Miley Cyrus, or slept with a million men, no one deserves to be raped, abused or made to feel worthless. I feel horrible for Kesha, and I wonder what kind of music she would make if she were not being hindered by a toxic relationship with her producer. Whatever kind of music she makes after escaping the clutches of this man, I still might not like or approve of it. But my taste in music notwithstanding, she deserves a chance to be unhindered by an abusive producer.

You can read more details about the lawsuit on Rolling Stone.

Accidental Omelettes and Other Mom Recipes You Didn't Know You Could Make

I don't know about you, but being a mom has totally changed my perspective on cooking. Whereas cooking was once a strange mysterious process that basically eluded me, it's now a total breeze. In fact, as a mom, there are some recipes that basically don't take any skill as a cook at all. These recipes practically make themselves, and as an added bonus, they contain a lot of unintentional cardio. Here are three of my favorite mom recipes.

Accidental OmelettesThese are a godsend for a hungry mom who doesn't mind eating her child's breakfast while the child rummages in the pantry for the sugariest, most processed food she can find.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• Dash of salt

Instructions:

• Intend to make scrambled eggs for your child. She needs lots of protein and far less sugar and she'll actually eat scrambled eggs.
• Heat the skillet to medium.
• Begin the normal process of making scrambled eggs (melt the butter in the skillet, scramble the egg, milk and salt in a bowl).
• Pour egg mixture into hot skillet.
• Hear crying from across the house.
• Go attend a boo boo.
• Run back and turn off the heat so you don't burn the house down.
• Completely forget about eggs.
• Feed sniffling child a pop tart.
• Return 5 minutes later to find scrambled eggs have turned into an omelette in the bottom of the pan.
• Fold.
• Eat.

Evaporated Water

This is by far the easiest mom recipe. If you can boil water, you can make this.

Image via The Kitchn

Ingredients:

• Pot
• Water 

Instructions:

• Get out box of Kraft macaroni for dinner.
• Fill pot with the required six cups of water.
• Without measuring, because let's be honest, you have been making this since like junior high.
• Set heat to high.
• Child shows up.
• Child says something super cute.
• Get into a game of tickle chase with child.
• Child runs into dining room table, bonks head, cries.
• Auditorily hallucinate your mother's voice saying "NO RUNNING IN THE HOUSE, ELIZABETH!".
• Realize you're a failure as a mother.
• Cry.
• Get boo boo bunny.
• Turn on Caillou.
• Cuddle.
• Suddenly remember pot.
• Run to turn off burner.
• Douse molten pot in cold water in sink.
• Praise Jesus that you didn't burn the house down.
• Attend to the burn you've just sustained from grabbing the pot handle.
• Order pizza.

Charbroiled Chocolate Chip Cookies (and I helped!)
This recipe is perfect for someone who wants to practice the mixing process of baking, but not the actual baking process of baking. It's also great if you're on a diet, because you end up with half the edible cookies you intended to. This is the Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but it's really the process that's important, so you can substitute your own recipe if you so please.

Image via Limerick's Blog

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2  large eggs
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 375.
• Cream together butter and sugars.
• Child hears mixer and runs into kitchen.
• Child says, "You makin' COOKIES?!".
• Allow child to pour vanilla (after you measure it, you're not making that mistake again).
• Beat in first egg while child cries "*I* wanted to crack the eggs!".
• Allow child to crack second egg.
• Pick egg shell out of batter.
• Measure out flour.
• Allow child to pour flour into separate bowl.
• Clean spilled flour off counter top, try to eyeball the amount and add to the bowl.
• Measure baking soda and salt, allow child to pour into dry ingredient bowl.
• Get out a whisk to mix dry ingredients.
• Allow child to mix dry ingredients.
• Child mixes dry ingredients as if her arm was a helicopter rotor.
• Clean dry ingredients off counter top, pray that no baking soda was lost.
• Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients, allowing child to pour one cup of dry ingredients at a time into the bowl.
• Clean dry ingredients off counter top.
• Add chocolate chips and mix.
• Grease the pan even though it says not to because I DO WHAT I WANT.
• Drop rounded spoonfuls of cookie dough onto pan.
• Try in vain to stop child from eating raw dough.
• Chase child around kitchen to get spoon back.
• Turn on Barney.
• Go back to cookies, finish spooning out one panful, there will be more dough left in the bowl.
• Put cookies in to bake.
• Forget to set timer.
• Check Facebook.
• Bring child to potty.
• Argue with child about how much toilet paper should be used.
• Refuse to allow child to leave bathroom without washing her hands.
• Suddenly remember cookies when smoke alarm goes off.
• Bring pan of charbroiled cookies outside on the sidewalk to cool.
• Open all the windows and try to wave the smoke away from the smoke detector.
• Peel nutcase dog down from ceiling fan.
• Open fridge, look longingly at the bottle of wine.
• Realize you're the only adult in the house and close the fridge.
• After cooling, scrape charbroiled cookies into the trash
• Calm down crying child who really wanted a black cookie.
• Bake remaining dough.
• Remember to set the damn timer this time for 9 to 11 minutes.