Vintage Housewares: Chip and Dip Sets

A favorite among the vintage housewares collection is the chip and dip sets. These were wildly popular in the 60's and 70's, as people were entertaining at home and a simple bowl of potato chips was elevated to something special. I think the invention of the "California Dip" had a lot to do with wanting a small dip bowl to accompany the potato chips. The dip was a creation of a Los Angeles cook in 1954 (sour cream and dry onion soup mix) and it soon was promoted by Lipton and was called "Lipton California Dip" and printed on its packages of onion soup mix. It eventually became more commonly known as "French Onion Dip.

These sets were made by American glass makers like Anchor Hocking, Hazel Atlas (Hazelware), Indiana Glass, Wexford, and others. I show an example of one made from aluminum, made by West Bend. They were commonly found in dime stores and department stores and could be had in clear glass, amber, avocado, gold, blue or even with a design printed or painted on.

In addition to being perfect for potato chips and dip, they also work great for tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole, iced shrimp and cocktail sauce, fruit salad and fruit dip, or tossed green salad and dressing. Be creative - if you have a set stashed away get it out and you can use it in new ways...or just crack open that big back of potato chips, make some dip, and enjoy!!