the stickiness most likely is caused by partially oxidized oils from the dressing you have used. A cleaner like 409 and a plastic scrubber will remove it....but don't do that if the bowl is varnished. In that case try just dish soap and lots and lots of elbow grease. Linda C

Wish you were here-just saw an entire set at our local thrift shop last week-they had stainless steel bases and the entire set of serving bowl & 5 indiv.bowls for less than $5. Keep checking those second hand stores-you never know what treasures you might find..the secret is to go back often.

I tend to agree. It's questionable if there is a solution that will permanently fix the cracks, especially if the cracks go all the way through the wood. I suppose you could try forcing a waterproof wood glue or epoxy into the cracks, but there is no guarantee it will adhere well, or that the cracks won't break the bond if they enlarge. Wood, even old wood, is something that continues to change over time. Maybe it's time to use this as a display bowl rather than a working bowl...

Like lpink, I have lots of serving dishes that belonged to my Grandmother or Great-Grandmother, mostly the cut glass and pressed glass serving dishes from the 50s or before. I do have sets of Pyrex and a cabinet full of old Fire King and Pyrex glass casseroles that are used regularly, going from the oven to the table to the refrigerator:, but my serving dishes tend to be the old Wexford serving pieces, platters and bowls like these: And individual dessert dishes, although I suppose they could be used for other things, like maybe cold soups. They are mostly used for dessert mousse, puddings and custards and individual fruit salads. Grandma liked the Wexford pattern and so I have platters and bowls, glasses of all sizes, and those individual footed pieces, as well as a large pitcher, cream and sugar servers, a jam jar, a cake plate, etc. I also have some green pressed glass bowls, I have a nesting set of four, as well as some clear Fire King: There is a lovely stoneware light blue serving bowl and matching small platter from san, handmade by one of her friends. Plus, of course, the serving dishes that go with my Fiesta Ware and various holiday themed platters, like this one for Thanksgiving. Of course, none of these things get daily use, they are mostly for family dinners and holidays, which just aren't happening right now. I keep them and use them because they were family items that I remember holding fruit salad or turkey at Thanksgiving, or the rare homemade pudding, which was a real treat when I was a child. Grandma was widowed at a young age with 3 small children, so she worked doing laundry and cooking and cleaning for others. She sold just about everything she had, trying to make ends meet. She lived with us my entire childhood, so when she no longer had to worry about hungry mouths or a roof over her head, she spent her little bit of pension and Social Security on "nice things", and they made her happy. I remember her sitting with a cookbook and a cup of tea, listening to opera on the record player or the Galloping Gourmet on TV, dreaming up things that she could serve in those "fancy" dishes. The Wexford pitcher and drinking glasses were ever present in the summer, used for iced tea and the occasional pitcher of red Koolaid. Using them makes me think of her and smile, so I keep using them, mindful of the much easier life that I am blessed with. Annie