Hey LizzieMaine/Got any old Corning Pyrex? 25 years?

[Foofoogal]

http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/pyrex.asp

some vintage things are just better.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, what Pyrex I have was my grandmother's, and she died in 1981, so mine would all be the Corning stuff. But this is obviously something to watch out for when buying modern-manufactured products with a vintage name: is it actually made according to vintage specifications, or is it a cheap Chinese knockoff? Caveat emptor, as they say.

The original Pyrex was so strong it was used to make large cathode-ray tubes for television in the late 40s -- DuMont actually had a 30-inch screen on the market, made from Pyrex, when no ordinary glass tube was larger than 16 inches. Pretty amazing material.

 

[Paisley]

Safety Instructions from the Pyrex Website

PYREX GLASS BAKEWARE SAFETY AND USAGE INSTRUCTIONS:

NEVER use on top of the stove, under a broiler, in a toaster oven, or place over oven vent or pilot light.
AVOID severe hot to cold temperature changes, including:
DO NOT add liquid to hot dish
DO NOT place hot dish or glass cover in sink
DO NOT immerse hot dish in water
DO NOT place hot dish on cold or wet surfaces
Handle hot ovenware and glass covers with dry potholders
ALWAYS add a small amount of liquid to the vessel prior to baking foods that release liquids while cooking.
DO NOT overheat oil or butter in microwave. Use minimum amount of cooking time.
DO NOT use or repair any item that is chipped, cracked or scratched.
CARE INSTRUCTIONS:

To loosen baked-on-food, allow glass to cool, then soak.
If scouring is necessary, use only plastic or nylon cleaning pads with nonabrasive cleansers.
WARNING: Failure to follow these instructions can cause immediate or later breakage which can result in personal injury or property damage.​

Heating or cooling glass too quickly in general isn't a good idea--parts of the glass heat faster than others, which can make it crack. Since liquid transfers heat faster than air, it's best to let the glass air cool.

Chips and scratches are stress concentration points where breakage can start. (Think of pits in your windshield, and how cracks form from them.)

 

[Foofoogal]

the point I was trying to convey was that the company that owns the brand now is not the original safer item or product according to that article.
one of those minding my own business and someone asks me about it.

 

[Fletch]

Another point - or anyway, the position of the company - is that the original Pyrex formulation has been pretty much off the market since 1946. (Clearly meant to imply that the soda-lime product isn't all that bad.)

The article weakens its own premise when it credits the info that original Pyrex is stronger only to unnamed "sources." Even a name and a quick partial quote would have been enough...

 

[WideBrimm]

Yikes! I've still got my Corning Pyrex purchased new between 1979 and 1981 and still use them, even with chipped lids. Never a problem. But then I never put them in the microwave straight from freezer or fridge, only at room temp.

 

[Jennifer Lynn]

Same here. The casserole dishes I had were always used with the utmost care. As far as the warnings go, I have seen what happens to Pyrex when is hot and is introduced to a cool, wet surface. In this case it was a kitchen counter, and my poor friend ended up with the surface area covered in glass bits and homemade enchiladas.

On a sidenote - WideBrimm - I lived in CO for 25 years...half that time in Aurora (by Buckley AFB).

 

[WideBrimm]

Same here. The casserole dishes I had were always used with the utmost care. As far as the warnings go, I have seen what happens to Pyrex when is hot and is introduced to a cool, wet surface. In this case it was a kitchen counter, and my poor friend ended up with the surface area covered in glass bits and homemade enchiladas.

On a sidenote - WideBrimm - I lived in CO for 25 years...half that time in Aurora (by Buckley AFB).

What a terrible loss..........of good yummy enchiladas! Que lastima!

(Buckley AFB is straight down the road (Alameda) from here on the other side of the interstate.)

 

[Lady Day]

the point I was trying to convey was that the company that owns the brand now is not the original safer item or product according to that article.
one of those minding my own business and someone asks me about it.

Thats the case with *many* companies. Cutting corners, material changes, different management. All those things and more factor into weather something is 'safe' or not.

LD

 

[Paisley]

I have some Pyrex glass baking pans and generic glass lids that I've used for over 10 years or so. I admit they're a little scratched and chipped, but I've never had a problem with them.

I did pour hot water into a glass cup once and it shattered. :eusa_doh: Shoulda known better.

 

[Jennifer Lynn]

I did that once Paisley, except it was a hot cup (from the dishwasher) and a very cold drink. Yikes!

I read something a few days back on the "Ripley's Believe it or Not" comic that said glass loses a good percentage of its strength if it is blown upon while in the stage of cooling. I doubt this is the sole reason for weak glass in a lot of our kitchenware, but do wonder if it is a reason.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The whole point of the original 1940s Pyrex was that it was specifically engineered to be highly resistant to "thermal shock," which is how they were able to make such use of it in labware and the like -- and that was also its primary selling point for home use. Making it less so would seem to be counterproductive to the integrity of the brand, but maybe that's just my non-modern way of looking at things.

I once had a non-Pyrex punch bowl explode when I took it out of an unheated kitchen cupboard in the middle of January and poured hot punch into it. Sounded like a pistol shot, and glass and punch went every which way. Not the thing you want to have happen when your guests are just coming thru the door.

 

[WideBrimm]

My glass cookware, utensils, dishes, etc. usually shatter when I clumsily drop them in the sink or on the floor or when they tumble out of the cupboard!

 

[Paisley]

I did that once Paisley, except it was a hot cup (from the dishwasher) and a very cold drink. Yikes!

I read something a few days back on the "Ripley's Believe it or Not" comic that said glass loses a good percentage of its strength if it is blown upon while in the stage of cooling. I doubt this is the sole reason for weak glass in a lot of our kitchenware, but do wonder if it is a reason.

According to the article linked to above, modern Pyrex is tempered, just not highly tempered like windshield glass, which breaks into small, rounded pieces.

How materials are treated when formed definitely affects their properties.

 

[Fletch]

Windshield glass nowadays is safety glass, which has a layer of laminate inside which keeps it together even when shattered.

Tempered glass is not laminated, just "tensioned" to make it very strong along the surfaces. The tradeoff is that it's weak along the edges and especially at the corners. Get one small crack along an edge, or apply shock to a corner, and the tension in the glass makes it literally EXPLODE.

It happened to me when my shower door came off its track. I was not seriously cut, but I was cut. The fragments are small, roughly round, but sharp. Better by far than huge jagged fragments, of course.

 

[Viola]

We've had some burst Pyrex and my poor kid brother was almost badly hurt and WAS scared to death once, years ago, when he went to check a Pyrex roasting pan in the oven and he did something (maybe poured juice in, I don't recall) and glass bits shot across the ENTIRE kitchen and all around him.

Rather frightening for him, and for our mother - he's the favourite. lol

 

[Doctor Mabuse]

NEVER use on top of the stove, under a broiler, in a toaster oven, or place over oven vent or pilot light.

My wife's been collecting Pyrex and Corningware for a few years now, and we've got a few pieces that actually say "FOR RANGE AND MICROWAVE" right on the bottom. I wonder if it's a different formula of glass, or if they've just stopped suggesting it for rangetop use.

 

[Talbot]

I have a glass Pyrex frying pan. Doesn't seem to have a problem with thermal shock.

 

[Foofoogal]

I used my Spice of Life to cook in today. I love corning. Easiest thing to clean for cooking.

 

[Paisley]

My mom used to have a glass tea kettle; I don't remember if it was Pyrex. She put a wire trivet under it to use on the stove top. I don't know whether it could have been used with a gas range.