Exploding Pyrex [Cooking]

2008 Feb 20
What does everyone use for a 9 x 13 pan?

After my Pyrex exploded, leaving shards of glass (and gratin dauphiniois) all over the kitchen, I have sworn off all Pyrex for baking. I have been looking for a non-glass, non-ceramic alternative.

Was my incident a freak accident? Are my worries about Pyrex exaggerated?

2008 Feb 20
Under what conditions did this happen?

I had that happen to a pyrex pie plate a few years ago, but I stupidly put it from the freezer to the oven. Learned that one the hard way. And fortunately for me it exploded in the stove.

But if you are nervous, you should have a look thick aluminum wear - we love it. Also the new soft silicone stuff is very nice - though you generally have to set it on a tray I find.

2008 Feb 20
I picked up a PC branded aluminum one that had some good weight to it. After using it a couple of dozen times, I found the coating coming off the bottom of it, so needless to say, I don't recommend them.

2008 Feb 20
I meant just plain alu with no coatings. The restaurant-grade stuff.

2008 Feb 20
I use either Pyrex or Corningware, always have. I have never had a problem. But I have heard that if they get a stress in them (crack, chip, etc) then they should be discarded.

Sorry about the mess, bet that was no fun to clean-up.

Hmmm... gratin dauphiniois, sounds great, do tell us more.

2008 Feb 20
I like Pyrex or Corningware. The Corningware I have is mostly casserole dishes and since I don't make casseroles too often anymore there is little wear and tear and they will probably last longer than I will. Although they may get stress fractures after time if you use them often. Same thing with Pyrex although I have two sizes of loaf pans which also don't get used very often. I do have a nice Lagostina cookie tray which has been getting a good work out these days I guess it's made out of aluminum? I would never never buy Bakers Secret pans again. I bought a loaf pan and cookie tray when I first moved out and despite heavy usage they rusted. Hence my preference for glass or ceramic.

2008 Feb 20
Witchypoo, you're not alone apparently.
I offer: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrex
and scroll down to "Safety Issues"

We used PYREX beakers and flasks exclusively in the lab where I worked. They were beasts. Living through everything/anything; temperature extremes (there's your thermal shock), acids, you name it.
Since 1998, when Corning spun off its kitchenware division as World Kitchen Inc., PYREX glassware switched from borosilicate to soda-lime glass.
Only PYREX laboratory glassware is still made of the borosilicate glass.
Oh, my my. They must be unaware that kitchens ARE labs.

Mr. Wizard was definitely using pre-1998 PYREX bowls in his molten lead/frozen PYREX Demo described on the Wikipedia page ("A Demo") otherwise...wa wa.

2008 Feb 20
It also matters the location of the cold/hot ratio, and the geometry of the container. Glass (like many materials) is stronger in compression, than in tension. This is also true for ceramics for example. Containers have a geometry that favours a certain type of heat/cold exposure. If we take the simplest example of a container, a cup (or a coffee mug), it has an inside and an outside. If we 'heat' the inside of the cup, it causes the inside to expand, which will put the inside face of the cup into compression. It will also put the outside into a little tension, but not as much as the compression on the inside.. this is good. If however you reverse the temperature gradient, and put something HOT on the outside, now the outside is expanding, and that places the outside surface in tension. Further, the inside surface is resisting this pressure also using tension force. So.. this is why (one reason at least) zymurgist's pie plate exploded when being placed from freezer into oven (hot on outside, cold on inside = bad news). If zymurgist had taken a hot pie pan (with pie inside) and put it in the freezer, it probably would not have exploded ( hot inside, cold outside = good news ).

2008 Feb 20
I must admit, my Pyrex incident was partially my fault - When I took my pan out of the oven, I put it directly on the stove top (one of those smooth ones). What I didn't know was that the element was still hot from steaming carrots. When I discovered this, I moved the pan away. As I was moving it, it exploded in my hands.

It was enough of a scare that I can't take the risk of it happening again. We were very lucky. My young son, who was next to the stove when it happened, was not facing the pan. He got a direct hit in the back with glass and hot potatoes and cheese.

The mess was cleaned up by my husband and my dinner guest as I sat in the corner of the kitchen with a freshly poured glass of wine.

I shall look into the aluminum and other metal alternatives.

2008 Feb 20
I use the thick gauge aluminum baking sheets that Zym is talking about. For non-stick, we use SILPAT & other silicone cooking sheets/liners, and they work like a charm. I have a copy of Cook's Illustrated kicking around somewhere that tested all the different kinds of cookie sheets and which ones were best for even heat distribution, etc. If I find it, I'll post the results.

2008 Feb 20
Pyrex should be fine when used in extreme temperature conditions.

From what I undertsand, it's pyrex glass tubes that are given out in the City of Ottawa, Harm Reduction Crack Kits.


2008 Feb 21
I have a pampered chef stonewre pan that I use for lasagna, gratins etc. It works like a champ. As for Pyrex I blew up a dish in the middle of a class I was teaching a few years ago. I had mistakenly put it on a wet spot on the counter. Since then I have gotten in the habit of always having a baking rack handy when taking it out of the oven and have since avoided the pyrotechnics. I believe le creuset also makes a pretty swank gratin dish but it is a pretty penny.

2008 Feb 23
Yes I've heard of the Pyrex thing as well. When I told my mom about it, she said her grandmother would always bring refridgerated pyrex up to room temperature before putting it in the oven. Food for thought, I guess. I do know there was something on Consumer Reports about it.

BTW, you shouldn't be putting glass on a ceramic/smoothtop oven surface as it can scratch the finish.

I use metal dishes/corningware for the most part.

2008 Feb 25
I had my pyrex explode on me too, in the exact same fashion.
I was cooking Shepherds Pie, hot beef, potatoes and cheese everywhere.
I still use pyrex. Just I make overly sure my elements are off when I pull it out of the oven, and take my time letting things cool/heat up before freezing/thawing them.


2008 Feb 25
If I recall correctly, all of the glass pans we're talking about have a warning "Not for stovetop use" printed on their underside. Caveat user. :]

2010 Oct 11
OMG! I just had a Pyrex plate filled with hot pumpkin pie explode all over me and my kitchen! In the good old days, when a Pyrex plate broke, it fell into a few pieces. This was a WMD. Happy Thanksgiving--no major injuries.

2010 Oct 12
Yikes--my carrots and their pyrex "made in china" pan exploded in my hands, in skinny shatters--fresh out of the microwave--just before thanksgiving dinner--sans carrots for dinner. Urban legend (unchecked) says that pyrex and corning made in U.S. (not China) shold be okay--don't put those Made In China bowls in the microwave or toaster oven.

2010 Oct 14
Some old info, and some new. As previously discussed in this thread, Pyrex cookware sold in North America USED to be made of borosilicate glass, which is the 'good stuff'. Around 1998, the Pyrex brand in North America was sold, and ALL subsequent cookware sold in North America( Made in USA, or Made in China) has been made of the cheaper, poorer quality soda-lime glass. So... we don't need to perpetrate outdated anti Made in China sentiments when they are not not true (this time). That being said, apparently the Pyrex branded cookware made in France, and sold in Europe is still made using borosilicate glass! ( reference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrex )