So Pyrex explodes now?
 

Just read that they changed their formula in the 90s, and now it's nowhere near as resistant to temperature changes as it used to be.

I just bought a new Pyrex baking dish yesterday for casseroles. Should I return it and just get one made out of ceramic?

Anyone have an issue with this? Or am I overthinking? If I take a hot mixture and put it into the dish before going into the oven, will that cause the thing to explode on me? I've seen some pics/stories online that look pretty bad.

If it’s me, I would return to exchange for a cookware product that won’t make me fear any breakage.

i don’t want to even spend 15 minutes prepping something that might just spill in the oven and force me to start the prep one more time.

I don't know this for sure but I would guess extreme temperature changes are the problem .......don't put straight from freezer to hot oven and vice versa or don't set hot hot dish from oven on a cold surface . I wouldn't use pyrex in a hotter than 400 oven.

It's been happening for 20+ years now. I have a ton of Pyrex and it's never happened to me. I wouldn't be too concerned unless your regularly moved things straight from the freezer to the oven.

Thanks. That's comforting. I'm a bit wary of glass, having cut my hand pretty badly years ago while washing dishes in the sink. I have one recipe that calls for mixing up a rice/bean/chile concoction, then pouring in boiling water, and pouring all of that into a baking dish for cooking in the oven. Does that sound like a bad idea?

No, that should be fine. Just avoid extreme temp changes and you will be ok. I use it all the time and my mom used it her whole life. I wouldn't put it under the broiler though or over 400 in the oven.

Thanks - the pyrex our parents used is a different type of glass. While it was just about indestructible, the new version is not:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the...s-report-finds

The US Pyrex is garbage tempered glass and has been for a few decades. The EU version is still borosilicate and holds up.

https://www.pyrex.eu/collections/gla...igh-resistance

Wouldn't concern me.

As he says, it is a very small incidence of shattering plus they were doing all the things you shouldn't do. I would not hesitate to use my pyrex and I do all the time. Just be careful about certain situations.

I wonder why Pyrex doesn't do what Henckels (knives) does and offer two lines, so those of us who don't mind paying for Borosilicate can.

A few months ago, I set a pyrex bowl on the stovetop and didn't realize the burner was on. I noticed after a few minutes and removed it, but then while waiting for it to cool down, the bowl shattered in my hands, (the top was still cool enough to handle), The pieces were not shards though, more like roundish crystals.

Thanks. So was it like the safety glass in a car window? My great fear is that it explodes in shards. Did the bowl give any warning that it was going to shatter, or did it just go boom all of a sudden? I hope you didn't get injured!

I'm probably overthinking this, due in large part to generalized anxiety about covid and work and life ...

I have zero anxiety about Pyrex breaking. Having used it for over 40 years, even under the broiler, without issue, makes it a non-issue.

My experience working with Pyrex lab glassware is that it shatters under two specific circumstances- dry glassware over a direct heat source (it's totally fine if there's a liquid in the vessel since the liquid modulates the heat and prevents thermal shock) and putting a raging hot beaker of water on a cold wet countertop resulting in downshock (if you put it on a towel it's fine). Even under these conditions, Pyrex glass shatters very rarely.

And I have read that it's okay to put frozen food in a Pyrex container directly into a pre-heated oven since the food absorbs the heat transmitted into the glass. Ultimately it's about the speed and evenness of the temperature changes (not the actual temperature) that causes shattering. YMMV.

I routinely cook chicken in mine at 425-450 (depending on thickness). Never had an issue — I do let it cool down before washing to avoid extreme temp changes.

Lab glassware is still borosilicate, while consumer products are not. Lab stuff is the old formula, or at least closer to it.

Pieces went everywhere so it did not remain intact like a windshield, but there were no shards. The bottom of the bowl was a milky white color, I assume because of the temperature. That was the only indication something was wrong. No injuries, thank goodness. The rim was still cool enough to touch, so when it shattered, the rim actually remained as one piece in my hands.

Well, I used the pyrex for the first time in the oven tonight, and both it and I remain in one piece. Achievement unlocked.

big yay! Hope you loved your food :-)

I have Pyrex that's 30+ years old, and some I bought last summer, and probably use a piece of it 7 or 8 times a week. I have a couple basic rules: don't put it from freezer to hot oven, don't put it hot w/ hot food into fridge or freezer - allow it to cool a little. If you bang it against something when you're handling it, inspect it very carefully for tiny cracks - I've read that pieces w/ any degree of cracking are more likely to explode.

Also, I would avoid pouring very hot liquid into a piece just out of the fridge or freezer, but if you're mixing room temperature ingredients in a room temp container and pouring in boiling water, I would not expect problems.