Some Questions About Pyrex and Corningware

[Kikujiro]

You can't use Pyrex on the stovetop, right? So: if someone's boiling water on a gas hob, in a translucent pot or casserole so you can see inside, and this is taking place fifteen years ago, what if anything could the pot be made from?

thanks

[Jason Perlow]

Pyrex. You can use it on a gas stove. Not many people doing it nowadays though, but in the 70's it was vogue to have Pyrex cookware.

[bigbear]

I think that Pyrex Visionware has been around for 20 years or so.

[Stone]

I saw Alton Brown reduce some jus in a Pyrex baking dish (the rib roast episode). But the dish itself (or the two I have) specifically say not to use on a stove top. And a friend of mine freaked when I did.

[Jason Perlow]

Specifically, we are talking about Pyrex Flameware:

http://www.acorpe.com/id173.htm

http://www.leaves-flowers.com/pyrex/py-010.html

[g.johnson]

There's nothing very remarkable about glass that's able to withstand a naked flame. Think chemistry class.

Edit: That said, the thickness required for a saucepan will cause problems since a temperature gradient across a thick piece of glass will lead to uneven expansion and stress that could shatter the pot. My guess is that pyrex is designed to expand very little with heating to reduce that stress. It'll still shatter if you place a hot dish in cold water, though.

Edited March 25, 2003 by g.johnson (log)

[Kikujiro]

Aha! Thank you. I thought Pyrex, but the no stovetop thing threw me.

Edited March 25, 2003 by Kikujiro (log)

[Jason Perlow]

I think that Pyrex Visionware has been around for 20 years or so.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?c...pyrex+flameware

According to some of the items in this ebay category, back to the 1940's.

[bigbear]

Visionware also.

[Suzanne F]

You can't use Pyrex on the stovetop, right? So: if someone's boiling water on a gas hob, in a translucent pot or casserole so you can see inside, and this is taking place fifteen years ago, what if anything could the pot be made from?

thanks

There was no pot. It was a special type of water that holds its shape when boiled. It was an experiment that failed, alas, because no one could figure out how to cut off a chunk to make only one cup of tea.

[fimbul]

There was no pot. It was a special type of water that holds its shape when boiled. It was an experiment that failed, alas, because no one could figure out how to cut off a chunk to make only one cup of tea.

And the coffee goes all over the keyboard.

Thank you, I needed that.

[Sandra Levine]

That said, the thickness required for a saucepan will cause problems since a temperature gradient across a thick piece of glass

It wasn't good for direct cooking, but it made a great double boiler, because you could actually see the water in the lower pot and adjust the flame accordingly.

[memesuze]

My mother always made her coffee in a Pyrex percolator directly on the flame on her Chambers range.

memesuze

[richw]

I carelessly placed a pryex roasting pan on a coil burner to deglaze and it blew up like a BOMB. There wasn't a piece of the thing left larger than a dime. Luckily nobody was hurt but I sure wanted to eat that chicken!

[=Mark]

As I recall the Pyrex cookware hyped in the 70s and 80s had major problems with food sticking. Also, glass is exceptionally poor as a conductor of heat. It looked cool but ultimately lost out due to poor performance.

[Wimpy]

How about Corningware? Can it be used on top of a gas burner?

[jhlurie]

I've still got one tucked away somewhere. Its good for boiling water, and maybe pasta or rice. Fun for the whole family.

[rozrapp]

How about Corningware?  Can it be used on top of a gas burner?

Yes.

Re: pyrex pots. In the late 1960's, I purchased a pyrex double boiler for use on a gas cooktop. While the larger, bottom pot broke a long time ago -- not while in use though -- I still have the smaller top pot and cover and do use them occasionally.

Btw, people who keep kosher find pyrex pots extremely useful because they can be used to cook both dairy and meat (though not together, or course). Any item made from glass -- including dishes, glasses, etc. -- is considered pareve. Pots like stainless steel, copper, etc., can only be used for either dairy or meat.

[Suzanne F]

Oh, I LOVED my Pyrex double-boilers! The only d-b in which you can always see the water level.

I've gone through at least 2. Once the top pot went when I cooked oatmeal in it directly over the flame, and then thought I could just put it over the boiling water in the bottom to keep warm. Wrong. All the other tops and bottoms broke from getting smacked too hard against things like the floor.

fimbul -- you're very welcome. It's been a rough few days here, too.

[jsmeeker]

I received a small kitchen torch for Christmas. I want to use it to make some creme brulle. The only type of dish I have to bake them and serve them in are little 6 ounce pyrex "dessert dishes". You know the kind. The little glass dishes everyone uses for mise en place.

It says something "not for stovetop or broiler use" on them. Now, I know they are oven safe. I've used them to make creme caramels before. But if I make a creme brulle, will i have issues when it comes to making the sugar top??

[Tri2Cook]

They'll be fine. The torch isn't going to hurt them in the time it takes to caramelize the sugar. I've bruleed in champagne glasses. I used a torch to brown meringue on lemon meringue cupcakes that were in paper baking cups without burning the paper. Your pyrex will be fine.

[Chris Hennes]

I sure hope they're safe for it---I do it all the time! Just don't deliberately focus the torch on the glass: the issue with the broiler and stovetop is when one part of the glass gets much hotter than the rest, which can cause cracks or even a more violent "explosion" due to the buildup of stress. A quick hit with the torch is harmless.

[K8memphis]

Didja know how dangerous Pyrex is in general?? Knowing what I know now I would not torch it. It explodes all by itself often as in spontaneously.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/pyrex.html

or click here

[Chris Hennes]

For a counterpoint, check here. The most interesting point to note is that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which maintains a database of injuries suffered due to consumer products, has no indications that this extremely-widely-used product is responsible for any injuries that are not related to dropping the product.

[Anna N]

For a counterpoint, check here. The most interesting point to note is that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which maintains a database of injuries suffered due to consumer products, has no indications that this extremely-widely-used product is responsible for any injuries that are not related to dropping the product.

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Thank you for that link. After reading the reports of injuries I quickly questioned what abuse had taken place but had no way of suggesting an authority that would back up my sense that Pyrex when properly used is very safe.