Glass Cookware

[Kitchen Barbarian]

Never "bothered to de-glaze a pan"? You don't know what you're missing. That's a lot of great flavor going down the drain.

No there isn't. I eat very little meat, and when I do, I don't need the fat and grease anyway. I haven't made a roast in nearly 35 years.

 

[no mayonnaise]

It's the only truly nonstick, durable bakeware available.

Personally I HATE cast-iron. Glass bakeware isn't lightweight, but cast iron is even heavier. Also, the enameled stuff can crack and craze in high-heat use due to the differing expansion rates of the enamel and the cast iron.

I've been happily baking in Pyrex for 50 years. Nothing's come on the market yet that beats it. I can't tell you how many metal pans I've ended up throwing away because the eventually become uncleanable - as opposed to my big Pyrex baking pans, which clean up in a snap with about 1/10th the effort. I have Pyrex that's as old as I am. You'll get my Pyrex Flameware double-boiler when you pull it from my cold, dead hands! LOL!

I've never bothered to de-glaze a pan for a roast in my life, so I don't miss that.

I guess we just have different styles of cooking. I don't recall ever needing nonstick bakeware for most anything I make, and I love the weight of cast iron. That's one of my favorite aspects of it. I also always deglaze. It hurts me to waste that beautiful fond! Lastly, my bakeware isn't regular metal, save for a couple of rarely-if-ever-used things like muffin tins; it's generally all earthenware or C-CCI (ceramic-coated cast iron). I'm a little surprised you're bringing up the possibility of cracking C-CCI as a negative when you're using glass bakeware that'll shatter if you set it on something cool while it's hot. That said, my C-CCI cookware has handled the highest heat I can throw at it with no problem, and it's not even a "nice brand."

Glass pie plates yield the best pie crusts.

SO's brownies in a glass baking dish area always done to a "T". Certainly not the only way but a really good one.

I think those get lumped in with "things like," though I've had great brownies out of pans made of many different materials.
However, my post was geared less toward baking and more toward cooking, though I wasn't very specific.

No there isn't. I eat very little meat, and when I do, I don't need the fat and grease anyway. I haven't made a roast in nearly 35 years.

You're supposed to drain off all the fat and grease before you deglaze. The flavor is in the fond, not the grease.

 

[bakechef]

I moved away from glass after a shatter incident. No the pan wasn't old or damaged, it had been in the oven for a while with brownie batter in it.

Now my preference is metal, I like nice square, straight sides on my bakeware, that, you cannot get with glass. My layer cake pans are anodized aluminum, my pie pans are glazed ceramic or stoneware. None of these are going to end up in hundreds of pieces in my oven. I like how my baked goods look when baked in commercial grade pro bakware.

 

[Mel!]

I had a glass lidded coffee perculator once. The lid could withstand lots of heat, as it was on when perculating the coffee. One time, I put it in cold water while it was still hot, right after perculating some coffee. Apparently, that type of glass is not supposed to be put in cold water when it is hot. It didn't explode, but the sound it made as the lid cracked and then broke in half sounded explosive.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

When I was about 8 years old, I came home from school one day, and went upstairs to change from my school clothes to my play clothes. I placed the toe of one shoe against of the heel of the other, and loosened the shoe from my foot. I kicked the loosened show forward to remove it the rest of the way from my foot. I might have used a little too much force, for the shoe flew through the air and through the inner glass of my bedroom window. It had both an inner window, and storm window in a double hung frame.

Well, of course I was sure I was going to get into lots of trouble for this, so woth the limited wisdom of a 9 year old, I didn't tell anyone about the accident. Of course it was discovered, and by my stepfather, who was I might add, an amazing man. He called my upstairs and asked me how the window got broken. I thought quickly and replied that I didn't know. But maybe, because it was winter, and very cold outside, and hot in my room, that the glass couldn't take it and had shattered spontaneously. He looked at me for a moment, playing my answer around in his mind, and then, without a word, left the room. I didn't get into trouble for that broken window. I thought my answer had fooled him. As I became older, I realized that he must have held back a snicker, and the acting job was probably worth an Oscar. He and my mother must hae had quite a laught at the cleverness of my answer to the broken window, after I was asleep of course. Having raised kids of my own, I learned how hard it sometimes is to hold back a nicker when a young child comes up with something clever beyond their years, but that is obviously either a lie, or an improper behavior.

My stepfather was a man above normal men. That's all I have to say about that, and the broken window.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Kitchen Barbarian]

You're supposed to drain off all the fat and grease before you deglaze. The flavor is in the fond, not the grease.

I'm well aware of that, I just don't bother to do it. Plus, there's the whole I-don't-need-to-worry-about-it-anyway-since-I-don't-do-roasts thing. The fat is in the meat, actually. That's actually why I don't like meat much. Roasts are generally pretty boring. To each their own, though.

As for needing non-stick, I sure like to have it when I'm cleaning up after caramelizing onions (I caramelize onions in the oven) or making a casserole. Even if I manage to burn something, if it's in a metal pan, that's a horrible mess to clean up; in a Pyrex baking dish, it's a simple matter of soaking it with some baking soda, which removes most of it, then a small amount of elbow grease and eh, voila, sparkling clean with very little fuss.

There's also the fact that I can cut things right out of the pan without damaging a metal surface. Have you ever seen a well-used metal pie plate?

For me, Pyrex is the bakeware/ovenware of choice, always has been.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I'm well aware of that, I just don't bother to do it. Plus, there's the whole I-don't-need-to-worry-about-it-anyway-since-I-don't-do-roasts thing. The fat is in the meat, actually. That's actually why I don't like meat much. Roasts are generally pretty boring. To each their own, though.

As for needing non-stick, I sure like to have it when I'm cleaning up after caramelizing onions (I caramelize onions in the oven) or making a casserole. Even if I manage to burn something, if it's in a metal pan, that's a horrible mess to clean up; in a Pyrex baking dish, it's a simple matter of soaking it with some baking soda, which removes most of it, then a small amount of elbow grease and eh, voila, sparkling clean with very little fuss.

There's also the fact that I can cut things right out of the pan without damaging a metal surface. Have you ever seen a well-used metal pie plate?

For me, Pyrex is the bakeware/ovenware of choice, always has been.

I'm glad Pyrex works for you. My well seasoned cast iron pans do the same for me. The seasoning is durable enough that I can cut in the pan. It's virtually stick free, even when things are burn on. It can withstand any heat I apply to it. It's durable, and nearly shatter-proof. I can use it with any kind of heat source, even induction. I can use it with direct flame, or in the oven. I don't have to worry about pouring liquid into it when it's hot. It doesn't add metallic flavor to the foods made in it, even if they are acidic or base. I enjoy all the benefits that you do with yoru pyrex, plus more.

My point isn't to praise cast iron cookware. We all have our personal favorites. But Just as I love what I work with, and what works for me, so too do you enjoy and love the things you work with, and what works for you. Neither is right. Neither is wrong. Both work well when used properly. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. As a former member of DC once put it, or something to the effect, what goes into the pot is more important than is the pot.

I wish you many great meals, and great service from your favorite cookware. And what I do know it that you have given great discussion here at DC, along with some great cooking tips, and if I recall, some pretty good recipes.

People, let's not get hung up on what kind of pot, pan, or casserole dish is best. Let's just have fun cooking, creating, and sharing what we all enjoy, eating, presenting, and sharing good food, and the techniques we use to make it.

Seeeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[taxlady]

Cast iron is useless in the microwave. I like having both Pyrex and cast iron.

 

[Dawgluver]

Cast iron is useless in the microwave. I like having both Pyrex and cast iron.

Agree. And I love my SS too.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Cast iron is useless in the microwave. I like having both Pyrex and cast iron.

actually, I have glass casserole dishes that work in the oven, and in the microwave, and I use them. I have a 12" SS frying pan with sloped sides, that when used properly, is as non-stick as my CI. So too is my carbon steel, flat-bottomed Atlas Wok. And then there's the aluminum pressure cooker, that I seasoned with cooking oil. Yep, it's easy to clean as well.

The point is, they all work, when used for what they're supposed to be used for. And they all will produce great food. What material you use is simply a matter of personal preference. And, to further prove the point, I even have a square, teflon coated, aluminum griddle that is fabulous with the right heat, for making grilled cheese or grilled PBJ sandwiches, and for making perfect pancakes.

My go-to pans are usually cast iron, simply because I like the results I get from them. I'm used to them. And I have a couple of Griswold pans that not only work wonderfully, but have sentimental value as well because of how I obtained them.

I say, if cooking in a clay pot works for you, then cook in a clay pot, or glass, or SS, or CI, or aluminum, etc. But don't tell someone else they are wrong because they don't do things the way you do.

Is there a risk factor while using glass or ceramic cooking vessels, yup, there sure is. But wait, if I take a screaming hot cast iron frying pan and throw it into ice water, it can violently crack, or even explode, just like glass. I've gotten an aluminum pot hot enough to melt, once. tell me that wasn't a dangerous thing to do.

Pots and pans are tools, not loved ones. When used properly, they give great service. Just know the difference between cheap, poorly made tools, and good ones. And remember, price isn't always an accurate guide as to which items will perform the best. And that's my two-hundred cents worth. I'm now climbing off of my soap box. Please, don't throw whole watermelons at me. They are hard to catch fast enough to put into containers to take home and enjoy. Is that enough prepositions in one sentence or what!

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Cerise]

I'm glad Pyrex works for you. My well seasoned cast iron pans do the same for me. The seasoning is durable enough that I can cut in the pan. It's virtually stick free, even when things are burn on. It can withstand any heat I apply to it. It's durable, and nearly shatter-proof. I can use it with any kind of heat source, even induction. I can use it with direct flame, or in the oven. I don't have to worry about pouring liquid into it when it's hot. It doesn't add metallic flavor to the foods made in it, even if they are acidic or base. I enjoy all the benefits that you do with yoru pyrex, plus more.

My point isn't to praise cast iron cookware. We all have our personal favorites. But Just as I love what I work with, and what works for me, so too do you enjoy and love the things you work with, and what works for you. Neither is right. Neither is wrong. Both work well when used properly. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. As a former member of DC once put it, or something to the effect, what goes into the pot is more important than is the pot.

I wish you many great meals, and great service from your favorite cookware. And what I do know it that you have given great discussion here at DC, along with some great cooking tips, and if I recall, some pretty good recipes.

People, let's not get hung up on what kind of pot, pan, or casserole dish is best. Let's just have fun cooking, creating, and sharing what we all enjoy, eating, presenting, and sharing good food, and the techniques we use to make it.

Seeeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Very well said.

+1

 

[no mayonnaise]

I have a couple of Griswold pans

Pots and pans are tools, not loved ones.

I'm utterly shocked these two phrases could be put in the same post.

 

[Addie]

I am a yard sale junkie. If I see a pie plate, roasting pan, or any other old Pyrex piece, I grab it. I also have several 1940's fridge dishes. One I use as a salt cellar and keep it by the stove. Another one is my butter dish. It holds a full pound of butter. Since Pyrex changed their formula for their products, I won't buy Pyrex. I now look at cermanic products. I need some new pie plates. The new Pyrex is not on my list.

I also have some beautiful old Anchor Hocking and Fire King etched casseroles. They have etched covers.

 

[Addie]

I saw the CU report on glass bakeware breaking in explosive ways today and wondered if anyone has had this happen and whether you use glass bake ware?

It was interesting to learn about the difference between glass used in the US and the glass used in the EU. Here's a link to the story: Consumer Reports: Hot Glassware Can Shatter Unexpectedly

So where is the story about Pyrex? All I get is news about the environment. I have known about the Pyrex problem for a long time. One of our local station did a news piece on it. the company was sold and the new owners changed the formula. Since then the new Pyrex is on my no no list.

 

[Cerise]

I am a yard sale junkie. If I see a pie plate, roasting pan, or any other old Pyrex piece, I grab it. I also have several 1940's fridge dishes. One I use as a salt cellar and keep it by the stove. Another one is my butter dish. It holds a full pound of butter. Since Pyrex changed their formula for their products, I won't buy Pyrex. I now look at cermanic products. I need some new pie plates. The new Pyrex is not on my list.

I also have some beautiful old Anchor Hocking and Fire King etched casseroles. They have etched covers.

I would love to have covers for my square & rectangular cookware. I saw some on Anchor's site, & I'm tempted. I found a glass cover for the soufflé dish (crockery) at the thrift store. It fit perfectly & is interchangeable for the round dish as well.

 

[Kylie1969]

For me, Pyrex is the bakeware/ovenware of choice, always has been.

Me too

 

[Kitchen Barbarian]

I enjoy all the benefits that you do with yoru pyrex, plus more.

My point isn't to praise cast iron cookware.

No? Ok, if you say so, LOL!

I was actually answering someone's specific question about why anyone would prefer Pyrex bakeware. I don't think it was you who asked the original question, but whatever.

So, I gave my reasons for preferring it. It's nowhere near as heavy as cast iron, it's easier to clean, I don't do roasts anyway, it's far more durable than any metal pan (other than cast iron), and it's much cuter than most of them as well. I do like the look of glass far more than any metal pan - but that's an aesthetic consideration. It doesn't guide my preference. My preference is guided by ease of use and durability. I have Pyrex that's older than I am, and I'm not exactly your spring chicken.

But that's just me. The main point for me isn't personal preference or aesthetics, it's the fact that the much touted "exploding Pyrex" is a myth. Even CU couldn't get the stuff to break - and that's just break, not shatter the way people claim (which I've explained how that comes to be, through consistent and persistent misuse) - except by abusing it.

 

[bakechef]

I'm not sure how people still claim that this is a myth! Read the complaints on this link, there are a lot of them and they keep coming in.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/pyrex.html

My experience wasn't from misuse my piece was fairly new, it happened after being in the oven for more than 10 minutes with brownie batter in the pan. I used my mom's glass bakeware for years with no issues.

If you like the stuff, great keep using it, but don't tell people that exploding pyrex is a myth! It's happened to me and to a friend, and neither case was from thermal shock, both had been in the preheated oven for a while.

 

[Kitchen Barbarian]

CU was not able to repeat these reports of exploding Pyrex, and they tried. The ONLY way that can happen with actual Pyrex is if it's been subjected to thermal shock over a period of time, or if it's taken direct from the freezer or fridge to the oven.

There are all sorts of claims made on the Internet. That doesn't make them true. For instance, there are people who think there is no such thing as continental drift. They think the Earth is expanding like a balloon. Riiiight.

Similarly there has never been any evidence for the mythical belief that people's Pyrex is exploding willy-nilly. Such evidence has been sought repeatedly. Pyrex has been subjected to all sorts of tests trying to make it happen. The exploding Pyrex has never been recreated, except by subjecting it to long term abuse which creates the micro fractures I described earlier. Such fractures eventually will give under the repeated stress. It may LOOK like the Pyrex exploded, but the truth is that it was abused and damaged, accumulating this damage until it finally does give in what looks like (but has not been) normal use.

That said, it's possible you are the one person in a million who got a piece of Pyrex that was faulty. (Was it Pyrex, or was it something else? That's another problem with these anecdotal reports - a lot of them aren't actually Pyrex, they're some Chinese made cheap off-brand that wasn't properly annealed during manufacture).

The fact is that exploding Pyrex (in the absence of abuse) is a myth. There has never been any evidence to the contrary.

You may not like it, but it's a fact. It's physics, not magic. As an engineer, I'm very very familiar with user error, which is quickly followed by blaming the product.

 

[Addie]

I'm not sure how people still claim that this is a myth! Read the complaints on this link, there are a lot of them and they keep coming in.
1,223 Complaints and Reviews about Pyrex Cookware

My experience wasn't from misuse my piece was fairly new, it happened after being in the oven for more than 10 minutes with brownie batter in the pan. I used my mom's glass bakeware for years with no issues.

If you like the stuff, great keep using it, but don't tell people that exploding pyrex is a myth! It's happened to me and to a friend, and neither case was from thermal shock, both had been in the preheated oven for a while.

The problem with the new Pyrex is that when the company was sold, they changd the formula. The exploding pieces are the new ones made with the new formula. The old ones that have been used for years are fine. Even after years of abuse. If you can find some old pieces at a thrift shop or yard sale, grab it. My pie ones have scratches all over the bottom. Never exploded. My large lasagna one also has marks made from the knife cutting right in the dish. Never exploded. Both pieces along with a lot of others are just fine. And they are more than twenty years old. I used to have a Pyrex coffee pot. No problem. The same goes for the sauce pan that I had. The problem is with the new formula that is being used.