Using Anchor Hocking Bakeware

[dragnlaw]

Recently purchased 2 Anchor Hocking Bakeware 6" pie plates.

Getting home and reading the instructions for their care:-

Can be used in gas and electric ovens up to 425 F or microwave ovens without browning element. Not for stovetop, broiler or toaster oven use.

Aside from the fact I have been without a working oven for several weeks, I purchased these for small individual pies, etc. to be able to bake them in my toaster oven and not heat up my big oven.

there was a recent discussion on the new make-up of glass baking dishes - can't find it.

I don't understand the difference between heating a large oven and putting in a pie and heating a toaster oven and putting in a pie.

could someone explain and help me understand?
I fully understand not using it in a broiler situation.

 

[RPCookin]

In the smaller oven the dish is closer to the element and more likely to heat unevenly. It's uneven heating (or cooling) that most often causes glass bakeware to crack. I put a Pyrex 9x13 pan in the oven several years ago and it almost exploded - right after I closed the door I heard this loud POP. My mistake was placing it on the preheated baking stone that I used to leave on the bottom rack. Now the stone comes out after use.

 

[Addie]

There was a problem with Pyrex in general a couple of years back. They were cracking and breaking even with care. The company had changed the formula and it was a big mistake. Aside from what RP experienced, Pyrex seems to be all right now.

RP is right. So unless you have a toaster oven like a Breville or other large one that is a convection oven and has adjustable shelves, I would follow the advice of the maker. You wouldn't want all that good food to be ruined with shards of glass. BTW, Breville is a very expensive maker of small kitchen appliances. I think Princess Fiona has one and can give you better advice.

 

[dragnlaw]

Guess I should have specified. These dishes are actually ceramic not glass. They are Anchor Hocking bakeware, not their glass line. Ceramic rarely shatters, usually just cracks in half.

I do have a toaster oven with a convection feature and adjustable shelf. A fairly new model, bought last year. It is an Oster with a pretty large cavity, I wanted to be able to do a small roast if my big oven was busy.

Actually am grateful for the size. The day my big oven died I was heating it up to bake a loaf of bread. I had to bake it in the toaster oven and it worked - came out perfect.

 

[Addie]

Then I would suggest you bake one or two pies only at first and see how it turns out.

 

[dragnlaw]

You know Addie... I think I will just 'bite the bullet' and do it.

I might cut a disc of parchment to line the bottom with in case it does crack. I've never had any dislodged shards when a dish has cracked but I guess there is always a first time.

I'm planning on making one a Leek and Potato Pie and the other a Leek and Mushroom Pie.

Beautiful, beautiful leeks this time of year! My neighbour brought me some from her garden this year - that was the Soup. And I had to run out and buy some more with these pies in mind.

 

[jennyema]

With Anchor Hocking's unsettling track record of exploding bakeware, I sure would follow their rules and never use in a toaster oven!!

 

[Addie]

You know Addie... I think I will just 'bite the bullet' and do it.

I might cut a disc of parchment to line the bottom with in case it does crack. I've never had any dislodged shards when a dish has cracked but I guess there is always a first time.

I'm planning on making one a Leek and Potato Pie and the other a Leek and Mushroom Pie.

Beautiful, beautiful leeks this time of year! My neighbour brought me some from her garden this year - that was the Soup. And I had to run out and buy some more with these pies in mind.

Do let us know what happens and how the pies turn out.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I do have the Breville Convection Oven, I've only used metal pans in it.

 

[dragnlaw]

Well, I thought long on how I was going to go about using the Toaster Oven to bake in the Anchor dish.

In the end, as the pie had cooled down quite a bit while assembling, I zapped in the micro wave to heat thru. Then I popped it into the TO and baked away.

Had no problem and it came out looking beautiful and perfectly done. I will always be aware of the danger but until my large oven gets repaired, this will have to do.

Crust was perfect but the recipe itself... meh, OK but needs some tweaking.

Leek with Potato and Mushroom Pie

 

[dragnlaw]

This recipe gave me 4 of those 6" pies.

I did two in the ceramic dishes and two in foil. I cooked one ceramic pie right away and the other 3 I wrapped well and froze.

The foil pies I could and probably will, put directly into a preheated oven to bake. But the ceramic one I clearly marked to "defrost before baking!"