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imp

Assistant Cook
Joined
Nov 15, 2018
Messages
49
Location
Mohave County, Arizona
Hi! If there is a new member intro place, I've missed it! Anyhow, I have questions my wife will not answer, regarding cooking.

For the book, I am a retired Engineer, have always "needed to know" just about everything about all I do. Cooking is no exception.

My wife is an aficionado of Corelle, Corning Ware, and Pyrex. Tonight I got the bright idea of why not instead of frying my frozen turkey patties, place them on a Corelle plate, and use our Sharp Micro/convection Oven on "High Mix", just as I do for my roasts, in her Corning Ware large covered dish.

She says absolutely not! Corelle is not thermally-resistant like the other two. So, I searched, and searched some more. Conflicting interest, much propaganda: dishes "exploding", etc.

Who might have some input for me on this? I hope to get to know many folks interested in cooking (and eating, of course!), having finally exited another of my forums, one dedicated to Seniors Only .......:ermm:

Thanks! imp
 
... I have questions my wife will not answer, regarding cooking...
Hi and welcome, imp! I think I'm the counterbalance in this world to your wife. Himself complains that I tell him far too much about cooking and its processes and such. He's happy operating in a complete vacuum when it comes to food prep and equipment. I still answer questions he doesn't want answers to anyway.

About Corelle. From what I've seen online, it looks like the newer versions of that cookware are the ones prone to cracking and exploding. My Corelle, Corning, and Pyrex go back decades. Some of the Pyrex food containers are older than I am - and I'm a senior (as are many members at DC). I've put them all into the microwave, and they've all survived just fine. I do not put them from the freezer to the microwave, nor do I run the microwave at full power when using them - maybe 70% (?) at the most. No breakage...unless it slips from my fingers and hits the counter top.
 
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Funny little anecdote about Corelle from Mark:

My MIL bought a set of Corelle when the line was first introduced. She was so excited that they wouldn’t break! When her mother was visiting one day, MIL took out the set to brag “It wont break!” She told her mom. Grandma then proceeded to grab a dinner plate and dash it to the floor. Instant shards!
 
Welcome.

I grew up with Corelle everything. It was all the rage in the 60s and 70s.

I don't have any of it, now, although I do have some Pyrex that I use regularly.

Corelle dishes are the worst thing you can serve hot food on. The food will get cold in a hurry. You are much better off with ceramic for that. You can even warm ceramic in the oven, and it will hold the heat, and keep you food warm.

My parents still use it for some things, including in the microwave oven. They have never had it explode. So, that may be an urban legend.

I don't cook in the microwave. I only use it to warm things that are already cooked. So, I can't help you there.

BTW, my dad is an engineer, and I am an artist. We have been giving each other, "what are you thinking" looks for years. :ermm: :LOL:

CD
 
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I have a bunch of Corelle plates of various sizes I use for mise en place, microwaving, carrying food out to the grill, and occasionally eating off of them. The Corelle outlet store had a greatly reduced price on a discontinued shade of white, and they have worked well for the intended use. The manufacturer says they are microwave safe, and I've never had a problem. They do caution against microwaving a small amount of food on a large plate and microwaving an empty plate, as the plate can get hot.

Here's an article on Corelle from ACS (that's American Ceramic Society, and not American Chop Suey :) ), and also a link to the video they mention.

https://ceramics.org/ceramic-tech-t...iday-dinner-table-how-corelle-dishes-are-made

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oEeFdeADNM

When you use a microwave at a lower power setting, virtually all microwaves cycle off and on at 100%, and the magnetrons don't actually run at lower power.

Older Pyrex marketed in the US is not the same as newer Pyrex. World Kitchen bought the consumer products line from Corning in 1998. They changed the composition to soda lime glass, instead of the borosilicate glass that Corning used to make. Oxo now sells baking dishes made with borosilicate glass. Corning still makes borosilicate glass labware.

Oh, and welcome to DC.
 
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I know that both Corningware and Pyrex changed their materials awhile ago and neither are as heating/cooling tolerant as they were originally. You are not supposed to put Corningware under the broiler anymore, for instance and there are no more Pyrex tea kettles.
 
We have all of those things and we use all in the microwave often, but we don't actually cook anything in it. It's primarily for reheating leftovers, preparing frozen veggies, boiling water for my wife's tea, etc. Never had Corelle show any problems with what we do with it. I heat stuff in our Pyrex mixing bowls often, and our 2 smaller Corningware dishes get used constantly in the microwave and oven. The Corningware and Pyrex stuff we have were all wedding gifts, so all have been in constant use for the last 25 years. The Corelle dish set is about 8 years old.

We use Corelle as our daily use dishes. Because Corelle is made from layers of glass heated and formed, it has some strong internal stresses. Once the integrity of the material is weakened, it can shatter in spectacular fashion. I dropped a plate years ago that hit the floor flat on the bottom and it exploded into hundreds of pieces that covered the floor from the breakfast nook into both the kitchen and the family room. Never saw anything made of glass disintegrate as explosively as that Corelle plate did, but under normal use it's tough material, plenty good for daily use.

We have our good stoneware for more formal gatherings.
 
We use Corelle daily. They are lightweight, sturdy and take up less space. Our current Corelle is about 15-18 years old and it replaced an earlier set that we still have in storage. (not sure why). I've been using Corelle just about my entire adult life. I have no complaints.
 
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