It's white, but is it safe to use on the stove?

[joeekaitis]

Or, In the Kitchen with Joe the Cookware Geek.

While emptying the dishwasher, I happened to hold a small CorningWare Pyroceram dish up to the light coming in through the kitchen window. The inside bottom glowed with an amber tint, exactly the same tint as VISIONS amber cookware. Curious, I rounded up various white vitreous cookware and bakeware, and substituted a bright white LED flashlight for the sun.

Clockwise from the upper right burner: CorningWare SimplyLite Vitrelle baking dish, white Pyrex "Colonial" dish, CorningWare French White Pyroceram casserole (among the last made in the USA by Corning, Inc.), and CorningWare Pyroceram 1.5L dish (made in France for World Kitchen, Inc.).

The 14-LED flashlight is switched on to full brightness and each piece is carefully balanced over the lens. The results: surprising and perhaps a way to test if an unmarked dish or casserole is stovetop safe.

The Pyrex and SimplyLite don't change the color of the flashlight, while both the French- and USA-made Pyroceram produce the amber VISIONS tint. Both pieces were made in the same time period as VISIONS which might explain why a pre-VISIONS CorningWare pie plate is completely opaque.

And now, world, it's your turn, especially if you have some non-Corning cookware like Arcoflam, Pyroflam and Pyrosil. Try the same test and let's see YOUR results!

 

[gansky1]

Fascinating! You must have an incredible collection of Corning, always new pieces to see in your posts.

Do you like the new SimplyLite? I keep looking at it at the store, longingly, but can't really justify MORE...yet.

 

[joeekaitis]

SimplyLite is good for casseroles and cleans up nicely because of the smooth clear glass surface, just like Corelle dishes. It's so light, you might think it's plastic, but it's really glass.

As to thermal shock resistance, Pyrex rules apply: No sudden temperature swings, fully preheated oven only, no stovetop use, etc.

 

[hunter]

This is truly amazing.

Thanks for the research!

I use corningware (the old stuff) almost exclusively on my electric smoothtop, as I have numerous pieces with absolutely flat bottoms.

They work well.

 

[petek]

Oh my, a reason for me to go check out cookware. I've always loved Corelle because it's so light and we both love original corning casserole pieces. Back in the day we bought a set of Visions and were very disappointed so it all got relegated to the back of the cupboard and eventually donated to the GWill or similar. It was just too heavy, clunky and took forever to boil with etc. As well a couple of pieces of French White seldom get used so this new type sounds good.
Larry bought 4 new place settings of Corelle a few months ago, the square shaped plates, smaller plate etc and while it's nice I think the big plates are just too big and they don't fit in the small mw we're now using.. update.. I was having a prob with the vintage Radarange not shutting off so it's down in the basement at the mo.

If this new cookware is the same glass as Corelle I highly doubt it's safe for stovetop.. as far as I know only products of actual "pyroceram" are.

 

[joeekaitis]

Exactly. If the spot of light is the original color, the material isn't stovetop safe, and CorningWare SimplyLite is appropriately labeled.

Here's what I think is going on. Originally, Pyroceram was heat tempered until it turned completely opaque. When Corning's research lab in Avon, France discovered that tempering the glass until it turned from colorless to clear Amber with the same tensile strength and thermal shock resistance as white Pyroceram (ta-da! VISIONS!), further research proved that the tempering process could be stopped when the material turned opaque white with a translucent amber core (though if you break it, each fragment is still white).