spankomatic
Well-known member
A friend of mine had a Pyrex baking dish explode in her oven. Anyone else have this happen to them? Cause?
Jim
Jim
Prexplode
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dnastrau
Well-known member
Bang
Yep, I have seen it happen happen twice. Both times it was right as we removed the hot dish from the oven. The last time was with a juicy pot roast - what a mess...
All I can think of is that the sudden air temperature change caused it.
Andrew S.
Yep, I have seen it happen happen twice. Both times it was right as we removed the hot dish from the oven. The last time was with a juicy pot roast - what a mess...
All I can think of is that the sudden air temperature change caused it.
Andrew S.
toggleswitch2
Well-known member
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They are not supposed to do that.
But placing such dishes on a VERY cold surface, broling or placing on a stove-top burner are generally a no-no!
But placing such dishes on a VERY cold surface, broling or placing on a stove-top burner are generally a no-no!
It could be that the dish suffered an earlier shock, like bumping something with insufficient force to cause visible damage, but enough to compromise the glass. Pyrex used to warn about that. They even warned against using metal utensils in Pyrex because they could not only damage the glass if dropped against it, but also the metal could leave scratches that could cause breakage later. I heard from a neighbor about grease popping from a skillet against a Pyrex percolator and causing it to crack. There are many variables in glass breakage, including combinations of physical and thermal shock.
mrb627
Well-known member
Wow!
I have never had that happen to me and I have a lot of Pyrex cause it is dishwasher friendly.
I did, however, have an oven door blast out onto the kitchen floor. It was like a bomb went off in the oven. Even though the oven wasn't in use.
The Whirlpool service technician that replaced it under warranty says it happens often with the model range we had. It was one of the first models they made with a full glass oven door. I think they were over torquing the screws at the factory causing stress on the glass.
Malcolm
Getting back to the topic, I don't have a Pyrex perc, but if I did and it broke due to a spatter of grease, I would be heartbroken.
I have never had that happen to me and I have a lot of Pyrex cause it is dishwasher friendly.
I did, however, have an oven door blast out onto the kitchen floor. It was like a bomb went off in the oven. Even though the oven wasn't in use.
The Whirlpool service technician that replaced it under warranty says it happens often with the model range we had. It was one of the first models they made with a full glass oven door. I think they were over torquing the screws at the factory causing stress on the glass.
Malcolm
Getting back to the topic, I don't have a Pyrex perc, but if I did and it broke due to a spatter of grease, I would be heartbroken.
There have been a number of consumer and news stories on Pyrex shattering. I believe one reason given was that newer Pyrex isn't made exactly the same as the older stuff, presumably to lower manufacturing costs. Gee, doesn't that sound familiar to all of us here? I also think there was mention of certain manufacturers. I guess the term "Pyrex" is kind of like "Kleenex" and quality varies. Apparently incidents like these aren't all that uncommon.
my stupid experiments to make chilled tea
I do agree, it's due to sudden temp changes
I really prefer home made (with real tea) chilled tea. Normally I pour tea in a stainless steel pot, then I put the pot in the sink full of cold water. When the tea is no more warm I pour it into a caraf and it goes into the fridge.
Once I used a pyrex caraf instead of the pot : when I lifted the caraf from the sink ..... the caraf bottom went on its own, as it had been trimmed
I do agree, it's due to sudden temp changes
I really prefer home made (with real tea) chilled tea. Normally I pour tea in a stainless steel pot, then I put the pot in the sink full of cold water. When the tea is no more warm I pour it into a caraf and it goes into the fridge.
Once I used a pyrex caraf instead of the pot : when I lifted the caraf from the sink ..... the caraf bottom went on its own, as it had been trimmed
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Pyrex Isn't Pyrex Any More:
Since Corning licenced the Pyrex brand name to World Kitchen, the product sold in the United States is no longer the borosilicate glass consumers used to receive - and have come to expect and trust. Instead, cheaper soda-lime glass is used. European Pyrex is still borosilicate glass, as is lab Pyrex.
There have been many reports of exploding Pyrex recently, but World Kitchen denies there's any significant problem. The Wikipedia article for Pyrex gives more info.
I personally think this kind of material substitution should be illegal in cases where a brand name has come to stand for a certain type of material. Over the years, consumers become accustomed to the performance of a certain material, and if another material is substituted without proper notice, accidents can result.
I have the same reservation about materially changing the construction of a product - making something substantially lighter can also cause problems. World Kitchen has changed three famous brand names - Pyrex, Corning Ware and Revere Ware - so much that they cannot possibly be expected to perform like the versions that made these brand names desirable to consumers. Since the new products look like the old, there is plenty of potential for disappointment or worse.
I personally do not purchase products from World Kitchen; my opinion is that they are not looking out for me as a consumer.
Since Corning licenced the Pyrex brand name to World Kitchen, the product sold in the United States is no longer the borosilicate glass consumers used to receive - and have come to expect and trust. Instead, cheaper soda-lime glass is used. European Pyrex is still borosilicate glass, as is lab Pyrex.
There have been many reports of exploding Pyrex recently, but World Kitchen denies there's any significant problem. The Wikipedia article for Pyrex gives more info.
I personally think this kind of material substitution should be illegal in cases where a brand name has come to stand for a certain type of material. Over the years, consumers become accustomed to the performance of a certain material, and if another material is substituted without proper notice, accidents can result.
I have the same reservation about materially changing the construction of a product - making something substantially lighter can also cause problems. World Kitchen has changed three famous brand names - Pyrex, Corning Ware and Revere Ware - so much that they cannot possibly be expected to perform like the versions that made these brand names desirable to consumers. Since the new products look like the old, there is plenty of potential for disappointment or worse.
I personally do not purchase products from World Kitchen; my opinion is that they are not looking out for me as a consumer.
I believe there was a snopes response to the Pyrex/World Kitchen debate. Check there and see, I saw something on this not long ago and it de-bunked a lot of the hype about this.
Gordon
Gordon
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Gordon:
I've read the Snopes response, and it does offer some valuable information. For instance, it reminds us that Corning also made Pyrex items in soda-lime glass under the Pyrex name, and began doing that in the 1940s.
However, there seems to be a lot more anecdotal information about Pyrex breakage than there was when I was involved in the housewares biz 20 years ago - you never used to hear much about it, even dealing with such matters professionally, every day. When I was in the biz, Pyrex breakage was usually the result of dropping it, not thermal shock.
Also, when Corning used soda-lime glass for certain Pyrex pieces, that was a decision made at least partially by glass engineers, not entirely by cost accountants. Corning used to have very dedicated, knowledgeable people who really knew when the substitution would be safe. I do not know what the basis for World Kitchen's decisions is in the case of Pyrex, but I do know that in two other instances - Corning Ware and Revere Ware - they have changed a product drastically without what I consider proper notice to consumers, and that at least in the case of Corning Ware, an unwary consumer can be very unpleasantly surprised when they try to use the new product in the same way they were used to with the old.
While I like Snopes very much, and rely on them myself, I don't think they got to the bottom of this one.
I've read the Snopes response, and it does offer some valuable information. For instance, it reminds us that Corning also made Pyrex items in soda-lime glass under the Pyrex name, and began doing that in the 1940s.
However, there seems to be a lot more anecdotal information about Pyrex breakage than there was when I was involved in the housewares biz 20 years ago - you never used to hear much about it, even dealing with such matters professionally, every day. When I was in the biz, Pyrex breakage was usually the result of dropping it, not thermal shock.
Also, when Corning used soda-lime glass for certain Pyrex pieces, that was a decision made at least partially by glass engineers, not entirely by cost accountants. Corning used to have very dedicated, knowledgeable people who really knew when the substitution would be safe. I do not know what the basis for World Kitchen's decisions is in the case of Pyrex, but I do know that in two other instances - Corning Ware and Revere Ware - they have changed a product drastically without what I consider proper notice to consumers, and that at least in the case of Corning Ware, an unwary consumer can be very unpleasantly surprised when they try to use the new product in the same way they were used to with the old.
While I like Snopes very much, and rely on them myself, I don't think they got to the bottom of this one.
perc-o-prince
Well-known member
"I personally think this kind of material substitution should be illegal in cases where a brand name has come to stand for a certain type of material."
Well, taking that further, shouldn't it also be illegal to substitute cheaply made appliances with a previously 'good' name, just because a new company bought the name? Shouldn't a certain amount of goodwill be maintained in the quality of the goods? After all, the company buying the name is buying the consumer goodwill the selling company built up!
I'm getting tired of hearing, "X brand just isn't X brand anymore." X brand should always be X brand. A cheaper quality company shouldn't be able to buy X company's name and slap it on a piece of crap!
So there!
Chuck
Well, taking that further, shouldn't it also be illegal to substitute cheaply made appliances with a previously 'good' name, just because a new company bought the name? Shouldn't a certain amount of goodwill be maintained in the quality of the goods? After all, the company buying the name is buying the consumer goodwill the selling company built up!
I'm getting tired of hearing, "X brand just isn't X brand anymore." X brand should always be X brand. A cheaper quality company shouldn't be able to buy X company's name and slap it on a piece of crap!
So there!
Chuck
