Dont put pyrex in your oven!

[jeeppiper]

Lesson learned - DONT PUT PYREX IN YOUR OVEN!

We wanted to try surf-n-turf in the oven....so I decided to try roasting some littleneck clams along with grilling some steaks.

I put the clams in a pyrex baking dish and shoved it in the oven next to the steaks. After a few minutes, I was watching and waiting for the clams to open. Suddenly I heard a loud "pop". The glass baking vanished right before my eyes! One second it was there holding the clams...the next the clams were sitting on the oven floor, nestled among thousands of shards of glass.

I dont think it was the heat, rather the internal stress caused by the thermal gradient (high heat on one side of the dish....lower heat on the other).

[Bacterium]

Re: Dont put pyrex in your oven!

Oopps

I always wondered but never tried it

[Wiley]

Re: Dont put pyrex in your oven!

A couple of questions about the pyrex you used:

Was it new? Many people do not know that Corning sold their Pyrex name to a chinese company which is manufacturing a product called Pyrex which, unfortunately, is not made of borosilicate glass. Borosilicate glass has special properties and what made the Pyrex of pre-sale of the name so popular. New stuff is simply tempered glass (soda lime glass I think but don't quote me on that). Here's a link to a thread on the subject:
Consumer Reports Investigates Exploding Pyrex - Cookware - Chowhound

In the oven (either WFO or indoor) for a transparent vessel I use a product once made by Corning but dropped because it was very expensive to manufacture. That product is "Visions". It's a clear ceramic, a spinoff from the space program. It is absolutely amazing stuff and can be found on ebay or at thrift stores. One can find their old advertisements online where they melt an aluminum pan in one of their pots.

Their 4.5 liter covered pot is what I use for baking no-knead bread in the indoor oven. Actually I have two that I use when baking as my oven fits two. We still purchase the pots when we see them at thrift stores. Here's a link to a site promoting the stuff:
Visions cookware by Corning online

The prices online are crazy high. We never pay more than US$12 for a complete 4.5 liter pot with lid in mint condition at Goodwill. We have at least four here at home (need to have spares) and we have given: one to a daughter, one to a grand-daughter and two to friends. And all to bake no-knead bread in.

Hope this helps,
Wiley

[texassourdough]

Re: Dont put pyrex in your oven!

Nice loaf, Wiley!

Having shattered pyrex before I would never consider using it in a WFO. I use ceramics which are IMO much more visually appropriate and haven't had any trouble. An issue with all ceramics and glass is to not shock the material. So what I do is load the food (olives, olive oil, herbs de Provence; shrimp and olive oil with a dash of cayenne; queso; etc.) into a cazuela or other ceramic dish) and set it at the mouth of the oven so it doesn't get full heat and warms more gradually. For things in the oven I stick with cast iron. I really like Le Creuset and have bought covered enameled dutch ovens for around $15 which is an awesome deal - even if it is scratched and stained inside.

Good luck!

Jay