Not too far back we had some threads on the thermal fragility of glass
cookware. I don't recqll whether it was on r.f.c. or r.f.e, but
anyay there's a nice article on the topic in the latest (January 2011)
issue of Consumer Reports.

Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).

It's a good read for those who like cooking in glass, and might help
people avoid some bad surprises and painful injuries.

Alex

Chemiker wrote:
>
> Not too far back we had some threads on the thermal fragility of glass
> cookware. I don't recqll whether it was on r.f.c. or r.f.e, but
> anyay there's a nice article on the topic in the latest (January 2011)
> issue of Consumer Reports.
>
> Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
> their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
> Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
> Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
> guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
> Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).
>
> It's a good read for those who like cooking in glass, and might help
> people avoid some bad surprises and painful injuries.
>
> Alex

I believe it was the Pyrex brand name in the consumer realm that was
purchased, not the expensive borosilicate glass plants, and that is why
the new Pyrex branded consumer articles are inferior soda lime glass. I
think the Pyrex name and borosilicate glass may still be alive in the
lab glassware world.

On Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:22:00 -0600, "Pete C." >
wrote:


>I believe it was the Pyrex brand name in the consumer realm that was
>purchased, not the expensive borosilicate glass plants, and that is why
>the new Pyrex branded consumer articles are inferior soda lime glass. I
>think the Pyrex name and borosilicate glass may still be alive in the
>lab glassware world.

I would hope so. Corning (Pyrex) and Kimble (Kimax) were the mainstays
of the lab when I retired a few years back. But your point is well
taken, especially with the amount of imported labware nowadays. At
least lab people could be expected to be more knowledgeable about
glass quality than the average Joe in the kitchen.

Thanks.

Alex

Chemiker wrote:
> On Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:22:00 -0600, "Pete C." >
> wrote:
>
>
>> I believe it was the Pyrex brand name in the consumer realm that was
>> purchased, not the expensive borosilicate glass plants, and that is why
>> the new Pyrex branded consumer articles are inferior soda lime glass. I
>> think the Pyrex name and borosilicate glass may still be alive in the
>> lab glassware world.
>
> I would hope so. Corning (Pyrex) and Kimble (Kimax) were the mainstays
> of the lab when I retired a few years back. But your point is well
> taken, especially with the amount of imported labware nowadays. At
> least lab people could be expected to be more knowledgeable about
> glass quality than the average Joe in the kitchen.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Alex

Wouldn't that knowledge come from experience? And isn't there (or
wasn't there?) a basic assumption that if a lab used a certain
manufacturer's equipment that it would remain usable? Or that a
product intended for task A would be suitable for said task? I
hope that is more true in the scientific relam than it seems to be
in the cooking realm.

--
Jean B.

Chemiker wrote:

> Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
> their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
> Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
> Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
> guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
> Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).


FYI-
One of the best places around here to get the old classic borosilicate
glass cookware are the antique/junk type shops. Often at a remarkably
low price! If anyone wants to find some, that's the place to go!

Goomba wrote:
>
> Chemiker wrote:
>
> > Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
> > their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
> > Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
> > Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
> > guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
> > Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).
>
> FYI-
> One of the best places around here to get the old classic borosilicate
> glass cookware are the antique/junk type shops. Often at a remarkably
> low price! If anyone wants to find some, that's the place to go!

Just be cautious and inspect the items carefully. There's no way of
knowing the history of any piece. Certain stresses/types of damage can
cause the cookware to fail unexpectedly. Might be wise to stay away from
any piece with nicks or scratches.

Arri London wrote:
>
> Goomba wrote:
>> Chemiker wrote:
>>
>>> Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
>>> their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
>>> Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
>>> Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
>>> guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
>>> Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).
>> FYI-
>> One of the best places around here to get the old classic borosilicate
>> glass cookware are the antique/junk type shops. Often at a remarkably
>> low price! If anyone wants to find some, that's the place to go!
>
> Just be cautious and inspect the items carefully. There's no way of
> knowing the history of any piece. Certain stresses/types of damage can
> cause the cookware to fail unexpectedly. Might be wise to stay away from
> any piece with nicks or scratches.

Also, there is no way of knowing how old much of the stuff in such
stores is. Sure, I assume such cookware with certain designs stem
from before this was an issue, but the plain things?

--
Jean B.

"Jean B." wrote:
>
> Arri London wrote:
> >
> > Goomba wrote:
> >> Chemiker wrote:
> >>
> >>> Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
> >>> their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
> >>> Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
> >>> Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
> >>> guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
> >>> Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).
> >> FYI-
> >> One of the best places around here to get the old classic borosilicate
> >> glass cookware are the antique/junk type shops. Often at a remarkably
> >> low price! If anyone wants to find some, that's the place to go!
> >
> > Just be cautious and inspect the items carefully. There's no way of
> > knowing the history of any piece. Certain stresses/types of damage can
> > cause the cookware to fail unexpectedly. Might be wise to stay away from
> > any piece with nicks or scratches.
>
> Also, there is no way of knowing how old much of the stuff in such
> stores is. Sure, I assume such cookware with certain designs stem
> from before this was an issue, but the plain things?
>

Sometimes it's obvious from the design...the overall shape, especially
the handles. Some of our older Pyrex is thicker/heavier than the same
diameter pieces now available. And our Corningware is all 'cornflower'
design. The all-white styles are a bit more recent.

On 1/13/2011 7:23 PM, Arri London wrote:
> "Jean B." wrote:
>> Arri London wrote:
>>> Goomba wrote:
>>>> Chemiker wrote:
>>>>> Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
>>>>> their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
>>>>> Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
>>>>> Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
>>>>> guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
>>>>> Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).
>>>> FYI-
>>>> One of the best places around here to get the old classic borosilicate
>>>> glass cookware are the antique/junk type shops. Often at a remarkably
>>>> low price! If anyone wants to find some, that's the place to go!
>>> Just be cautious and inspect the items carefully. There's no way of
>>> knowing the history of any piece. Certain stresses/types of damage can
>>> cause the cookware to fail unexpectedly. Might be wise to stay away from
>>> any piece with nicks or scratches.
>> Also, there is no way of knowing how old much of the stuff in such
>> stores is. Sure, I assume such cookware with certain designs stem
>> from before this was an issue, but the plain things?
> Sometimes it's obvious from the design...the overall shape, especially
> the handles. Some of our older Pyrex is thicker/heavier than the same
> diameter pieces now available. And our Corningware is all 'cornflower'
> design. The all-white styles are a bit more recent.

Interestingly, the French-made CorningWare I saw last month, included
pieces with the old cornflower design, as well as the all-white stuff.
None of the other patterns, though (of which there were a bewildering
variety).

"Arri London" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "Jean B." wrote:
>>
>> Arri London wrote:
>> >
>> > Goomba wrote:
>> >> Chemiker wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
>> >>> their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
>> >>> Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
>> >>> Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
>> >>> guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
>> >>> Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).
>> >> FYI-
>> >> One of the best places around here to get the old classic borosilicate
>> >> glass cookware are the antique/junk type shops. Often at a remarkably
>> >> low price! If anyone wants to find some, that's the place to go!
>> >
>> > Just be cautious and inspect the items carefully. There's no way of
>> > knowing the history of any piece. Certain stresses/types of damage can
>> > cause the cookware to fail unexpectedly. Might be wise to stay away
>> > from
>> > any piece with nicks or scratches.
>>
>> Also, there is no way of knowing how old much of the stuff in such
>> stores is. Sure, I assume such cookware with certain designs stem
>> from before this was an issue, but the plain things?
>>
>
> Sometimes it's obvious from the design...the overall shape, especially
> the handles. Some of our older Pyrex is thicker/heavier than the same
> diameter pieces now available. And our Corningware is all 'cornflower'
> design. The all-white styles are a bit more recent.

I have one old, scratched cornflower piece that belonged to my mom. Then
when I lived on Cape Cod, at least 12-13 years ago, a Woolworth's went out
of business. I bought a very large set in the pansy pattern. Daughter
dropped one of the smaller pieces and it broke. I was able to replace it
and also got another piece from Ebay. I think they were used but you
couldn't tell it.

I also recently bought a couple of the white pieces because I needed more
casseroles in the smaller sizes since it is just daughter and I here most of
the time. I have had no problems with them but I am careful with them. I
read somewhere that you should not even set them on the top of the stove
when you take them from the oven. I do put them there but on a burner.

Arri London wrote:
>
> "Jean B." wrote:
>> Arri London wrote:
>>> Goomba wrote:
>>>> Chemiker wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
>>>>> their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
>>>>> Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
>>>>> Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
>>>>> guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
>>>>> Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).
>>>> FYI-
>>>> One of the best places around here to get the old classic borosilicate
>>>> glass cookware are the antique/junk type shops. Often at a remarkably
>>>> low price! If anyone wants to find some, that's the place to go!
>>> Just be cautious and inspect the items carefully. There's no way of
>>> knowing the history of any piece. Certain stresses/types of damage can
>>> cause the cookware to fail unexpectedly. Might be wise to stay away from
>>> any piece with nicks or scratches.
>> Also, there is no way of knowing how old much of the stuff in such
>> stores is. Sure, I assume such cookware with certain designs stem
>> from before this was an issue, but the plain things?
>>
>
> Sometimes it's obvious from the design...the overall shape, especially
> the handles. Some of our older Pyrex is thicker/heavier than the same
> diameter pieces now available. And our Corningware is all 'cornflower'
> design. The all-white styles are a bit more recent.

Yes, the cornflower design and some others stand out and are old.
So ALL of the white Corelle was produced after the change? I
obviously need to look into Pyrex (especially). I have quite a
lot of it, old mixed with newer, and I have NO idea what vintage
much of it is!

--
Jean B.

On 1/12/2011 3:02 PM, Chemiker wrote:
> Not too far back we had some threads on the thermal fragility of glass
> cookware. I don't recqll whether it was on r.f.c. or r.f.e, but
> anyay there's a nice article on the topic in the latest (January 2011)
> issue of Consumer Reports.
>
> Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
> their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
> Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
> Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
> guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
> Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).
>
> It's a good read for those who like cooking in glass, and might help
> people avoid some bad surprises and painful injuries.
>
> Alex

Corning exited the glass/ceramic glass cookware business. They sold off
that part of their business (and the brand names) to "World Glass" who
immediately started producing big box quality lower quality product by
substituting cheaper materials for the the ceramic glass in
"corningware" and borosilicate glass in "pyrex"

On 1/13/2011 5:30 AM, George wrote:

> Corning exited the glass/ceramic glass cookware business. They sold off
> that part of their business (and the brand names) to "World Glass" who
> immediately started producing big box quality lower quality product by
> substituting cheaper materials for the the ceramic glass in
> "corningware" and borosilicate glass in "pyrex"

Apparently, pyroceram 'CorningWare' products are now being produced in
France. - much nicer than the stoneware being sold as Corningware over
the past few years.

S wrote on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:49:51 -0500:

>> Corning exited the glass/ceramic glass cookware business.
>> They sold off that part of their business (and the brand
>> names) to "World Glass" who immediately started producing big
>> box quality lower quality product by substituting cheaper
>> materials for the the ceramic glass in "corningware" and
>> borosilicate glass in "pyrex"

>Apparently, pyroceram 'CorningWare' products are now being produced in
>France. - much nicer than the stoneware being sold as Corningware over
>the past few years.

Is there a source in the US for these real pyroceram dishes? I'd like to
buy one or two to replace the real Corningware that has succumbed to
accidents as well as the current fake stuff.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On 1/13/2011 8:54 AM, James Silverton wrote:
> S wrote on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:49:51 -0500:
>
>>> Corning exited the glass/ceramic glass cookware business.
>>> They sold off that part of their business (and the brand
>>> names) to "World Glass" who immediately started producing big
>>> box quality lower quality product by substituting cheaper
>>> materials for the the ceramic glass in "corningware" and
>>> borosilicate glass in "pyrex"
>
>> Apparently, pyroceram 'CorningWare' products are now being produced in
>> France. - much nicer than the stoneware being sold as Corningware over
>> the past few years.
>
> Is there a source in the US for these real pyroceram dishes? I'd like to
> buy one or two to replace the real Corningware that has succumbed to
> accidents as well as the current fake stuff.
>
On a Xmas-shopping expedition, I discovered a shop in Jersey Gardens (a
giant mall near Newark airport). They even had replacement storage
lids! Good thing, too - I had a batch that went very brittle, and had
to be tossed, so I was _very_ happy to be able to replace them.
Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the shop, but they should be
googleable.

I've found a few replacement pieces on eBay, but prices vary wildly.

On Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:02:50 -0600, Chemiker
> wrote:

>Not too far back we had some threads on the thermal fragility of glass
>cookware. I don't recqll whether it was on r.f.c. or r.f.e, but
>anyay there's a nice article on the topic in the latest (January 2011)
>issue of Consumer Reports.
>
>Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
>their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
>Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
>Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
>guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
>Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).
>
>It's a good read for those who like cooking in glass, and might help
>people avoid some bad surprises and painful injuries.
>
>Alex

According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrex

The formula changed to the soda-lime formula in the 1940's.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

On Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:15:09 -0500, The Cook >
wrote:

> According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrex
>
> The formula changed to the soda-lime formula in the 1940's.

IOW, even the old pieces we think of as "good" is still soda-lime and
it's a miracle we haven't broken or shattered whatever we're using? I
treat mine with care and don't treat it as if it's unbreakable >
setting a hot dish on a cold (tile or granite) counter. I will
continue to be careful and hopefully it will last.

--

Carrot cake counts as a serving of vegetables.

The Cook wrote:
>
> On Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:02:50 -0600, Chemiker
> > wrote:
>
> >Not too far back we had some threads on the thermal fragility of glass
> >cookware. I don't recqll whether it was on r.f.c. or r.f.e, but
> >anyay there's a nice article on the topic in the latest (January 2011)
> >issue of Consumer Reports.
> >
> >Some posters said that certain manufacturers had stopped producing
> >their wares in Borosilicate Glass and went back the the cheaper Soda
> >Lime glass, which does not tolerate temperature changes as well.
> >Worthy of note is that the Anchor Hocking company is named among the
> >guilty, as well as World Glass, who apparently bought some of
> >Corning's Pyrex plants (if I understood the article properly).
> >
> >It's a good read for those who like cooking in glass, and might help
> >people avoid some bad surprises and painful injuries.
> >
> >Alex
>
> According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrex
>
> The formula changed to the soda-lime formula in the 1940's.

That's Wikipedia for you... Certainly that information is not correct,
probably edited by the World Glass folks to try to cover the change that
they actually made when they purchased the brand name.