jenbrdsly Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 A while back I remember reading a thread about exploding Pyrex that really freaked me out. Now I've got a question... I just got some older, hand-me-down Pyrex from my grandma. Is older Pyrex better or worse than new Pyrex? Should I keep this, or give it to Goodwill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I have some of my grandmother's old pyrex and have been using it since the beginning of this year (or maybe the end of last year?). I haven't had any problems with it. The only thing that I had break was an old refrigerator dish. I've had some chipping on new pyrex, but no exploding. Dh even put a piece of depression glass in the microwave without any ill effects except for a stern lecture on why exactly he should probably find a different dish to melt margarine for his popcorn. My understanding is that the potential issue is with the newer stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Yes we have had several pyrex type dishes explode after being dropped. Glass shards everywhere. I don't know what causes that but all of these were less than 10 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I have a vague recollection that it's the newer stuff that is the problem--that the formula or how they made it was changed. You could probably find the info online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 DH wants to snap up the older stuff every time he sees it in a store, even if all the measuring markers have worn off. The old stuff is the keeper. The new stuff is not as strong and cannot stand as many temperature fluctuations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 AMDG Wow! I didn't know there was an exploding Pyrex problem. I have had two newish pyrex explode, seriously, EXPLODE! I also have some old wedding gift pyrex (22 yrs, now) that have held up beautifully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I clicked never with trepidation. have I just jinxed myself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Someone I have actually met in real life posted on a different message board about two different pyrex pans shattering. Does that count? I've never had a problem with mine, but I shoo everyone out of the kitchen when I'm taking things out of the oven just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 yes, I had one shatter and it was probably 10-15yrs old (it happened about 5 yrs ago). To be fair, I'm sure it was my fault. It was in the hot oven and I pour tap water into the dish (can't remember why), and the thing shattered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Yep, newer Pyrex. I have had 2 Pyrex explode, but they were newer like in the last 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Mine shattered when they were cold and had been dropped when being removed from the cupboard. It was not caused by temperature fluctuation. The latest one that shattered my dd bumped out of the cupboard and it fell about 2 feet before hitting the floor and exploding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I've been told you can tell the quality by the color--- I think the cloudy ones are the beter ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BellaStarr Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I've heard about the newer pyrex exploding. My pyrex was handed down from my mother in law and is probably over 20 years old. I've never had any problems with it, but I am scared to buy new ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Here's an article from Consumer Reports about the new glass formula : http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/january/home-garden/glass-cookware/glass-bakeware/index.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 My mom used one of my newer clear-glass Pyrex dishes at Thanksgiving a few years ago. She set it on a burner that wasn't on after taking it out of the microwave (or the oven--can't remember), and a few minutes later it broke into pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 yes, I had one shatter and it was probably 10-15yrs old (it happened about 5 yrs ago). To be fair, I'm sure it was my fault. It was in the hot oven and I pour tap water into the dish (can't remember why), and the thing shattered. A guy friend did something similar almost 25 years ago. He took the Pyrex from under the broiler and put it under the tap. Dumb, dumb, dumb. It didn't shatter though, just cracked right in half. It was my brand new pan and I was :angry: . Well, at least it didn't explode and nobody got hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 yes, I had one shatter and it was probably 10-15yrs old (it happened about 5 yrs ago). To be fair, I'm sure it was my fault. It was in the hot oven and I pour tap water into the dish (can't remember why), and the thing shattered. I think this is what happened when mine exploded. User error. I had just broiled fish in it maybe? And then put some water in? Or maybe not. i can't remember. This was about ten years ago with Pyrex I got for my wedding twelve years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I don't have any proof or anything, but I think the old Pyrex was of better quality than the new stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 There were stories of Pyrex exploding here (NZ) in the nineties but I haven't heard of it happening recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KayT Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I've never had any explode, thank goodness! I hope my vote can stay never as I purchased a vintage set of 1970's Spring Blossom Cinderella mixing bowls, refrigerator bowls and 2 casserole bowls at a flea market this weekend. I am glad to hear most of the exploding has been in newer ones as I certainly intend to put them to good use. Op I would keep the pyrex! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I am hoping I haven't jinxed myself by choosing never. The majority of my pyrex were wedding gifts and are over 20 years old. My newer pyrex I don't really cook with. I just use it for strorage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I had a 2 cup measuring cup explode when I dropped it on the floor. I was surprised because I was pulling it out of a lower cabinet and the fall was about 4 inches. Many weaker looking items have done fine with a small fall like that. It exploded into a zillion teeny tiny pieces. Most annoying to clean up. Although I will say my floor was immaculately clean by the time I was done. DS was a crawler at the time and I needed to make sure that there were no shards left. I also had a 2 cup storage container explode. It fell from a higher place - counter height and this time I wasn't surprised. Clean up was still not fun though! And then there are mason jars. I love my mason jars! I dropped a 1/2 gallon one half full of flour from the counter and it literally bounced off the tile and was fine. Not even a crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleEJ Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I had a newer piece explode on me a few years ago. I was cooking a pork tenderloin in a 8x8 pan. I took it out of the oven and set in on a the stove (like I always do) and it just shattered. In a million pieces and my poor tenderloin was just sitting on the the burner all alone lol. It was pretty crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 The old Pyrex was a different formula than the new Pyrex. The old Pyrex did not explode. The new Pyrex is cheaper and is known to explode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenbrdsly Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 I've been told you can tell the quality by the color--- I think the cloudy ones are the beter ones. My grandma's pyrex in question is cloudy brown, from the 1980s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I've had two pyrex pans kinda just crack and fall apart as soon as they were removed from the oven onto a hotpad and one explode. The exploding pan sent pieces of glass (and hot wings) all the way to my front door and I had to go to the ER to have glass removed from my foot and my toe stitched up. ETA: I'm sure the pans were wedding gifts so circa 1988 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 The old Pyrex was Schott glass made from borosilicate and more heat resistant. They made it until 1998. They changed the formula to tempered soda-lime glass which is supposed to be more resistant to breakage when you drop it, but is no longer heat resistant. ( While my Grandmother's old Schott glass could be used stove top on a gas flame, you can not use modern Pyrex stovetop.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Mine exploded in the oven as well....I had two lasagnas baking...one for our family and the other to take to a pregnant mom on bedrest. I had to go buy pizza... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 My husband tried to use my Pyrex 4 cup measuring cup as a double boiler. (He had asked, so I'm not blaming him.) One corner of the pyrex was touching the bottom of the stainless steel pan. It broke, ruining the wax he was melting. This was older Pyrex, probably from the late 80s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I had a pyrex bowl just break. It had never been put in the freezer, oven, or microwave. I used it only for leftovers in the fridge. I took it out of the fridge, took the plastic lid off, and a big chunk just kind of broke off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I did. They are sending me a new bowl and a, "I'm sorry. That should not have happened." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Most of my Pyrex pieces were wedding gifts from when I got married in 1998. It seems like I managed to break something years ago, but I can't remember the details. I may have dropped it. But overall mine has held up well. I think I may have gotten the old stuff just under the wire :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in SC Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I couldn't vote because I don't know what constitutes newer vs. older. However, I've had only one instance of Pyrex shattering through no fault of my own. It was a casserole dish that was probably 15-20 years old. I cooking meatballs in the oven, as I have done countless times. After 30 minutes or so, I heard a loud bang. The dish had blown up inside the oven. We had grease, meat and glass all over the inside of the oven. What a mess! The only upside? We went out to eat that night, so my kitchen stayed clean...excluding the oven, of course. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 It WAS a horrendous mess. I was pregnant and hormonal at the time and I just sat and sobbed. We had to wait for the oven to cool to be able to clean it. My oven had exposed coils at the bottom and everything had baked on during the cooling process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I don't want them to send me a new anything. The only thing I've hung onto are the measuring cups because there aren't a lot of other options for measuring liquids. I don't cook with those so not a big deal. The last one I had explode was a glass measuring cup. dd bumped it while putting dishes away and it exploded around her feet. I was finding glass for at least a week, after sweeping three time. This dish was never used for cooking, but it had been in a dishwasher and probably the microwave occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 This happened to my MIL at Thanksgiving. She pulled something in Pyrex out of the oven and set it on the stove not realizing that a burner was still hot. It spectacularly exploded and sent glass flying into all the food which was sitting near by. We wound up having deli turkey and white bread sandwiches for Thanksgiving. We smile and look back fondly at that year :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenbrdsly Posted September 4, 2013 Author Share Posted September 4, 2013 It WAS a horrendous mess. I was pregnant and hormonal at the time and I just sat and sobbed. We had to wait for the oven to cool to be able to clean it. My oven had exposed coils at the bottom and everything had baked on during the cooling process. :( Thanks for all the help everyone! For those of you who don't use Pyrex anymore, what do you use instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 A while back I remember reading a thread about exploding Pyrex that really freaked me out. Now I've got a question... I just got some older, hand-me-down Pyrex from my grandma. Is older Pyrex better or worse than new Pyrex? Should I keep this, or give it to Goodwill? If you think it might explode, why would you give it to Goodwill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenbrdsly Posted September 4, 2013 Author Share Posted September 4, 2013 If you think it might explode, why would you give it to Goodwill? Good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 I use stainless lined pans, some silicone baking products, and for storage some snap-tight glass food storage containers where the plastic lid snaps onto every corner of the glass dish. It felt like I was wasting money buying the glass food storage stuff but it is seriously the best money I have ever spent on anything kitchen related. They don't stain, food doesn't stick, and they never melt or shrink. They are wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 I use stainless lined pans, some silicone baking products, and for storage some snap-tight glass food storage containers where the plastic lid snaps onto every corner of the glass dish. It felt like I was wasting money buying the glass food storage stuff but it is seriously the best money I have ever spent on anything kitchen related. They don't stain, food doesn't stick, and they never melt or shrink. They are wonderful. That's the glass storage I use and the one that just broke a chunk of glass when I pulled off the lid. I had never cooked with it, never put it in the freezer, never in the microwave, never in a dishwasher, and it just broke. So even the glass storage containers break for no reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarinesWife Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 When you take pyrex out of the oven it is supposed to be set on a hot pad. I don't remember when i learned that but i was told not to set it on the stove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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