The linked article contains a lot of commentary that boils down to “yes, the problem exists and is as described, but … is it really that bad if your glassware sometimes explodes?” Well… yes. Yes, actually, it is. Then there’s stuff like this:
In many cases, the instances of exploding Pyrex reported to SaferProducts.gov and in various customer reviews online seem to be occurring as a result of people using the bakeware improperly (putting a dish under the broiler, for instance, or adding water to a hot pan). Oftentimes the reviewer isn’t even aware that they’ve used the bakeware inappropriately. This could be because they’re not familiar with Pyrex’s switch to tempered glass (which has a lower resistance to thermal stress), or because they’ve simply neglected to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
In other words, the new stuff is indeed less heat-resistant, but that’s ok, because the instruction manual says “this is not heat-resistant”! Gee, thanks. This is rather like purchasing a car with brakes that fail at speeds over 60 mph, and being told “you’re not supposed to be driving that fast anyway—read the manual!”.
The main way to avoid this effect [i.e., explosion/shattering] is to be mindful of how quickly you change the temperature of Pyrex. Stove tops and broilers conduct heat quickly, and will likely cause the bowls to fail. Taking a bowl directly from the freezer and putting it into a hot oven might also trigger breakage.
(Emphasis in original.)
Oh, well, that’s fine. It’s a good thing that there aren’t, for example, any common recipes that call for something to be chilled in the refrigerator/freezer prior to being placed directly into a preheated oven… oh, wait. Hmm.
By the way, weren’t we just reading (in the Wirecutter article) that the manufacturer’s instructions tell us not to subject Pyrex products to heat stress, and that therefore the reduced heat resistance isn’t a problem (since we have been warned)? Consumer Reports again:
The Pyrex website makes no mention of a change in materials, and does not specify what type of glass is used in their products. They claim: “PYREX glassware products can go directly from refrigerator or freezer to a microwave, convection, or preheated conventional oven.”
Since Pyrex is no longer made of the same special thermal shock resistant glass, one should take extra care when using it. Do not place Pyrex on your stove top. Do not change its temperature rapidly, regardless of what the website says. Pyrex, in its current incarnation, should be treated more like any other piece of glass.
Hmm.
Here’s a Gizmodo article about the problem of Pyrex. Some quotes:
But still, exploding Pyrex incidents do happen, and they keep happening. Following more reports of exploding and shattering Pyrex containers, Popular Science replicated an explosion incident in 2011, showing in a video how small amounts of stress can lead to dramatic breakage incidents due to thermal shock. Not long thereafter, scientists with the American Ceramic Society conducted a study called “Shattering Glassware Cookware,” reviewing reports of incidents involving exploding cookware, namely that made by Pyrex. The article’s authors also examined the glass itself and discussed the chemical and practical differences between borosilicate and soda lime glass. “Soda lime silicate cookware is borderline,” they warned in their conclusion. “It does not appear to be adequate for all household cooking.”
After that study was published, Pyrex parent company World Kitchen sued the publisher of the article as well as its authors in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The company claimed that the scientific research made false and disparaging claims about Pyrex cookware—specifically its resistance to thermal breakage—and asked the court to have the paper suppressed. World Kitchen ultimately lost the lawsuit on all counts.
Yet, the explosions continue. Around the same time the class action suit was filed, one Gizmodo employee experienced an explosion herself after microwaving some refrigerated black beans in a Pyrex container for a few seconds. The container exploded, though the glass shards were contained in the microwave. To the best of her knowledge, she followed all of the safety instructions, but the situation does bear resemblance to the defect in Pyrex products others have pointed out. Even slight changes in temperature can cause the glass to shatter or explode, and when that happens, the consequences can be dangerous.
The linked article contains a lot of commentary that boils down to “yes, the problem exists and is as described, but … is it really that bad if your glassware sometimes explodes?”
This is a completely misleading summary of the article. It gives several reasons why most people would probably prefer the new Pyrex over old Pyrex:
It’s cheaper
When it does shatter, it’s less dangerous
It’s less likely to break when you drop it
Note regarding the original article: Pyrex is a weird thing to focus on anyway though, since borosilicate glass bakeware is still easy to find (OXO makes it), it’s just not made by Pyrex.
This is a completely misleading summary of the article.
It’s not a misleading summary of the article, because it’s not a summary of the article at all.
The article does contain a lot of commentary on the explosion issue. That commentary can be summarized as I said.
The article also contains a lot of other stuff. I did not say anything about any of that.
Note regarding the original article: Pyrex is a weird thing to focus on anyway though, since borosilicate glass bakeware is still easy to find (OXO makes it), it’s just not made by Pyrex.
OXO does not make borosilicate measuring cups (nor tempered glass ones, for that matter; their measuring cups are all made of plastic), which is what my comment specifically referenced.
OXO does make borosilicate pie plates, loaf pans, etc. But this in itself ought to make us ask: if your reasons to prefer new Pyrex to old Pyrex are so compelling, why is it that OXO makes its bakeware out of borosilicate, and not tempered glass? Surely it’s just as good if a pie plate is cheaper, less dangerous when it shatters, and less likely to break when it’s dropped, as it is if a measuring cup has those qualities?
But no, none of that holds water. The switch from borosilicate to lime glass as the material of choice for Pyrex measuring cups is driven by profit considerations. The rest is a set of transparent excuses.
On the Pyrex question:
The linked article contains a lot of commentary that boils down to “yes, the problem exists and is as described, but … is it really that bad if your glassware sometimes explodes?” Well… yes. Yes, actually, it is. Then there’s stuff like this:
In other words, the new stuff is indeed less heat-resistant, but that’s ok, because the instruction manual says “this is not heat-resistant”! Gee, thanks. This is rather like purchasing a car with brakes that fail at speeds over 60 mph, and being told “you’re not supposed to be driving that fast anyway—read the manual!”.
Here’s Consumer Reports on the matter:
(Emphasis in original.)
Oh, well, that’s fine. It’s a good thing that there aren’t, for example, any common recipes that call for something to be chilled in the refrigerator/freezer prior to being placed directly into a preheated oven… oh, wait. Hmm.
By the way, weren’t we just reading (in the Wirecutter article) that the manufacturer’s instructions tell us not to subject Pyrex products to heat stress, and that therefore the reduced heat resistance isn’t a problem (since we have been warned)? Consumer Reports again:
Hmm.
Here’s a Gizmodo article about the problem of Pyrex. Some quotes:
That remind me of what we had in our house. It wasn’t used much for cooking, stews maybe that’s all I recall.
Sorry, did you mean to post this under one of my other comments? I would be quite surprised to see glass cookware being used for a stew!
This is a completely misleading summary of the article. It gives several reasons why most people would probably prefer the new Pyrex over old Pyrex:
It’s cheaper
When it does shatter, it’s less dangerous
It’s less likely to break when you drop it
Note regarding the original article: Pyrex is a weird thing to focus on anyway though, since borosilicate glass bakeware is still easy to find (OXO makes it), it’s just not made by Pyrex.
It’s not a misleading summary of the article, because it’s not a summary of the article at all.
The article does contain a lot of commentary on the explosion issue. That commentary can be summarized as I said.
The article also contains a lot of other stuff. I did not say anything about any of that.
OXO does not make borosilicate measuring cups (nor tempered glass ones, for that matter; their measuring cups are all made of plastic), which is what my comment specifically referenced.
OXO does make borosilicate pie plates, loaf pans, etc. But this in itself ought to make us ask: if your reasons to prefer new Pyrex to old Pyrex are so compelling, why is it that OXO makes its bakeware out of borosilicate, and not tempered glass? Surely it’s just as good if a pie plate is cheaper, less dangerous when it shatters, and less likely to break when it’s dropped, as it is if a measuring cup has those qualities?
But no, none of that holds water. The switch from borosilicate to lime glass as the material of choice for Pyrex measuring cups is driven by profit considerations. The rest is a set of transparent excuses.