Oh my!

I am so glad that wasn't my kitchen. My SIL walked in with a pyrex dish of something once and sat it on my stove where I had just turned off a burner. It didn't shatter like that one but did crack and break apart with a memorable noise.

Prior "experiences" of many kinds (a hard bump on the counter or sink, a scratch from a cast iron burner as above, a temperature shock, etc), can cause brittleness or shatter points in Pyrex or other glass that can have this result.

We try to avoid putting glass in the oven. Ceramic dishes seem a better choice, more comfortable and less dangerous to use and that's what we try to do. The worst they can do is crack, I don't think Pyrex-like explosions that we've all heard of are very common.

MMMMmmmm...Hammm ;-) Glad you saved it and it wasn't a green bean casserole mess to deal with. I just showed your pic to my wife and she said that the info on pyrex cookware that she's found over the years is that the green tinted ones are more likely to shatter than the clear pyrex glass.

It was probably the uneven cooling temperatures of the air vis the metal. The air would be cooler than the metal. However as stated above it may also be prior damage that just decided to let go.

blfenton is exactly right. The "type" of glass was changed to one with different ingredients that Wiki says is more mechanically strong but less resiistent to themal changes.

Here's a Consumer Reports piece on the subject. It expressly says that pyrex dishes SHOULD NOT be put on a stove top.

Why Pyrex explodes

That makes no sense. Certainly you would not heat Pyrex on a stove burner. But why is a room temperature stove top any different than a room temperature countertop?

The old Pyrex are worth their weight in gold because, once the Chinese owner took over the brand, the quality went down. Still, not to be used on a stove top.

And through my research I also discovered that the older stuff is labelled PYREX (all capitals) while the new stuff is in small letters. I just found a casserole dish labelled PYREX at a thrift store for 4.99. Someone didn't know their pyrex. Oh I scooped it up.

I'm having to replace a number of things and that's why I was doing the research.

"That makes no sense. Certainly you would not heat Pyrex on a stove burner. But why is a room temperature stove top any different than a room temperature countertop?"

Looking at the pic again those metal burner covers may have caused a lot of internal stresses on the flat bottom glass. Setting it upon several cool metal "rods" alternating with sections of exposed bottom hot glass might have been enough to do it?

Jasdip, the shattered glass pieces appear greenish in the pic, was it green tinted glass?

Yikes. I had a glass dish shatter in the oven once- I was young and unlearned in the problems of hot dish and not hot water for a steam tray gone dry :(

At least the ham was wrapped- it could have been way worse with ham and liquids mixed into that glass mess.

I have heard that about the new Pyrex. I have a literal ton of the old Pyrex and I bake in it all the time. Infact, I seldom use anything else.

"That makes no sense. Certainly you would not heat Pyrex on a stove burner."

I read it as saying "don't take it out of the oven and put it down on a stovetop burner". You should ask them but maybe it's because cast iron burner grates are rough and can cause small scratches. Or, because they're metal and thinner than a counter, they cause regions of uneven temperature decrease. Or........

If that's the advice, it's easy enough to follow. Put a trivet down if it needs to go on a burner. Or put on a counter using a non-metallic hot pad or trivet or dish towel folded over to be sure.

Elmer, from your internet research, the article you linked is specifically talking about a bowl that shattered as it was being used to heat something on a stove top burner. I don't see it saying anything about simply setting a bowl on the stove top when the burner is off.

"A reader wrote in because he set his Pyrex bowl on the stove top to reduce some broth, and the bowl promptly “exploded.” It appears, through googling (and You Tubing), that a great many people do not realize that Pyrex bowls have a tendency to shatter violently and dramatically when placed on a stove top or otherwise heated/cooled rapidly."

"On a stove top or otherwise heated/cooled rapidly;" just setting it on a room temp burner is not heating or cooling rapidly.

I remember hearing to never set hot Pyrex on a damp/wet surface either. I wonder if the burner in the pic might have been damp from cleaning or other moisture.

eta: here's a great article (with more info than most of us would ever need) from Wirecutter. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/tempered-vs-borosilicate-glass/

Thanks for the correction. I read it too hastily after seeing the recommendation to not put pyrex on stove tops, advice I'd heard years ago that had nothing to do with having the burner on.

The article suggests after removing a hot dish from the oven, it's best to put it down on a cooling rack or dry towel, consistent with what I said (advice I also heard long ago).

The bouncing glass tumbler in the first video appears to be the same or similar to glasses we've purchased for both of our homes - the Picardie model of Duralex brand, of which we have 12 each of the three most common sizes. . Made in France, easily found and not expensive at all. I can vouch for the fact that when accidently dropped on tiles floors from counter height or higher (something my wife does from time to time), they do not break. Surprisingly, the same result every time. They're a very substantial product, very nice to hold and nice to use. I just looked on Amazon, six pieces of each of three different sizes (total of 18) are $75, about $4 each.

I have always placed whatever container/pan was coming out of the oven onto one of my wooden cutting boards. It just seems to make sense to me to do that. I do remember reading about the old vs new Pyrex bowls. I have lots of pieces because I think they are quality cookware.

Someone mentioned about new Pyrex shattering. The OP said it was over 30 yrs old. My pyrex glass bowls are in small letter. I use them just for storing food. I also do as Murraysmom said....set it on my cutting board.

Cleaning up the glass must have been a tough job.

I have been a collector of older Pyrex for 40 years and use it in the oven frequently, I baked a ham in a piece tonight. I am always careful though of not bumping the dish or putting it on a cold surface when hot. I use hot pads. There are quite a few pieces of Pyrex that you can use to cook on your stove top. I have coffee percolators and some Pyrex cooking pots and frying pans with removeable handles. I don't purchase the newer Pyrex. Two of the best pieces of Pyrex I like to use is a domed lidded roaster and a bread baking tube. I wish I had access to my upstairs tonight where I have my collection hoard because I could have used my snowflake casserole dishes today. Jasdip I am glad that person wasn't hurt by the shattering and she was able to save her dinner. I am always aware this could happen.

Cherryfizz wrote "There are quite a few pieces of Pyrex that you can use to cook on your stove top."

This reminded me that I have a Pyrex double boiler that I've had for around 40 years. I love it so much because you can see what is going on in it without lifting the lid. It sits directly on my glass top stove, but when I had a coil burner stove, I always used a wire diffuser that came with it. I don't use too high of heat on it and never put it down on a cool surface when it's hot. I don't know if this type of pyrex is different glass than those pieces made to use in the oven.

The older PYREX ware was made of real pryrex glass (borosilicate). After the brand was sold, the new owner changed the glass and it does not have the low thermal expansion rate of the older glass. It is not pyrex, but carries the brand name. It will shatter.

blfenton :

"And through my research I also discovered that the older stuff is labelled PYREX (all capitals) while the new stuff is in small letters. I just found a casserole dish labelled PYREX at a thrift store for 4.99. Someone didn't know their pyrex. Oh I scooped it up."

VgQn says thanks for that tip Blfenton! She's always looking through Pyrex cookware at consignment shops and that helps in future searches.

For anyone looking to buy, Fireking is as good as the old Pyrex, but can be harder to find. I have a lot of Fireking also, and use it frequently.

I have that same domed roaster Cherry Fizz mentioned. I still buy both when I run across it in thrift shops. I bought the big yellow bowl that goes with the primary colors set last week for $3. I have a few (cough, cough) of those sets.

I use them sparingly. In the late seventies I had a dish of scalloped potatoes break in my oven. It was before sealed ovens. It dripped through the whole oven. I cleaned and cleaned but still everytime I turned on the oven it smoked excessively. I ended up having to buy a new oven.

I had to buy a new oven after a sweet potatoes with marshmallows running over situation. :(

A friend just posted a picture of her oven. Her daughter made a grit casserole, it exploded all over the oven!

I use them for lasagna and casseroles. Never had one explode using it normally. I did have something glass years ago shatter, can't remember what it was exactly. I put it on a hot burner by mistake and it shattered. Thankfully neither of my kids were nearby, it was when they were younger.

I made cornbread in an Anchor Hocking glass casserole - this must have been in the early 90's. I was at my brother's house. I remember taking the cornbread out of the oven and there were glass shards all over the top of it, but the casserole itself didn't have any cracks. My brother took the whole shebang to Walmart and demanded his money back.

I use Corning Wear casseroles with glass lids for storage and reheating in the oven and microwave. 1 quart, 2 quart and 4 quart. I've had them since the 70's. I just purchased a replacement from a seller on Etsy.

seagrass