Exploding Pyrex

There was a letter about exploding Pyrex in today's Action Line column in the Mercury News. It referred to this item on the Consumer Affairs website, which confirms reports of exploding Pyrex dishes.

I especially like this excerpt:
How to explain Vice President Arnold's head-in-the-sand approach to exploding cookware? For public consumption, he represents the standard corporate point of view, which goes something like this: There are no known defects in our products. If we knew of defects in our products and did not fix them, we would be liable for damages or injuries resulting from their use. Therefore, we don't know of any such defects.

My friend, who is the same age as me, said there was a big scare about Pyrex measuring cups blasting boiling water on people when we were teenagers (that would be in the 90s). I don't remember it. I've been using Pyrex for years but now I'm rethinking it.

We have pyrex from way back with no explosion problems. Weird.

I understand that Pyrex can 'explode' if the piece has been chipped or scratched enough.

Pyrex (I believe) is one of the few materials that does not expand or contract with temperature changes -- so there must be a lot of tension on the glass as it is heated and cooled.

I use Pyrex -- I worry about other stuff

I've been using the stuff for a long time and I'll keep using it. I think this does underscore the importance of not quickly changing the temperature of the glass (pouring boiling water into a room-temperature measuring cup), and making sure you check each piece now and then for significant scratches and nicks which could impair the integrity of the piece.

We only have 2 9x12 baking dishes and 1 measuring cup, but we've had them for 33+ years with no problem. I think what Mary said about checking your items periodically for chips, etc. is important and still allows the use of your Pyrex.

Today's Action Line says that Newer Pyrex shatters, not older, better stuff. Pyrex products made after 1998, when the Pyrex name was first licensed, are more suspect. And it's probably more accurate to say that the glass breaks instead of explodes.

While we're on the topic of kitchen stuff, I have a few metal items that easily rust -- anything from tongs to baking sheets. Does anyone else have the same problems? It's really hard to get off and you certainly don't want to eat off of something with rust so the stuff is just rendered useless. I don't do a whole lot of baking but will probably switch to silicone baking products. I've bought plastic supposedly heat-resistant tongs too but they melt. I'm careful not to leave them on a heated surface too.

This post has been edited by mobyfan on May 9 2007, 01:41 PM

I've been able to ameliorate most of the rusting metal problem by carefully drying metal utensils and other metal items after I hand-wash them. It doesn't cure all rust problems, but it definitely helps.

That's really interesting information about the Pyrex! Thanks for posting it!

It's not just pyrex, and it's not just temperature differrential, and it IS an explosion.

I just had an Anchor-Hocking one cup measuring cup (same concept as Pyrex, different manufacturer) disintegrate into pieces strewn across a 5-10 foot radius in my kitchen.

What was I doing at the time? Cutting some jellied cranberry sauce (room temperature) into little chunks with a soup spoon so I could measure out one exact cup for a brisket marinade.

Utterly frightening! One minute I'm holding a glass cup in one hand, the next I'm picking bits of glass out of my anatomy.

The force I was using should not have triggered the reaction I got.

My small Pyrex casserole dish exploded this evening. Scared the heck out of me. Had been in the microwave for 7 minutes. Set it on the stove for a minute. When I picked it up by its "ears" a big chunk broke out of the side. Picked it back up to rescue the brussel sprouts and it broke in several pieces with some flying all over. Luckily escaped with just a small cut on my knee

I haven't looked into the exploding pyrex issue, but if there's a small crack, air can get heated and expand. That would cause a serious problem. If you get liquid in a crack, it goes to (on average) 1000 times the volume as it changes to a gas when heated. That can cause an explosion (which students love to see in class :-)

For metal utensils, it's the exposure to water and air that oxidizes the metal to the metal oxide (rust). Cut out these exposures (depending on the type of metal) and they will not rust. If you have a utensil with which you cannot part, you can try wiping it with an oil (mineral oil or something else) before storing it. That will stop the rust.

QUOTE (blondie @ May 31 2007, 12:59 PM)

For metal utensils, it's the exposure to water and air that oxidizes the metal to the metal oxide (rust). Cut out these exposures (depending on the type of metal) and they will not rust. If you have a utensil with which you cannot part, you can try wiping it with an oil (mineral oil or something else) before storing it. That will stop the rust.

Thanks, I tried drying my metal utensils upon washing at Mary's suggestion and it seems to work well (not easy to do for people who don't have a lot of time ). I guess I should've taken more science classes! It was never my favorite subject so all I took was Biology in junior high and high school, and Environmental Bio in college.

I have one piece of newer pyrex, and about 12 pieces of pyrex from the um, 60's? So I think I'm covered. I have the little glass ramekins break all the time, but that's most often because I dropped them on the tile counter.

Funny, I was just watching a How It's Made in which pyrex was being made tonight. I suspect it's in the part that's not standard parts to "glass" but the "trade secrets" that might include some inferiority... and there is a tempering process for glass that needs to be followed. If everyone else makes a "cheaper" product for the mass market now, why not cheaper glass product? Hmmmmm......

Wow. Same thing just this morning. Anchor Hocking 1 cup measurer. I had just cracked and egg into it, beat it a bit with a fork, then turned away (luckily) to go to the fridge, and BANG!!! It blow up like there was an M80 in it. I'm throwing the other two sizes away. I had Pyrex for years, then bought new. WTF???!!

I just made my first Pyrex purchase recently (my mom gave me the Pyrex I was using previously). I was at Target and looking at the ones with lids. I wanted to purchase just the lids but of course they didn't sell them that way. They had a sale on multi-packs with lids so I couldn't resist. In my quest to be less wasteful, I recently stopped using plastic wrap as much as possible. I use foil when necessary, but I use Tupperware for absolutely all leftovers now. I have tons of them and absolutely love them. So I am all over the lids, instead of wasting plastic wrap or foil.

I bought the Pyrex set a few weeks ago but didn't open the package until tonight. So far so good. I think they'll be okay as long as I don't subject them to quick and severe temperature changes.

Tonight, about an hour after eating dinner, my empty, red, non-stick coated Anchor Hocking casserole exploded. There was noone in the kitchen at the time, the casserole was on the counter, it was empty and completely cool to the touch. Explain that one. There were no chips or scratches in the glass either. There were chips and chunks of glass all over my kitchen and into the hallway. It also continued to pop and crack for about five minutes after. Creepy.

Wow that is scary. I never heard of such things. I mostly use stoneware but my most expensive set (Phaltzgraff brand, a gift) gets hot in the Microwave so I stopped using them. My favorite microwave dishes are the most basic Mikasa. All my tupperware/plastic ware warps so I just use the stone ware now with glass lids you can buy at the Dollar stores.

Also I try not to run the microwave no more that four minutes at a time. I have seen things explode in the microwave if ran six or more minutes. I just do in intervals of four.

I just had a large Pyrex baking dish explode tonight as I was cleaning it in the sink. This dish was one with an embossed design on the outside and was a very difficult dish to clean. I was using a soft brass brush and Soft Scrub. With a very loud pop the dish disintigrated into what resembles rock salt.

Some posters have made mention of scratches or cracks. If Pyrex is tempered I doubt that cracks are possible because any tempered glass I am aware of is very strong and is either whole or as I have described rock salt consistency when broken.

My 20 year old pyrex 9 x 13 pan exploded in the oven yesterday. I was cooking a roast at 450. The pan had been in the oven for about 8 minutes when I heard a loud explosion. After a minute or so, I opened the door and found the pan had disintegrated into hundreds of tiny sharp shards of glass.

Before going into the oven, the pan was at room temperature. I put the roast, cold from the fridge, into it and poured a room temperature liquid over the roast. I had never used it under the broiler or over an open flame which the embossed label on my pyrex pans say not to do. It was too large for my microwave, so it had never been microwaved. Since the pan was so old, I believe it was probably scratched on the bottom and I just didn't notice it or pay close enough attention to it, since I hadn't realized there were safety issues associated with scratched pyrex.

After googling "exploding pyrex" and reading many of the stories, I am going to get rid of the rest of my pans. There are too many stories for me to ignore, and I don't want to have to worry that my pans might explode if I fail to see a scratch in them. In many of the stories, the pan exploded on the counter while it was cooling normally with no drastic temperature changes or exposure to uneven temperatures. I wonder if those pans, bowls, or measuring cups had tiny scratches that were hard to see.

On the manufacuturer's website here http://www.pyrexware.com/thetruthaboutpyrex/use.htm, the have saftey instructions with a disclaimer that failure to follow their instructions could result in personal or property damage. Good grief!

Lisa

Come on people.... be careful if there is a chance of Pyrex exploding in the microwave. I have never put my pyrex in the microwave, never knew there was a problem, and mine is very old. It is a lasagna pan, it belongs in the oven. I use ceramic in the microwave and usually no glass. Dollar tree glass plates and bowls even break in the Microwave. Everyone, be careful, NO MORE PYYREX in the microwave!

This post has been edited by techvbjoe on Mar 26 2008, 08:36 AM

I thought there was a limit... over 400, only metal roasting materials should be used, because of the fatty liquids that can drip out and become a much hotter temp than the rest of the food in the dish.

The boiling water in the microwave thing is a known issue, but it's not about pyrex, it's about the microwave. Read about it here:
http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave.asp
Alton Brown makes a big deal about it on his shows when he heats
water up, putting a bamboo skewer in.

That is amazing, now I don't trust my microwave or boiling water. That is very scary. I watch Good Eats all the time and don't see Alton Brown warning us about the water in the microwave.

Just as a general rule, I cover everything. I always guess wrong which liquid is going to splatter in the microwave and I hate cleaning it. I especially would not put my face in any pot, dish, glass.

PYREX does indeed explode. This evening at the rectory, the cook placed the 9x13 pan in the oven with boneless pork ribs. A few minutes later there was a loud BOOM that could be heard down the connecting bridge into the Church (30 feet). There was glass and ribs all over the oven. The splattered mess travelled UP, DOWN, and sideways. It did not only destroy the ribs, but the beans that were cooking ABOVE the ribs!!!! It was a mess. EXPLODE is ACCURATE.

Indeed pyrex does explode. I cooked bacon in the microwave for about 6 minutes today, which I have done many times. When I took the pyrex baking dish out of the oven, the dish exploded and I suffered burns on my arm from the hot bacon grease. It could have been a very serious kitchen accident!!! The dish was about 5 years old and was in good condition. I don't think I will use pyrex in the microwave. I am wondering if I should report this incident to the manufacturers.

I microwave bacon on a plate. I don't normally put Pyrex in the microwave, only the oven.

I generally don't microwave over 5 mins. I do in five minute intervals or less. I have bad things happen when I go over: over boilings, splattering, cracked dishes etc... Practice breaking the heating cycle up.

My interest has perked up to explore the ins and outs of Pyrex, since it's been ubiquitous in every kitchen, as well as school and commercial chemistry labs (beakers, flasks, test tubes...) since it was invented.

A lot of science here, but some practical carryover.

I'm reasonably certain it is not the glass material itself causing the explosion, but it's certainly what goes flying apart as a result. The cause is most likely the rapid expansion of a liquid (or solid) into a higher volume gas... (typically water boiling to steam) that has gotten into the structure of the container somehow, and compromises it. Nicks, scratches, cracks, could allow material to get into the glass, or at least compromise the stressed integrity of the Pyrex glass.

Since water rapidly expands to 2700 times its volume, you can imagine the impact that can have. Multiply that by the stresses on the tempered glass and you have a pretty impressive projectile thing going on (think gun, powder, bullet...) This effect could occur with water, lasagna, a coffee pot set atop a boiling drip on the warming burner...

I was always taught to beware scratched, chipped or obviously cracked glassware in labs and dispose of bad glassware immediately for the risk involved.

A related warning is floating about when it comes to boiling water in a microwave, since the heating process is a little different than using a flame or heating element - microwave-boiled water will not always bubble to give you that tell-tale sign of HOT!!! Many have been burned disturbing or removing a 'boiling' cup of water from microwave ovens. There is a suggestion to put a wooden or plastic stir-stick in the container to create a means for turbulence to reveal the bubbling/boiling so you can tell.

It would be a shame if the new stuff is not up to the standards of the old stuff. Makes gramma's old cookware quite valuable for more than sentimental reasons.

I just had a nearly brand new 13x9 clear glass Pyrex pan explode just minutes after removing it from the oven. I had cooked some chicken in the pan, removed it from the oven and put the chicken on my plate. I went over to the table to eat. Within a minute, there was a large BOOM and Pyrex was spread out all over my kitchen, as far as 12 feet away. Worse yet is the fact that the hot glass instantly melted my linoleum floor, completely ruining it.

I moved to San Jose for a summer internship. So the pan was purchased new about 45 days ago. It has surely been used only 10-15 times. It has only been used in the oven, not the microwave. And I had inspected it for cracks or scratches prior to use.

The ironic thing is that the largest shard left was a piece with the Pyrex logo, below it reads the word "SAFE".

Had I been in the kitchen, I would have been seriously injured I do believe. I am concerned now that I won't get my large deposit back from the apartment complex at the end of the summer (understandable considering the floor is absolutely ruined because of this). I will be contacting Pyrex to see if they will help.

I'm interested to know if anyone else has contacted or heard anything about Pyrex compensating customers for damages due to these explosions.

QUOTE (Jacob Rossi(Guest) @ Jun 28 2008, 11:26 AM)

The ironic thing is that the largest shard left was a piece with the Pyrex logo, below it reads the word "SAFE".

I'd like to see a picture of that.

Good luck with getting reimbursed for the damage. I would suggest writing to Action Line (you can find it on the Mercury News website) but getting a response may be tough due to high volume. Maybe the Attorney General or whatever organization handles these kind of claims can help.