The Biggest Mistake You Might Be Making With Your Pyrex

When it comes to cookware, almost nothing is as classic or iconic as Pyrex, which has been used for more than 100 years to bake up trays of comfort food, hearty casseroles, holiday favorites, and make-ahead meals. But even if you're a veteran user of the glass bakeware, there's still a big mistake you might be making with your Pyrex. 

If you have memories of taking a Pyrex casserole dish out of the fridge and putting it right into the oven from there, you're not alone. It's one of the features that made the bakeware to versatile and so useful. But as with so many good things, times have changed, and these days thermal shock is a big concern when baking with Pyrex (via Taste of Home). 

Why you can't put cold Pyrex in the oven

When Pyrex was first created back in 1908, it was made with a special glass (called borosilicate glass) that was thermal shock-resistant. That means that dramatic changes in temperature, like when putting a cold dish into a hot oven, were no match for the sturdy glass. 

But in 1998, all that changed. Pyrex was sold by Corning to a company called World Kitchen LLC, and they changed the type of glass that was used to make Pyrex. Instead of borosilicate glass, all Pyrex made since 1998 is made with soda-lime glass, which isn't thermal-shock resistant. 

While you can still use vintage Pyrex to take meals from the fridge to the oven, you have to be way more careful with the newer stuff. You shouldn't let your Pyrex go from one extreme temperature to another, whether you're moving a piping-hot casserole from the oven to the fridge, or a make-ahead cobbler from the fridge to the oven. Instead, let items come to room temperature before adding them to a cold or hot place. 

You also should never put Pyrex on the stovetop, as the intense heat from the stove burners could shatter it. 

If you're determined to be able to use only thermal shock resistant Pyrex, there is good news. There's a thriving collector's market for vintage Pyrex items, and though it may cost you a pretty penny, chances are you'll be able to snag a borosilicate casserole dish for all of your baking needs somewhere (via Today).