There was my own exploding Pyrex experience a couple of years ago:
…so I was happy to see that this month’s issue of Consumer Reports did a ‘CR Investigates’ about all the reports of similar experiences.
They did a 12-month investigation and found that American made (Pyrex and Anchor Hocking, both soda lime glass) shattered at lower temps than European-made pans made of borosilicate (old Pyrex and A-H are made of borosilicate – the newer pieces are made of soda lime glass). As is usual in Consumer Reports testing, they put the products in situations above the everyday norms to see how the margin of safety would compare.
In sand-filled pans testing in a 450* oven, each of the Pyrex and Anchor Hocking dishes shattered when they put them on a wet countertop. The European borosilicate dishes did not break. Same thing at 400* – American products broke, but not the European products. An old American Pyrex dish in like-new condition – old enough that it was made of borosilicate – didn’t break even at 500*. It seems easy to consider that the use of soda lime glass in current Pyrex and A-H products may be to blame.
((Of course, A-H disagrees. I’m so glad my other cook- and bake- ware don’t have all Pyrex’s restrictions either.))
The CPSC estimates that there were 11,882 ER visits between 1998-2007 related to glass bakeware injuries.
Pics of glass bakeware fails on Flickr here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Those are just a *few* of the ones uploaded.
Gosh, I am loving my collection of Le Creuset enameled cast iron bakewear more than ever right now.