Kenny and I have been trying a bunch of new recipes lately in order to take advantage of our bi-weekly produce deliveries from Pioneer Organics. Tonight we had a few zucchini and some squash that needed to be used, so we tried a Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables recipe from the Food Network.
We were 18 minutes into the 25-minute bake time when we heard a loud crash from the kitchen. Upon opening the oven we found our Pyrex baking dish in several large pieces with pasta, cheese, and vegetables oozing out of it. We were able to salvage most of the food by removing the entire oven rack, but of course we made a mess.
So much for Pyrex being unbreakable! Apparently it’s a known bug:
Recent reports suggest that due to the change in manufacturing, notwithstanding the claims made for Pyrex, the glassware can shatter violently and unexpectedly, even when used in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions. Claims have been made of severe personal injury during these events. The tendency to break into large pieces, rather than shatter like tempered glass, can produce large cutting edges capable of causing serious injury. Some reports have suggested that older Pyrex was not as susceptible to these problems as currently produced Pyrex. It is unknown whether this has anything to do with the recent change in ownership and location of manufacture of the Pyrex brand.
Large shards of broken Pyrex
Fortunately our dinner was still pretty yummy.
Unacceptable!!! What’s next Nalgenes that break when dropped on carpet?
-Chris
Looks like we’re not alone: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/03/pyrex_panic.html
I had this happen to me about a year ago, with a pork roast in a Pyrex baking dish. Sad that it’s not just an isolated incident…
Fortunately, nobody was hurt and we salvaged the roast. But still. Glad nobody was hurt on your end either.
I had a pyrex casserole dish, and I have hardly used it. We began baking our au gratin potatoes in the oven, as we have done on 3 other occassions, and the entire dish cracked after only 12 minutes in the oven. It was a mess, but obviously it could have been much worse after reading some of these. I am honestly shocked at what the dish did. Our oven is absolutely a mess.
The question is whether the food is contaminated with dangerous small pieces of Pyrex. Glass fragments can be fatal if ingested.
We’re still alive almost 10 months later, so I think it was okay. But that’s certainly worth keeping in mind for next time! (BTW, we had this happen again just last month when we were at my mother-in-law’s house for Passover. Beware Pyrex!)