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Not your grandma’s Pyrex. Or is it?

Pyrex is hot again and if you haven’t seen it since your grandma’s Sunday dinners, you might want to take another look. It’s stood the test of time, and you can find quality pieces without chips or stain that will be a great addition to your kitchen.

Pyrex was first introduced in North America in 1915 during World War I. Manufactured by Corning, it was made of clear borosilicate glass, a thermally strong composition originally made for laboratory glassware. A scientist brought a sample home for his wife to try in the kitchen and the rest is history.

The first product produced was a nine-inch pie plate, which might have been the inspiration for the name Pyrex (pie-rex).

The durability of the glass was shocking to homemakers but the clear glass baking dishes and pots soon became staples in the kitchen and were advertised as the first “oven to icebox” glassware. The original products featured the name PYREX in all caps stamped on the bottom.

Other manufacturers that are sometimes confused with Pyrex include Fire King, Glasbake, Hazel Atlas and Federal. But just look on the bottom. Most of the pieces are marked.

In 1958, the first oven-to-table tableware was made by Corning Glass, and featured a white ceramic-like material which featured the classic little blue cornflower decoration which became the trademark of the products for three decades.

 After spinning off the brand to World Kitchen in 1988, they began to manufacture a clear-tempered soda-lime glass with a different logo (all lowercase letters) and a bluish tint. It was said to be cheaper to manufacture and more resistant to breakage, but less heat resistant.

In 2011, Consumer Reports documented glassware explosions when items, including some of the soda-lime glass Pyrex, were exposed to rapid temperature changes. An investigation later confirmed that the borosilicate glass (the original Pyrex glass) could withstand a more rapid temperature change, such as when the cookware was removed from the oven and placed on a counter or dinner table. Consumers were warned to carefully avoid sudden and exreme temperature changes.

 If you’re looking for info on specific patterns, we highly recommend you visit Pyrexlove.com. They even have a Pyrex museum where you can see and purchase many pieces pre-WWII.

You can find vintage Pyrex pretty easily online, but where’s the fun in that? You can check on eBay to find a wide variety, but it’s more fun to hunt for it at thrift stores and get hooked on collecting a particular pattern. The most valuable collectible pieces are complete sets or promotional pieces which were made for one-time promotions or never offered to the public, but most pieces can be found for less than $20.