Pyrex containers seem to be all the rage at the moment and this is due to the fact that they can be heated in the microwave without toxic chemicals being released which is the case with many other containers. If you have no idea what a Pyrex container is then here is a little lesson for you. Pyrex is a kind of glass called borosilicate that is resistant to high chemical and thermal shock. The reason for this is that the two glass-forming constituents are silica and boron oxide. Therefore dishes that are made from this material will generally last longer than their normal glass counterparts.
Pyrex was invented in 1913 when the wife of the Corning Glass Works vice president, Bessie Littlejohn requested that her husband bring home something that she could use in the oven. This product sold over 4.5 million pieces in its first five years of existence and as a result there has been a growing demand for these products ever since. In South Africa there are a number of suppliers of Pyrex products, Makro being one of them. There are a number of cooking tools as well as dishes for you to look at for all your meals from casserole dishes to crockery. This type of glass is so popular that it has been used for different applications over the years such as the windows of space capsules in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
If you are now officially impressed then I feel that I have to offer a warning – Pyrex products have been known to explode or break. Unfortunately the reason for this is because the new owners of the Pyrex products, a company called World Kitchen, have started replacing the original borosilicate glass with soda lime glass. This type of glass is cheaper to manufacturer and unfortunately the Pyrex products that your mothers and grandmothers have in their kitchen, will not be the same as the new ones found in stores. What many people do not know is that Pyrex containers are non-recyclable and therefore are bad for the environment. In addition to this, borosilicate glass produces far more emissions from a glass furnace. In addition to this, boric acid is also released in to the soil and ground water that is extremely bad for the environment.
So for those of you who are extremely eco friendly then you will be happy about the replacement of borosilicate to soda lime glass. However, this depends on the area from which you purchase the products, as the Pyrex products made in North America are made from soda lime glass, whereas the Pyrex factories in Europe continue to use borosilicate glass. So for you eco friendly people, you should look to see where the product is made in order to keep your carbon footprint low. For those of you who do not care about the environment to that extent and who want to own products like your parents which lasted years and years, then you should look out to see if the products sold in South Africa have been imported from Europe.
Pyrex offered the first oven bake cooking crockery that revolutionised the market and they have grown from strength to strength over the last 98 years. With nearly a century experience in producing quality over baking tools, this brand has become one that is trusted in kitchens all across the world. Although some instances of breaking or exploding have been recorded, the people at Pyrex are continually developing new products that will resolve this problem. As their technology increases and improves, so will your cooking experience so take a look out for Pyrex products in your kitchen product isles at stores.