Can Glass Be Put In The Oven?

Last Updated on August 7, 2023 By Emma W. Thomas

Yes, tempered glass or oven-safe glass cookware can be safely used in the oven. However, regular glassware may shatter due to thermal shock, so it should not be used in the oven.

Can Glass Be Put In The Oven?

Yes, certain types of glass can be safely used in the oven, while others are not suitable due to the risk of shattering from thermal shock. Here are the details:

Oven-Safe Glass:

1. Tempered Glass: Tempered glass is specifically designed to withstand high temperatures and thermal shock. It can be used in the oven without any concerns.
2. Borosilicate Glass: Borosilicate glass, known for its high thermal resistance, is commonly used in oven-safe glassware and bakeware. It can handle rapid temperature changes without breaking.
3. Pyrex: Traditionally, Pyrex glass was made of borosilicate and was oven-safe. However, some modern Pyrex products may not be as resistant to thermal shock due to a change in materials. Check the manufacturer’s instructions to confirm their oven safety.

Glass Not Suitable for the Oven:

1. Regular Glass: Ordinary glass or non-oven-safe glassware should not be used in the oven. When exposed to high temperatures, regular glass can shatter or crack due to thermal shock.

Precautions:

1. Always check the manufacturer’s guidelines: Confirm the oven safety of glassware by checking the manufacturer’s instructions, especially for modern Pyrex products.
2. Gradual Heating and Cooling: When using oven-safe glass, avoid sudden temperature changes to reduce the risk of thermal shock. Preheat the oven with the glass inside or allow it to cool down gradually before washing.

Reasons to Use Glass in Oven

1. Keeps The Heat For A Longer Time – One of the main reasons people choose glassware containers to cook/heat food is that these glass containers can retain heat for a long period, thus keeping your meal all steamy and warm. And who doesn’t want to be served warm food?

2. No Chemical Release – Cookware made of other materials releases harmful chemicals under heat but not glass cookware. Many people tend to choose glass cookware over cookware made of different materials as they want their food to be toxic-free.

3. Can Be Cleaned With Ease – Another reason people go for glass cookware is that they are easy to clean, unlike other materials like clay, aluminum, or bone china set, which gets burned and painful to clean. The reason why glass containers are much easier to clean is that they don’t have pores like other materials. 

4. Can See Through – As we all know, glass is transparent, which means you can see whether your food is being cooked or not. In other cookware sets, you get to see just the top of the food but can’t determine whether the entire food is cooked or not. So it is advisable that go for glass cookware.

5. Helpful In Reheating And Storing – Glass containers are an excellent choice if you have to reheat food at regular intervals and for keeping the extra amount. Glass cookware sets are known for their properties to retain heat for long hours and also heat your frozen food quickly. If you have stored away some extra food in the glass container, then you can put it straight away in the oven to heat up.

Now that you have known why people tend to use glass containers over other kinds now, you should know the things that you shouldn’t do, so that your glass containers do not break.

How To Use Glass on Oven Properly?

1. Add On Some Liquid – Whenever you are going to cook any vegetables, or dry foods in the glass containers, make sure you add some water to the box’s bottom. When these kinds of food are cooked, they tend to release water, and since the water released isn’t going to be warm, there’s a high chance that it will cause the hot glass container to crack.

2. Watch Out – Before buying or using any glassware cooking set, make sure that you look minutely for scratches and cracks all over it. Because if you overlook it and put any container with any of these flaws, then there’s a high chance that your glass container will shatter into pieces.

3. Choose The Best – While there are many kinds of glass containers out there in the market that are sold claiming to be the best. But if you want your glass cookware to be long last and not break at a slightly high temperature, then always go for tempered glass. Tempered glasses are heatproof and will help you reheat your food in a jiffy. So choose very wisely before buying.  

4. Avoid Sudden Temperature Changes – One of the most vital things that you must keep in mind while using a glass cookware set is that sudden temperature changes can be harmful. If you have kept the frozen food in a glass container, don’t put it immediately in the oven; let it sit and thaw for 10 minutes, and then put it in the oven. Sudden changes increase the risk of your glassware breaking.

Reasons For Breaking Glass Containers 

Now that you have known how you can make your precious glass cookware long-lasting, here are few things you must know that can be the reasons for breaking glass containers.

1. Wrong Glass – It is one of the main reasons that glass containers often break because they are not the right kind of material to go into the hot oven. Though many manufacturers in the market claim their products are heatproof and hand you them at low prices, please don’t fall for it if need be spending some extra bucks, and get yourself a branded oven-safe glass cookware set. After all, if spending some extra money assures you that your glassware set won’t shatter into pieces, then you should surely go for it.

2. Manhandling – Sometimes we are responsible for the glass containers getting damaged early. While cleaning it with other utensils, we apply the same amount of pressure on it as the others or clean it with an iron scrubber resulting in the glass container having cracks and small scratches, which later expand due to heat and one fine day breaks. So, whenever you are cleaning your glass set, be very gentle with it.

3. Excessive Heat – Just because it says ovenproof doesn’t necessarily mean it can withstand all kinds of temperatures. The moment you expose your glass cookware set to a temperature higher than 350 degrees Fahrenheit, it is bound to get cracked. So always keep in mind the temperature you are putting the glass containers in!

Finally, it is safe to use glass crookery in the oven only if it is tempered glass or mentioned the same.

References:

https://www.allrecipes.com/can-you-put-glass-in-an-oven-7499789
https://cookthink.com/can-you-put-glass-in-the-oven/