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There are a couple of possibilities for China (which has never counterfeited anything, right? :rolleyes:) 'Pyrex' in this case (as in the case of heat-resistant glass made elsewhere) may be a genericized trademark (e.g. kodak, kleenex, xerox, zipper, aspirin, et al), and just be synonymous with borosilicate or heat-resistant glass.

Shattering pyrex To Show A Massive Weakness In Trademark Law

'Australian Pyrex' isn't PYREX® or Pyrex®; it's Australian Pyrex—not the same. Same for Crown Pyrex. I don't deny there could be confusion, but I don't know enough about the (legal) histories of the trademark & various corporate interplays to comment. That said, Australian Pyrex et al were/are to my knowledge not part of the urban myth.

My point is that the urban myth regarding the Chinese owning the PYREX® or Pyrex® trademarks, PYREX® or Pyrex® being made in China and no longer made in the U.S., and the change from borosilicate glass to tempered soda-lime glass being recent and/or for profit sake—has been debunked. Those claims are not factual.

Doc

Hmmmm. Very interesting. I'm just seeing this now for the first time.

I'm in Europe... I think most of our tempered glassware is original Pyrex, but I'm going to have to check if anything new has been bought in the past few years. We don't bake much these days, and the baking dishes are certainly from the US anyay, but not so sure about the measuring cups we use to microwave things sometimes.... yikes.

(There is a LOT of Chinese counterfeit stuff in circulation here!:eek:)

Lara, I'm sure anything you have that's truly made by Corelle is fine. If a product does not have their seal, or if its origins are somehow suspect, then you might worry. The problem we see is with products (any sort) which bear "original" brand names which have been faked. It can be hard to tell the fakes from the imitations, and the price isn't always telling.

waves

Quote:

Originally Posted by waves (Post 1030300)

We don't bake much these days, and the baking dishes are certainly from the US anyay, but not so sure about the measuring cups we use to microwave things sometimes.... yikes.

They shouldn't be a problem as long as you use common sense and don't subject them to thermal shock.

Doc

I had a pyrex baking dish explode when DH was making gravy on the stove top in one…didn't realize they can only take so much heat…never again!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debbie D (Post 1030408)

I had a pyrex baking dish explode when DH was making gravy on the stove top in one…didn't realize they can only take so much heat…never again!!

It's the sudden heat change that does that. Another thing not to do is take a hot dish out of the oven and put cold water in it. I don't actually put any water in them right away; I let them cool first.

I checked our cups. They are all bear the PYREX(R) branding, and say, "Made in the USA". They also say "Safe for microwave use", and "Not for stovetop use". I don't know if the bakeware says that, but I'd assume the same rule, unless otherwise stated. In the oven, the temp goes up only gradually.

waves

Quote:

Originally Posted by waves (Post 1030524)

It's the sudden heat change that does that.

:I-Agree: They were never intended for that kind of abuse—even the old borosilicate glass. I found another site debunking this myth:

A Warning that Pyrex Glass Cookware Can Explode- Mostly Fiction!

...which includes posted instructions from the PYREX website.

Quote:

Any glass bakeware product can break if it is not used properly. For that reason, we want to remind consumers to review the PYREX® Safety and Usage Instructions provided with our products. While not a substitute for reviewing the entire Safety and Usage Instructions, set forth below are selected highlights.

PYREX GLASS BAKEWARE SAFETY AND USAGE INSTRUCTIONS:

NEVER use on top of the stove, under a broiler, in a toaster oven, or place over oven vent or pilot light.
AVOID severe hot to cold temperature changes, including:
- DO NOT add liquid to hot dish
- DO NOT place hot dish or glass cover in sink
- DO NOT immerse hot dish in water
- DO NOT place hot dish on cold or wet surfaces
- Handle hot ovenware and glass covers with dry potholders
ALWAYS add a small amount of liquid to the vessel prior to baking foods that release liquids while cooking.
DO NOT overheat oil or butter in microwave. Use minimum amount of cooking time.
DO NOT use or repair any item that is chipped, cracked or scratched.

CARE INSTRUCTIONS:

To loosen baked-on-food, allow glass to cool, then soak.
If scouring is necessary, use only plastic or nylon cleaning pads with nonabrasive cleansers.

WARNING: Failure to follow these instructions can cause immediate or later breakage which can result in personal injury or property damage.

Unfortunately, World Kitchen has revamped their entire site since that (2009) article, and I cannot locate the same information on their new site. :confused:

I can clearly remember my mother teaching me about the proper use of pyrex bakeware from a very young age—as a matter of course with everything else she taught me about cooking, baking, etc. so it used to mystify me how so many people abused the stuff out of ignorance/assumption/misinformation, but then I learned...

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
—Albert Einstein

Doc