Glass has been in use for drinking and preserving for over 3,500 years. It wasn’t used as cookware back in that time but has become an essential part nowadays.
For its sterile, preserving and no alteration of your preserved foods state, glassware are the best for both cooking and storing.
No wonder they use glass jars for honey and pickle from back in the days. With development, the glass-made cookwares are now even come in an oven-safe package.
But even though they are oven-safe, they are prone to cracks and shatters. And as we have to store foods and leftovers in the refrigerators, it is normal to think about will cold glass break in the oven.
Because you might want to have your food right away and whatnot, but is it ideal? We are going to discuss that in this article.
Will Cold Glass Break in the Oven
No matter what the heat in your oven, if you transfer a cold glass bowl, pan, or even a glass of water from the refrigerator right into the oven, chances are it may shatter or develop a crack.
You might think that your glassware was oven-proof, and this never happened when you were cooking with it previously. Why now?
Let’s get into the explanation of this phenomenon.
Why Do Cold Glass Break in the Oven Even if It Is Oven Safe
Oven-proof glasses are heat-treated to withstand a good amount of heat. Pyrex glasses can even take on more heat than traditional clear glass. But even though they are heat-treated, they tend to crack or shatter in the oven.
This is due to the sudden temperature change. The glass molecules have been frozen and are under a lot of pressure. Which is like making ice in the ice chamber.
Just like ice, when transferred from a cold state to a hot pan, the glass molecules suddenly get a shock, but they are still in a frozen state. Hence the sudden urge for movement causes the glass to develop a crack.
No matter how oven safe your glassware is, it will crack if the temperature suddenly changes.
Is It Safe to Use Glass Cookware in the Oven
At this point, you might be questioning if you are doing the right thing using glass containers, jars, pots, and other stuff for cooking and heating in the oven.
As long as the glassware is oven safe, it is perfectly fine to pop it in the oven. But you have to keep in mind the science behind temperature change.
A sudden change in temperature evokes the molecule of any solid state to either freeze or move quickly.
So when you are thinking of popping the food container from the fridge right into the oven, don’t do it. Leave it on the counter to come down to room temperature.
And after that, you can pop it in the oven. This way your container, bowl, plate, and glass will not crack or shatter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a cold glass in the oven?
Although you can, it is not a good idea to put a cold glass in the oven. A cold glass will shatter or develop a crack due to the sudden temperature change. Rather let it sit on the counter and come to room temperature before popping it in the oven.
Is it OK to heat cold glass?
No. It is definitely a bad idea to heat cold glass. Due to the sudden temperature change, the molecules will go into shock and cause the glass to break. So if you don’t want to lose your beloved glass, you should never heat cold glass.
Can you put cold glass Pyrex in the oven?
Pyrex glass has more resistance to heat than regular oven-safe glass. But it doesn’t check out the possibility of it being a glass product. In a cold state, it will act like any other glass product. If you put it in the oven right away, it will crack or shatter due to the sudden temperature change. So it is best to do so.
Will frozen glass shatter in the oven?
Yes. The frozen glass will shatter in the oven due to the sudden change in temperature. So it is better if you let the frozen glass come to room temperature in the sink or the counter before you put it in a hot oven.
Conclusion
The mystery behind the cold glass and hot oven is like a magic trick. Which nobody wants to deal with or see. So if you are not interested in this destruction, you should always let your cold glassware come down to room temperature before you put it in the oven. Otherwise expect a whole show in the oven and a more tedious cleaning afterward.
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