Whats the best baking dish - Pyrex or ceramic?

dllive

Hi guys,

I need to buy a baking dish/s for cottage pie, lasagne etc...

I had a Jopseh Joseph metal one, but all the non-stick is flaking off.

Would you say the glass Pyrex ones are better or ceramic? I dont think Ill buy another metal one again as I presume the non-stick will flake off. 

I had a ceramic one years ago but it cracked. Creuset's look nice but very expensive.

Thanks

[Deleted User]

We pretty much avoid anything claiming to be non stick. The old teflon has health issues I think and not convinced the newer ones are worth it.

Pyrex is quite cheap and good for stock pots, just bought some from Dunhlem to place some cracked stuff that were around 20 years old.

A lot of the cast iron, enamel stuff seems OK from seeing family bought items, Sainsbury branded etc. but accept it will stick to enamel surfaces and I usually find the best way to clean is to soak in cold water for an hour or three. Should sponge off.

Think we have a few ceramic dishes we picked up from Ikea that are useful for lasagne etc. Same cleaning though, just soak for a while.

There is a firm called Netherton foundry that does spun cast iron non enamel but not cheap and needs some TLC early on with flax oil to get them natural non stick. Very good though. (hand made as well so have to wait for them to make it).

Creuset is good but very pricy. Considering I bought a set from France in the 80's for around 90 quid and a few later on for not a huge amount. what I have now that would now set me back 900, its bonkers unless you get a good sale price. It has lasted well though, decades.

Brie

Creuset is lovely but oh so very heavy!  I can only use the smaller dishes though the OH does use larger ones but has the muscle to heft them.  

Love pyrex - nice and simple, lots of sizes and shapes, not overly expensive, pop it in the dish washer or the microwave.  Perfect!

goldfinches

I'm also a fan of Pyrex for precisely the same reasons as @Brie above, now that I have arthritic hands I can't manage cast iron at all. My only reservation is that you can't use them on the hob but if you use a microwave this may not be an issue for you.

I am a big fan of aluminium anodised baking tins and trays such as the Silverwood and Samuel Groves Mermaid ones but they are very expensive. Sainsbury's Magazine website has a code to get some money off the Mermaid range at the moment so that might be worth a look.

Every now and again Dunelm offer aluminium anodised baking tins or trays and I've bought a few of those in the last couple of years and would recommend them. The problem there is that they seem to be one offs so I can't give you link to any on their current website, it's very much a matter of keeping your eye on their emails and checking their site every so often. Their professional range black colour non-stick tins and trays are also worth considering as they are very good value for money and do seem to last.

Another brand of aluminium anodised baking kit I can recommend is PME who are slightly less expensive than Silverwood and Samuel Groves but seem to have more issues with availability so I snap those up when I find them in a size and shape I want.

I don't like using ceramic dishes at all, unless it's just for serving, as I've found they give poor results for cooking in the oven due to warming delays etc. and they often crack despite being sold with assurances that they are oven proof to a certain temperature. I use them simply for transferring cooked and cooled pies and the like into so that they can be cut into without damaging a non-stick tin surface which is frankly a faff but can be useful when not everyone understands that the tin and liner you baked the pie in cost more than £20.

I find enamel tins and trays to be both fragile and low performing, they always chip and are invariably too thin for the job.

My stockpots are both thick bottomed stainless steel which performs well and cleans brilliantly with wire wool and I am only waiting for the set I want to be back in stock locally before I replace all my other pans as I find their light colour very helpful for cooking.

Floss

Pyrex generally hold heat & resist staining better than ceramic. Asda & Sainsbury's have a good selection.

I have some that were first-wedding gifts in 1984, and also a couple of bits that were my mums - those are probably early 1960s from when my dad worked for the manufacturer in Sunderland. 

I also have a couple of Le Crueset/Lurpak giveaways from the early 2000s - single serve oval dishes and a small lasagne dish. They are still in pristine condition despite many years of cooking & freezing.

maman

Definitely Pyrex for cottage pies and lasagne. I have all shapes and sizes including rectangular which take lasagne sheets well. 

Stainless steel for hob to oven casserole dishes. I used one tonight that came from Woolworths! 🤣

dllive

Thanks so much guys. This forum always has the best posters with such comprehensive and useful replies.

Based on the feedback, I will certainly be going for Pyrex. (Im not too fussed if it cant go on the hob as I envisage only ever using it in the oven). Ill probably get one with a lid and handles, such as https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pyrex-2-Quart-Oblong-Glass-Bakeware/dp/B005JCZ0FE or https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pyrex-1085801-Food/dp/B0057RRD8S?th=1

My Joseph Joseph bakeware is (was) definitely form over function.

[Deleted User]

I pretty much avoid amazon now but if there is a Dnhelm near you, you can go in and see it.
https://www.dunelm.com/search?q=pyrex

C_J

I am particularly fond of my Pyroflam when needing something which can start on the hob, transfer to the oven, then end up in the freezer. I bought mine a few years back from charity shops, in a variety of sizes. It took ages to collect the set I have, as they don’t turn up often (I was always thrilled when the shop thought they were ordinary Pyrex and priced them accordingly, as Pyroflam is much more expensive).

Brie

as @goldfinches said "I don't like using ceramic dishes at all, unless it's just for serving, as I've found they give poor results for cooking in the oven due to warming delays etc. and they often crack despite being sold with assurances that they are oven proof to a certain temperature."

I've had this happen a couple of times with ceramic - once with a massive roasting dish that cracked in half when I got it out of the oven thus letting boiling hot meat fat pour all over the floor.  Not just a huge mess but it also meant that proper gravy would not be possible.  

Corning who I think produce pyrex in the US did have a line of clear glass pots and pans that could be used on an electric cooker as well as going in the oven or microwave.  The quality was not great and again they would crack without warning (but that might have been me moving them from someplace very hot to a cold trivet or similar)

[Deleted User]

Only changed my Pyrex cos chipped in use.
I did start a deep dive into the uses for pots, that is materials and it got above my head with regards heat transmission etc. Upshot is I never really get a bad result if it is Pyrex vs Ceramic vs Cast Iron. But never had a problem cracking when cooking. Though if something needs peeping on the stove top then its the cast iron. If I am bunging it in the oven the cast iron stays in the draw.

Unlike the crepe cast iron plate I bought that cracked on the first use. Mucho miffed at that as we had got back to the UK and wasn't about to take it back.