Anyone know what would cause this to happen...

**pip** · 07-21-2008, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by frooz

This happened to my friends slow cooker. It just exploded when she was at work one day and the food and glass was everywhere. I keep forgetting to ask her what the manufacturers response was, she was going to write a letter.

Yikes!

Sorry you lost your pan and dinner. My mom had that happen once. She was trying to rinse some pasta with hot water from the sink and the pan just blew up. Guess my mom does this all the time at her house, and that had never happened before. My poor mom was traumatized and still talks about it. (This happened to my mom when she was cooking pasta at our house for us, so that makes it especially bad, I guess). Glad you weren't hurt!

**PrairieRose** · 07-21-2008, 09:40 AM

I've been cooking for 35 years and have never had that happen. So happy you weren't injured.....man!

**Greebo** · 07-21-2008, 09:47 AM

Definitely sounds like thermal shock combined with deteriorated condition of the glass over time.

That's good info - food for thought- from now on, always put hot dishes on a hot pad or something - not directly on the counter.

**Iansmommy** · 07-21-2008, 09:54 AM

It must of had a weak point or the temp change maybe was too much for it. Glad noone got hurt.

We had that happen with a pyrex dish. I was at work and DH put in on the stove to melt butter I think. It exploded with him and DD in the kitchen. Luckily he was between her and the dish and noone got hurt. Told him not to do that anymore.

Kind of off the subject, but we also had one of those torche lamps explode one time. I was in the bedroom when it happened and it got really bright and when I looked at it to see what was going on, it just exploded. I was in shock and when I looked around the room the hot glass had set about 5 little fires in my carpet around my room. I grabbed a book and quickly stamped them out. It could of been really bad if we weren't home or in another room or got forbid one of the pieces of glass landed on me. I will never have another one of those again. So scary.

**cheriede** · 07-21-2008, 10:21 AM

My first thought was the temperature change, but that's already been ruled out. Now, I don't have any other ideas. I am glad that you weren't hurt.

**Momto2Boyz** · 07-21-2008, 12:50 PM

YES! Pyrex...thanks Michelle. I had a total brain fart moment! I use Pyrex all the time and for the life of me could not remember the name!

**quiltergirl** · 07-21-2008, 04:44 PM

Could there have been even a few drops of water on the counter you didn't notice? Don't ask.

**AmeliaM** · 07-21-2008, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by Momto2Boyz

Last year, I saw a news special on this. The one company that is known for making really good glass pans (and of course, right now, the company name is escaping me) has always had problems with complaints for this type of thing.

Typically, they said it was a temperature change that causes it. But they also said that with age, the glass pans can get hairline cracks (that even looking for them, you would never see them, they are so tiny) that cause problems when the pans are removed from the oven and begin to expand.

If the dish was getting older, or had been loved & abused through lots and lots of cooking with it...this might have been the problem!

I would second this motion...I have seen this happen before and yes it is usually by very loved and well used pans.

**dcompton** · 07-21-2008, 10:06 PM

I had one explode, but the shrapnel was contained - it was still in the oven. Normal temps, etc. I was lucky it was inside, but talk about a horrendous mess to clean up! I hate cleaning ovens even when they haven't gone berserk and started blowing up the pans.

**Ilovesewing** · 07-21-2008, 10:20 PM

That has happened to me one time. And it's scary! Glad you're ok

It could have been because the stovetop was hot - did you just have an element on and had just turned it off? Glass dishes are not made for direct heat so putting it on top of something hot would make it break. In my case, I took a roast out of the oven then put the glass baking pan on the element to make gravy. It took seconds before it broke. I learned that the hard way

**Palooka** · 07-22-2008, 10:22 PM

I believe it was a pyrex. I just now touched my oven again.lol. I didn't even cook yesterday. That really freaked me out.

Thanks everyone!

**Edna_E** · 07-23-2008, 01:41 PM

Did you put it down on something very flat? I'm guessing here, but thinking that if hot did not meet cold to cause an immediate explosion, possibly if the bottom of the casserole was against somethinge that met the bottom in such a way that it formed a seal, thin if the air was warmed sufficiently underneath the casserole, and couldn't escape, it could explode.

**opaloctober** · 08-13-2008, 06:44 PM

Hi! I just came across this thread. This happened to me TWICE a couple of years ago. They were both Pyrex. One was a pie plate, and the other was a 9 x 11 dish. They were only about 5 years old but very well used. Both times I was not injured, thank goodness. I didn't know that Pyrex was known for this.