The Pyrex Series: Questions

Before posting today's Pyrex Series post, I wanted to take a moment and answer a few questions that have come up over the course of this series!

New (old) shelf, originally uploaded by jenib320.

Where do you have the room to store all of this pyrex?
It is everywhere! I literally have Pyrex in just about every room/corner of my apartment, even the bathroom! I have several shelves in my main living area that I keep it displayed on as well as above my kitchen cabinets. I am going to go into detail about displaying Pyrex this afternoon!

Free Pyrex!, originally uploaded by jenib320.

Does Pyrex still exist?
Pyrex does still exist! However, they no longer produce any Pyrex Colors pieces. Nowadays Pyrex specializes in clear glass products like square pans, casseroles, glass bowls, and liquid measuring cups. Here is brief history of Pyrex that I wrote up for a class:

Pyrex began production of Clear Ovenware in 1915. This new glass cookware was made using thermal shock resistant borosilicate glass. In 1936 they began production of Pyrex Flame ware, and finally in 1947 they began producing Pyrex Colors. Pyrex Colors became part of the iconic 1950s kitchen. As stated on the box, Pyrex could go from freezer to oven for prepare-ahead meals, oven to table to keep food hot, and table to refrigerator for storing leftovers. The idea of one dish convenience along with its charming color and pattern choices helped make Pyrex a popular kitchen item. Pyrex colors were made in many patterns, colors, and promotional styles. It was produced until sometime in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

In 1998 Corning Ware sold Pyrex to World Kitchen. Upon purchasing the Pyrex brand, World Kitchen has changed the glass used in Pyrex Clear Ovenware. It is now made with tempered soda lime glass composite. Pyrex still features many glassware mixing, measuring, baking, and storing products but have also supplemented these with plastic and metal products. They have a brief paragraph on their website explaining the history of Pyrex but don’t mention anything other than clear ovenware.

(Sources: Pyrexware.com & Wikipedia: Pyrex)

Bread Dough, originally uploaded by jenib320.

How do you find matching lids? And how do you know if the lid with a casserole you find in a thrift store is the original one?
I'm not sure how I let this subject slip through the cracks! All lids have a number imprinted on the handle. The clear glass lids have a number that corresponds to the size that it fits. For example the lid for the 043 Oval Casserole has 943 stamped in it. The lids that fit the 471/472/473 casseroles has 470 stamped on them. The printed lids are a bit more tricky. Generally, they are printed with a number but it does not necessarily correspond with the piece. For example, the opal daisy lids that go with the 470 Bake Serve & Store casseroles are stamped with a 20. For a few special lids you'll need to find a photo of the piece to help determine the lid.

It is difficult to tell if a lid is original to a piece. The nice thing about the clear glass lids is that it doesn't matter if it is original or not! To determine whether or not a piece has a special printed lid, check out Flickr and Pyrexlove.com!

If anyone has any other questions, please feel free to post them in the comments and I'll answer them here!