Gorilla Glass

I may have been wrong when I said Anchor Hocking sold borosilicate glass bakeware. I did find references to Anchor Hocking selling borosilicate glass bakeware with the tradename Fireking. But they may have stopped selling borosilicate glass bakeware. The Anchor Hocking website that I looked at does not promote Fireking bakeware.

=20 Dan

Interesting. Arc in France makes borosilicate Pyrex, but it isn't sold here. I wonder what the relationship is, if any, between Arcuisine and Arc?

"Arcuisine Elegance" is the product that is sold in the UK as "Pyrex Elegance".

The plot thickens.

Last November, after we had our earlier discussion about this, after Iggy's baking dish explosion, I had a lawyer friend look into the prospects for importing Arc Pyrex into the US (importing cookware used to be one of my parents' businesses, and I was interested.) Basically, he said "no way." Pyrex is sewed up. To sell under another brand, you'd have to be prepared to spend big bucks to build a brand.

Depends on how big a market you want. I doubt that they're trying to dethrone Pyrex as a brand.

These are two of the items I bought about two months ago. The paperwork with each stated that they were made with borosilicate glass:

My family having been in that business for years, but long before web marketing, our experience was that marketing niche items in that market is expensive business. There are several angles you can take but they're either fiercely price competitive, at the low end, or they require some kind of prestige cache, at the high end. My idea was that, if you could market "original Pyrex," you'd have a natural. But it appears that the license holders have it sewn up pretty tight. No surprise.

It looks like there's a niche market for borosilicate bakeware that none of the big players in the US are filling. That seems to be what Saint Gobain and Arc are going after.

Interesting. Next time I see such an item I'll have to check it out. Meanwhile I emailed Anchor Hocking asking about this--it will be interesting to see what they say.

Oh, and just for clarity, you did buy in the US?

With a gourmet cachet that they've carefully cultivated -- and paid for.

St. Gobain is a classy brand. Arc is not well known in the US by its own name, but it has the horsepower to drive distribution. At least, enough for their purposes.

See if they say something like this:

"Thank you for taking the time to contact Anchor Hocking.

"Anchor Hocking strives to maintain high quality standards to produce the finest glassware available.

"We would like you to know that the material used in all glass ovenware in the market place today is known as soda lime glass, which has been subjected to a manufacturing process known as tempering. It is the same process used to produce tempered safety glass found in many windows or glass shower doors, etc.

"Tempered glassware is also a more durable glass and beside the durability and safety there is no lead or harmful chemicals in our products making them very consumer health conscious glassware products.

"We do appreciate hearing from you."

Does Florida qualify? ;-)

Yup, that's fine--just wanted to be sure we weren't going around over European or Asian vs US glass.

Well, in response to my inquiry, I got back from Anchor Hocking:

"Anchor Hocking strives to maintain high quality standards to provide the finest glassware products available. We are proud of our products and responsiveness to our consumer questions.

We would like you to know the material used in glass ovenware in the market place today is known as soda lime glass, which has been subjected to a manufacturing process known as tempering. It is the same process used to produce tempered safety glass found in many windows or glass shower doors, etc.

Additionally, tempered ovenware products are more durable and a healthier product. Our glassware contains no lead or harmful chemicals making it a very consumer health conscious product. "

So, if they are producing borosilicate bakeware they don't want it to be known.

Perhaps the items you have were "new old stock"?

That's possible. Some retailers aren't know for being careful to rotate stock. Still, it makes you wonder why there are so many hits for borosilicate when you search their site. They showed a set of salt & pepper shakers as borosilicate. I wonder if they never bothered to remove old keywords, or if it's SEO fraud?

At any rate, the items I bought were exactly what I was looking for. I notice that the prices have dropped since I bought mine, too.

I don't think that salt and pepper shakers or any of the other 9 items they list as borosilicate are "ovenware".

Where do you think Hot Chillie Pepper comes from????

"A conservative who doesn't believe? in God simply doesn't pray; a godless liberal wants no one to pray. A conservative who doesn't like guns doesn't buy one; a liberal gun-hater wants to disarm us all. A gay conservative has sex his own way; a gay liberal requires us all to watch and accept his perversion and have it taught to children. A conservative who is offended by a radio show changes the station; an offended liberal wants it banned, prosecuted and persecuted." Bobby XD9

No, but a lot of people leave them sitting on a stove, near the vent from the oven. I've seen them crack, or worse from the heat.

Relevance? Anchor Hocking said that their "ovenware" was not borosilicate. They did not say that their salt and pepper shakers were not borosilicate. Since those are not "ovenware" there is no contradiction between the statement that they emailed me that their ovenware was not borosilicate and the statement on their Web site that their salt and pepper shakers are borosilicate.