Are Corelle Dishes Oven Safe?

Corelle dishes and bakeware are popular for their style and table-worthy appearance. This sleek line of dishes was created by Corning Glass Works in the 1970s, but the tempered-glassware manufacturer has since been bought and is manufactured under Corelle Brands. Consumers are often apprehensive about whether Corelle is oven safe, but the manufacturer gives it a green light. However, chefs should practice caution.

Corelle is a kind of tempered glass that's a patented process. It's known as "Vitrelle" and can be colored or printed for a wide variety of aesthetically pleasing designs that have been the heart of its popularity for the last half-century.

It's important to understand that there's now "Corelle Brands," and they own CorningWare too, but CorningWare can be used at higher temperatures than Corelle, even though they both have the same parent company.

Yes, Corelle dishes are oven safe and the manufacturer says they're fine up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. They're not, however, suited to temperature swings and can't be used on the stove top. Abrasive cleaners shouldn't ever be used on Corelle dishes, and they should never be scoured with anything but nylon or plastic scrubbers.

The company warranties their dishes for three years against breaking and chipping, but they advise consumers to keep the broken dish(es) in case the company requests its return. The Corelle warranty doesn't apply to their mugs or stoneware.

Never put your Corelle dishes under the broiler, and never move from hot to cold or vice-versa. This means you can't take the leftover casserole from the fridge and pop it into a preheated oven. Never put an empty dish in the oven and never add cold liquid to a hot dish even if it has food in it.

Instead, take the dish out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you want to heat it so it can come to room temperature. Even better, when you do go to rewarm a meal, consider putting it into the cold oven and allowing the casserole to come to temperature along with the oven. Doing this will ensure a slow, steady shift in temperature instead of a shocking one.

Never set the dish on a just-used stove burner that still may be radiating heat and be careful about using it too close to heat sources. This means toaster ovens are a no go. Also, don't put a hot dish into a cold sink or the fridge.

Corelle is safe to eat off and its glass composition ensures it never transfers flavor to what you're cooking. But that glass is why so many complaints have happened over the years. When a Corelle dish breaks, it doesn't just break into a few pieces, it shatters into literally hundreds of razor-sharp shards. Worse, the surface energy of the product means that shattering causes it to travel great distances rapidly.

So, drop a Corelle dish or accidentally set it on a hot burner and you may experience the shrapnel-like projectiles some consumers have reported. Using caution with Corelle is important, but if you follow the manufacturer's care advice, there's no reason why you can't be one of the millions who are satisfied with this beautiful line of dishes.