CorningWare

Corning Ware, also written CorningWare, was originally a brand name for a unique glass-ceramic (Pyroceram brand) glass cookware resistant to thermal shock. It was first introduced in 1958 by Corning Glass Works. Corning Ware can be taken from the refrigerator or freezer and used directly on the stovetop, in an oven or microwave, under a broiler, for table / serving use, and when ready for cleaning put directly into a dishwasher.

In 1953 S. Donald Stookey of the Corning Research and Development Division discovered Pyroceram, a white glass-ceramic material capable of withstanding a thermal shock (sudden temperature change) of up to 450 °C (840 °F), by accident.

He was working with photosensitive glass and placed a piece into a furnace planning on heating it to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. When he checked on his sample the furnace was at 900 degrees and the glass had turned milky white. He reached into the furnace with tongs to discard the sample and it slipped and hit the floor without shattering.

The material was used in the ballistic missile program as a heat-resistant material for radomes.

Corning Ware's range/oven-to-table service first featured the blue 'Cornflower' pattern decoration, designed by Joseph Baum, an artist at the Charles Brunelle Advertising Agency in Hartford, Connecticut. It became the trademark of Corning consumer products for three decades. Following the 'Cornflower' pattern, many additional patterns were offered by Corning over the years. Care must be made to distinguish between Corning Ware patterns for cookware made of Pyroceram, and patterns for tableware marketed under the Corelle or Pyrex brand names, all by Corning Glass Works Consumer Products Division. Many Corning Ware patterns were also used for Corelle tableware, which can make distinguishing difficult.

The lids of CorningWare and Pyroflam are not made of vitroceramic material. The lids for pieces in the Visions, Corning Ware Beige/Sandstone and Pyroflam Amber lines are made of tempered soda-lime glass while the lids for the white collection are made of borosilicate glass. Unlike the vitroceramic cookware, these lids cannot touch burners or fire directly, but they do fine in the oven (if not touching the source of heat) or on the stove top, as long as they are over their vitroceramic bases.

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