Pyrex vs. Anchor Hocking – What’s The Difference?

A glass container has this unique quality, making it a great choice for a vase, utensil, repository, canister, and many more. Glassware has been proven to be the most reliable choice so far in the kitchen, as it doesn’t alter the taste of the food contained in it and keeps it fully safe. Hence, it can be safely said that glassware is preferred for a lot more than its looks!

It’s also no surprise that glassware is a lot better than plastic containers for plenty of reasons; the first and foremost reason is that it’s much better for the environment. In addition, glass keeps its content safe from contaminants, whereas plastic releases chemicals of its own upon heating, particularly the carcinogen Bisphenol-A (BPA). Also, plastic wears down after some time and becomes more harmful, while glass has no such feature.

There are two most prominent and most common glass manufacturers that go by the names Pyrex and Anchor. They have a very loyal customer base and are highly reliable in glass kitchenware staples. This article focuses on understanding the features and other properties of both glassware and concluding if there’s a winner among the two, or both are equally good. So, let’s get started!

Location and Origin

Pyrex has its headquarters in America after it was founded in Somerville, and then it got moved to Brooklyn, New York. It originally started as Corning Incorporation brand in 1915 and was the first-ever brand to promote borosilicate glass products only 22 years after Otto Schott, a German scientist, invented them.

Anchor hocking has its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, and is among the longest-running glass builders in the United States of America. The Corporation of anchor glass containers was established in 1893, but it was officially founded in 1905.

Material

Both pyrex and anchor hocking use soda-lime glass as their manufacturing material, but both are known to have used borosilicate glass for an extended amount of time in the past. In fact, anchor hocking has used tempered lime-soda glass for its bakeware for the past 4 decades. Borosilicate glass is highly resistant to thermal shock; that is, it doesn’t crack after being moved from the freezer into the oven.

Corning has now been producing soda-lime glass products for kitchenware in the US since 1998. Unlike borosilicate, however, soda-lime glass is vulnerable to thermal shock. But its overall benefits make it a good manufacturing material.

Benefits Over Plastic

Tempered glass, as used in manufacturing glassware like Pyrex and anchor hocking bakeware, kitchenware, etc., has numerous benefits over plastic. The most important reason is that it’s a lot better for the environment. In addition, glass keeps its content safe from contaminants, whereas plastic releases chemicals of its own upon heating, particularly the carcinogen Bisphenol-A (BPA).

Moreover, plastic wears down after a specific amount of time, making it susceptible to releasing even more harmful chemicals into the food contained in it. On the other hand, the tempered glass used in Pyrex and anchor hocking products doesn’t have an expiry date or risk of releasing harmful chemicals. A very important thing to know about these brands is that their plastic lids are BPA-free!

Pyrex and Anchor Hocking glassware products are also pretty durable compared to plastic. You can save a lot of money annually in comparison with the money spent on plastic containers. They are excellent for the environment and fulfill the purpose of food storage really well. Therefore, if you’ve been thinking about shifting to glass products, this is a sign!

Assortment

Although both Pyrex and Anchor Hocking have a huge variety of products, the latter is a little ahead in this game. Pyrex has a big collection of items like bakeware items, glassware products, storage sets, hot pots, cold packs, and different accessories like portables, replacement lids, measuring vessels, cookware, snapware, etc.

In comparison, Anchor Hocking produces an even wider variety of items, for instance, cups, cake stands, pantry organizers, platters, water bottles, more drinkware, etc. They also provide glasses for beer, spirits, beverages, and glassware for oven use. Also, the airtight technology applied to their containers is 100% guaranteed on all of their products.

Properties

It’s quite understandable that most of us simply skip some of our meals because we don’t want to transfer the cold food into a suitable container first, then microwave it, and THEN consume it. Laziness gets the best of us. Sigh. But, just because it’s understandable doesn’t mean it’s okay to make it a daily practice!

One of the best features of Pyrex and Anchor Hocking kitchenware and glassware is that it is microwave-friendly! Gone are the days where you think thrice before getting up for food and think about either eating it cold – ew – or just skipping it. In addition, these tempered glass products are suitable for freezer use as well as for oven use.

They will break if fallen and impacted with the hard ground at an unfortunate angle despite being made of strong material. Also, be careful not to expose the products to sudden drastic temperature changes; they are vulnerable to thermal shock and might crack. According to the manufacturer’s claims, a bowl of the Anchor Hocking can enter an oven that has been preheated to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, while a Pyrex bowl can enter an oven that has been preheated to around 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

So what’s the Difference Between Pyrex and Anchor Hocking?

As a comparison review, we’ll go over the basic difference between the two glass manufacturers:

• Pyrex was founded in Somerville, while Anchor Hocking has is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
• After the invention of borosilicate glass by Otto Schott, the Pyrex brand was the first to market it after only 22 years.
• The Pyrex market officially started in 1915, while Anchor Hocking Corporation was established in 1893, but it was officially founded in 1905.
• Anchor Hocking has a wider variety of products than Pyrex.
• Anchor Hocking markets pantry organizers, cups, water bottles, platters, and many more.

Sources

• FoodsGuy
• MissVickie