Yes, you can bake in a glass bowl. However, you need to be aware of certain things such as upper-temperature limits, etc. Reduce the temperature by 25 degrees F to avoid uneven baking and dreaded brown sections on the cake.
We all think that baking requires special equipment such as baking metal pans, etc. However, the reality is that you can easily use a Pyrex bowl or any glass mixing bowl to get the job nicely done.
If you keep a few simple things in mind, baking a finger-licking cake in a glass bowl is no different than whipping one up in a metal baking pan.
Here’s all you need to learn about baking delicious cakes in a glass bowl.
Can You Bake in a Glass Bowl
The short answer: yes, you can bake in a glass bowl. The devil, however, is in the details. Whether you can safely bake in a glass dish or not solely depends on the type of glass that you use.
Pyrex glass dishes are designed specifically so that they can handle varying temperatures. However, not all glass dishes are the same. Some of them can’t withstand the heat of the oven, especially at high temperatures.
Double-check the glass dish and ensure that it is oven safe. Otherwise, the glass dish can easily shatter.
How to Know Whether Your Glass Bowl is Oven-Safe
You can’t simply place the glass bowl inside the oven and then see whether it cracks or not. You have to check whether it is oven-safe or not. Here are a few ways how.
- There is usually an oven-safe mark on glass bowls. Look for that mark and see if your glass bowl has it or not.
- If you have the instructions booklet that came with the glass bowl, go through it and see if it is safe to bake in the glass bowl or not.
- Check which material your bowl is made of. Glass bowls that are made from soda-lime or silica are oven-friendly. Moreover, borosilicate bowls are also safe for oven use as they can withstand very high temperatures.
Why Do Glass Bowls Break in the Oven
There are a few reasons why glass bowls tend to break when you place them in the oven. Let’s take a quick look at them to ensure that you don’t fall prey to any of them.
Sudden Temperature Changes
This is one of the most common reasons why glass bowls break in the oven. Glass is not capable of handling sudden and rapid temperature changes. If you take out a cold glass bowl from the fridge and place it in a hot oven, it will crack.
Therefore, make sure that the rapid temperature fluctuates to a minimum.
Non-Tempered Glass
You can put tempered glass safely in the oven, but you can’t do the same with non-tempered glass. You can’t put anything that is not particularly marked as oven-safe inside the oven and hope for it to stay intact.
High Temperatures
If you ignore the upper-temperature limit of your glass bowls, you will end with a shattered mess on your hands. Check the manufacturer’s recommendation when it comes to the upper-temperature limit and doesn’t go above it while baking.
Things to Take Care of When Baking in a Glass Dish
You are about to bake a delicious scrumptious cake. You step into the kitchen to find out that there is no metal cake pan. What to do in such a scenario? Can you bake in a glass bowl? Yes! If you have an oven-safe glass bowl, you can successfully use it.
Baking a cake is simple in a glass bowl. Let’s learn all there is about baking in a glass bowl safely, easily, and quickly!
- Lower the Temperature
Lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees F. By doing this, you will make sure that the cake takes a little longer to bake but does so without getting burnt. Moreover, it will encourage even baking throughout your cake.
- Keep an Eye on the Cake
When you are baking in a glass dish, keep an eye on the cake. Even though you have reduced the temperature, the cake might get ready in less time than indicated in the recipe. On the other hand, it might take a bit longer.
- Cool the Cake on a Cooling Rack
When your cake is ready, cool it on a quilted potholder or a cooling rack. Don’t set the glass bowl on anything damp, wet, or even slightly cold. Extreme changes in temperature can cause the glass to crack even though most over-safe glass bowls can withstand temperature variation.
How to Use Glass Bowls Safely in the Oven
Here’s how you can prevent thermal shock and use glass bowls safely.
- Preheat the Oven
When it comes to glass bowls, you need to avoid thermal shock. When you expose a breakable material such as glass to sudden temperature variation, it causes thermal shock. It can be a sudden change from hot to cold or vice versa.
When you place glass bowls in a heating oven suddenly, the side of the bowl that is closer to the heat source becomes hot quickly while the areas that are away from the heat source remain cool.
This causes stress on the surface of the glass due to variation in pressure across the bowl. The result? The glass bowl shatters into pieces. Once the glass bowl shatters, it is not easy to clean the oven.
To avoid thermal shock, there are quite a few things that you can do and one of them is to preheat your oven. When you preheat the oven, it will create a uniform temperature inside.
Therefore, all the sides of the bowl will receive an equal amount of heat and will render the risk of glass shattering to a bare minimum.
- Use Bowls that are at Room Temperature
Even though it is very tempting to grab a bowl from the freezer and place it in the oven immediately, don’t do that. Before keeping the glass bowls inside the oven, ensure that they are at room temperature.
Take the cake batter out of the freezer for almost half an hour before you put it in the oven.
- Use Dry Oven Mitts
When you remove the bowl from your oven, use both hands to do so. Don’t use wet oven mitts. Since Pyrex conducts heat well, if you touch the hot glass bowl with wet oven mitts, it will cause burns. Make sure that the oven gloves are dry before you use them.
- Place the Bowl on a Dry Towel
Before you place the glass bowl on the kitchen slab, put a dry towel or a napkin on it. This will allow the bowl to cool down to room temperature and prevent thermal shock.
- Keep the Bowl Within the Temperature Range
All oven-safe glass bowls have a temperature range written on the instructions manual. It is best that you use the bowl well within these temperature limits to ensure that the bowl lasts for quite a long time.
- Keep an Eye for Structural Weaknesses
When you are baking in a glass bowl, make sure that there are no scratches or cracks in it. The cracks represent weak points in the glass bowl that can break when the bowl is heated. The temperature range for most Pyrex glass bowls is 300 degrees F to 450 degrees F.
However, check the manufacturing instructions that came with the bowl to be very sure. Even after taking all the precautions, if the glass bowl ends up breaking, let the broken pieces cool before you start cleaning the mess up.
A handheld vacuum would help you clean the tiny particles of broken glass easily.
Benefits of Baking in Glass Bowls
There are times when you have no other option but to use a glass bowl. However, even if that is not the case, there are several reasons why glass bowls are highly appealing when it comes to baking.
Let’s take a look at a couple of them.
- Non-Toxic
Other bakeware comes with non-stick surfaces that are likely to release toxins at high temperatures. This is not the case with glass bakeware. If you are trying to eliminate chemicals and toxins from your life, then get your hands on some glass bakeware.
- Retains Heat for a Long Time
Glass does have a longer heating time which means it takes a longer time for your cake to bake. However, this means that it will retain heat for a longer time as well. Thus, it is perfect for use as a serving dish.
It will keep your cake nice and warm for your family and guests!
- Clear Surface
Another benefit of baking in a glass bowl is that you can see your cake as it bakes. With metal pans, you can only see the top of the cake which makes it hard for you to figure out how much longer you have to bake.
- Easy to Clean
Glass bowls are non-porous and are comparatively easy to clean. Therefore, you should bake in a glass bowl even if you have metallic pans available to cut down the cleaning time.
- Easy Storage
When you are using other cookware, you have to transfer the leftovers to other containers for storage. When you bake in a glass bowl, that is not the case. Allow the cake and the bowl to cool completely then place it in the fridge.
You can reheat the cake if you want in the same bowl as well.
FAQs for Can You Bake in a Glass Bowl
At what temperature can you bake a cake in a glass bowl?
When you are baking a cake in a glass bowl, you only have to reduce the temperature by 25 degrees F. for instance, if the recipe says that you have to bake the cake at 350 degrees F, then set the oven to 325 degrees F instead.
