Cooking with Glass, Ceramic or Ceramic pans is fun - if you know how to handle them safely.

Knowing what cookware to purchase means knowing cookware materials make up pots and pans.  In this part, we will look at Glass, Ceramic and Glass-Ceramic.

In the 20th century, heat-resistant glass and glass-ceramic were developed.  Like ceramic, they meet the need for attractive ware used for mixing, cooking, serving, and storing.  Major features are attractiveness, one-dish convenience, and inert non-porous surfaces that won't absorb food odors or flavors.  For easy cleaning, both glass and ceramic ovenware are available with nonstick interiors.

While most are very rugged, they can break under impact.  However, some glass, ceramaic and glass-ceramic cookware manufacturers warranty their products against thermal breakage, and offer free replacement should the ware break in normal use within the warranty conditions.  Heat-resistant glass cookware may be made of clear or tinted transparent material or opaque white (commonly called "opal" glass).  Glass-ceramic cookware may be white or transparent and tinted.  Ceramic cookware is available in white or a variety of colors.

Heat resistant glass can be used for storing, cooking and serving.  Some pieces can be used on the range top, while others are suitable only for the oven.  Those designed for baking can be taken from refrigerator and put into preheated ovens after the utensil reaches room temperature.  As a rule they should not be used on the rangetop or under the broiler.  Heat-resistant glass rangetop products should be used with a wire grid on an electric range but should never be taken from the refrigerator or freezer and placed directly on a hot rangetop element.  Similarly, sudden cooling may be harmful to glass cookware.  Hot glass cookware should not be allowed to come in contact with wet counter tops, nor should they be placed in water while they are still hot.  Some ceramic cookware is made of heat-resistant material which can go from the freezer to a hot oven or microwave.  None is suitable for top-of-range or broiler use.  Like glass cookware, ceramic cookware holds heat for a long time while providing the additional benefit of an attractive serving dish.  Ceramic cookware is available in a wide variety of shapes, colors and designs.

Among the most thermally shock-resistant material ever developed by man, glass-ceramic is a true space-age material.  It was first used in rocket nosecones because the glass-ceramic material could take the extreme temperature changes encountered in their supersonic flight from the earth's surface into outer space and back.  Glass-ceramic cookware offers wide food preparation versatility.  It can be used for rangetop cooking and is excellent for roasting, broiling or baking -- in the conventional or microwave oven.  It can go directly from the freezer to the rangetop, broiler or hot oven.  Glass-ceramic cookware can be immersed, hot off the stove, into sudsy dishwater for easy cleanup.

To see some great examples of high quality cookware, click on the following link:  A Pan For All Seasons

To see other Guides in this series on Cookware Materials click on the following link:  Guides on Cookware Materials