If I freeze creamed spinach in a CorningWare dish that is 22 years old, can I reheat it on top of the stove after it thaws?

 "Is there a risk to heating food in a 22-year-old CorningWare casserole dish on a stovetop?" you ask. "Yes," we say. "In fact, it would be bad to put your 22-hour- or 22-month-old CorningWare dish on a stovetop." The danger is that the dish will break and send hot spinach and hot CorningWare shards throughout your kitchen.

CorningWare products are made of ceramics, and have never been meant for use on a stovetop, or over or under an open flame, broiler, browning element, or other direct source of heat. They are meant for the gentler wafting of hot air in an oven or the pulsing of microwaves.

In general, you can find manufacturer-approved uses (refrigerator, freezer, oven, convection oven, microwave oven, etc.) listed on the bottom of each piece of CorningWare, but in 22 years of use, it is possible the text has worn off your casserole. Whether or not the instructions have stood the test of time, do not heat that dish on your stove.

The company that makes CorningWare, World Kitchen LLC does make ceramic/glass "pans," under the brand name Visions. These are safe to use on the stovetop, but we assume you are not asking about that....

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