Can you put a glass baking dish from fridge to oven? | What You Must Know

Baking dishes that are made from glass can go from the fridge to oven if they are made from hardened glass. Borosilicate or soda-lime glass are safe to go from the fridge to oven if they are in good condition without any chips or breaks. Tough glass including Pyrex are designed to withstand temperature changes from fridge to oven.

To reduce any chance of breakage, you can bring the glass dish out onto the bench to increase closer to room temperature. This will help to reduce the change in temperature and breakage.

Premade a lasagna in a Pyrex dish and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it in the oven.

How to know if glass baking dishes are oven safe

To check that if glass baking dishes are oven safe, turn them over and have a look at the bottom. There should be a marking that shows that the dish is oven safe. It will usually say the words oven safe or will show a square that looks like an oven.

For dishes that are not oven safe, they will show this picture with a cross through this. Many glass dishes that are made for storage are not oven safe. See the picture below.

A cross through an oven picture means that the glass is not oven safe.

The way the glass is made will determine if it is safe to go from cool fridge temperatures to the oven. Glass will have additives including boron or for newer dishes lime soda which helps to stop the glass from breaking and shattering.

Moving glass dishes from the fridge to the oven without knowing what they are made from

It can be a risk to bake food in a glass dish that has not been hardened. If you are not sure what the dish is made from or if the dish is old or has cracks then it is best not to use it in the oven. There is the chance that it could break when it gets moved to the oven.

Here are the top things to look for to know that the dish could risk breaking if placed in the oven

  • Cracks in the glass
  • Chips in the glass
  • A cross through the oven picture
  • Glass storage containers

My favorite glass containers that are perfect for moving from the fridge to the oven is Pyrex. These are tough, hardened glass containers perfect for baking and storage. I pre-make lasagnas and place them in the fridge until I am ready to bake them.

Check out my previous article here on using glass Pyrex containers, Are Pyrex Containers Oven Safe? | Everything You Need to Know

How to safely put a glass baking dish from the fridge to the oven

Here are some easy tips to follow to safely put a glass baking dish from the fridge to the oven. These will help to protect your dishes and keep them in good condition for longer.

1. Preheat the oven

Preheating the oven is essential when moving a glass baking dish from the fridge to the oven. Ovens will blast very hot air into the oven space to heat it up as quickly as possible. This means that the temperature can be temporarily higher than the end temperature that you are aiming for.

Blasting even hardened glass with very hot air above the final temperature can risk breakage. Once the oven has reached the desired temperature it will only need to gently add heat to keep it there. This means that there will be less risk of thermal shock rapidly increasing the glass temperature causing it to break.

2. Check the dish first for chips and small breaks

When moving a glass dish from the fridge to the oven it is important that it is in good conditions. Any chips or breaks can weaken the glass which can cause it to break. Chips or small breaks can show that the glass tray may have been dropped or hit against something causing micro breaks and weakening the structure.  

3. Choose hardened glass

Always choose a hardened glass dish when moving it from the fridge to baking in the oven. Hardened glass dishes that are designed for oven baking will be able to handle the move from fridge to oven temperatures. Just make sure the oven is pre-heated.

4. Avoid putting any plastic or silicone lids in the oven

Pyrex dishes are perfect for baking in the oven and many come with plastic or silicone lids. While the glass dish is perfectly fine for baking, never put the plastic or silicone lid in the oven. It will bend and warp and eventually melt.

Plastic and silicone lids are perfect for storing food in the oven. You can make a lasagna or meatloaf ahead of time, cover it with a lid to store it in the fridge. When you are ready to cook, take it out, take the lid off and put it into a pre-heated oven.

Can you put a hot glass dish in the fridge?

After you have finished baking in your glass dish, you may want to store leftovers in the fridge. Glass containers that are hardened and come with a glass or plastic lid is perfect for this. Take the dish out of the oven and allow it to cool on the bench. Place a tea-towel or cloth under the dish to prevent the dish from cooling too rapidly.

Once the dish has finished steaming and is cool enough to pick up you can move it to the fridge. Cover the dish or place the lid on. This is a great way to store a precooked meal and have it ready to reheat the next day in the oven.

Can you put a glass baking dish from fridge to oven? | Summary

Glass baking dishes that are hardened and designed for oven baking can be moved from the fridge to the oven. They can withstand this temperature change if the oven is preheated. This will make sure that the glass container is not exposed to the rapid and high temperatures of the oven as it heats up.

Look out of the oven safe symbol on the bottom of the dish to make sure it is safe for oven baking.

Can you put a cold casserole dish in the oven?