Caring for Fused Glass
You may have some questions: How delicate is fused glass? Can it go into the dishwasher? The microwave? Outside?
If you haven’t yet enjoyed the experience of fused glass tableware, trinket dishes, or display pieces, you may be wondering how to care for it. Is it super delicate? Hard to care for? Never fear—the answers are here!
Is it safe to serve food on fused glass?
Yes! With the exception of a very few of our pieces (those made with dichroic glass), our fused glass tableware is safe for food. Dichroic glass has been treated with a beautiful coating that shimmers, creating gorgeous rainbow effects. However, the coating is not intended to be put in contact with food. All of our dichroic pieces are noted on the website and on the piece itself, so there’s no confusion. We do not use leaded glass in our tableware.
Can my fused glass go into the dishwasher?
Occasionally. We don’t recommend subjecting your fused glass to the harsh detergent used in dishwashers, but if you forget once or twice, our experience is that your piece should emerge from the dishwasher in fine shape.
Can I use fused glass for cooking and baking? Can fused glass go into the microwave or the regular oven? Can fused glass go onto the stovetop? How about the freezer?
The answer to each of these is ‘no.’ Rapid temperature changes, whether heating or extreme cooling, are not recommended for fused glass or almost any other kind of glass. Commercial Pyrex® glass is specially manufactured to expand and contract to a much lesser degree than other glasses—so we recommend limiting cooking, baking, and freezing in glass to commercial Pyrex® pieces made for this purpose.
Can I display fused glass outdoors?
It depends. As with the questions above, a slow rate of temperature change is key to keeping glass happy. When we’re creating Next Wave fused glass, it spends time in a kiln at temperatures between 70° F and 1500° F. This happens very gradually, however: a full fuse program of heating and cooling typically takes around 24 hours. So consider your weather forecast, and how rapidly the temperature is likely to change.