My favorite bakeware is made by USA pan. The pans are a nice weight. The coating is free of those harmful whatevers. They are made of aluminized steel, however.

I use stainless steel and cast iron that doesn't have a non-stick coating for other cooking.

I also have Pyrex square and rectangular bakers with plastic air-tight tops. I use those more for storing cooked foods than for the actual cooking. I don't worry too much about exploding glass, but I do replace chipped or etched pieces because I think the more used a piece is, the greater chance there is that its structural integrity has been compromised.

Shee, are you talking about the amber pots that you put on the stove top to cook with? My MIL bought a set for me (amber) when I didn't ask for them, and they burnt really bad.

I have 40 year old pieces of pyrex I still use in the oven.

Fun2be - I have some of those pyrex with the plastic tops too. I really liked them for storing food.
I never gave thought to glass exploding, but read a lot of people saying it happened with the Visions glass. I'm not sure even what year that was made.

Oakley - Yes, the ones that were offered to me were these. I'm assuming these and the one I bought are from the same line.

The one I bought was like this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Qt-4-5-L-Corning-Visions-Ware-Stockpot-Dutch-Oven-Amber-/191057749081?pt=Cookware&hash=item2c7bede459

Here is a link that might be useful: amber

I had a set of the amber stove top pans and they never exploded on me. I used them for years until I decided to change to cast iron, which I loved but had to give up when I injured my wrists as they were too heavy. I remember at the time wishing I hadn't give my pyrex pans away.

I have many pyrex pieces and use them daily. I don't have trouble with loaf pans sticking, but I do grease and often use parchment paper, too, when baking. My pyrex is older. I believe the exploding issue has been with the newer pieces and the vision line.

I have many pieces of the french white Corningware and love it, too. I've had it long enough that I don't think it was made in China.

I have both a Calphalon anodized aluminum set (not the non-stick) and many pieces of stainless steel (All Clad and others) and love both.

The cast iron pieces are heavy, but the dutch ovens are great for roasting. The beauty of the skillets are they are non-stick without having any non-stick coating if they are cared for properly. That said, some people don't want to deal with the weight for a skillet that they use daily.

I'm not sure I have answered any of your questions. I think it is a matter of trial and error to find what works best for you.

I used the Visions for years in my first apartments and had no problems. Sorry that happened. I used them but I broke most pieces as they fell on the floor. Then I just donated the rest to the thrift store as they were all mismatched pieces.

Pots and pans- we have one cast iron skillet and everything else is stainless steel with a copper aluminum core. I love it. Even heat transfer, non reactive,cooks beautifully. Cast iron skillet is great non stick without dangerous coating. (I like knowing I may have a little iron transfer to my food)

Bake ware- I'm a big fan of Emile Henry clay bakeware. We do have have some silicone bakeware as well. And I have a couple of jelly roll pans 18*13 traditional finish from Chicago Metallics. They are not non stick but I find greasing the sheet or using parchment or a silicone liner works great. No problem with sticking oven fries or cookies

This post was edited by NashvilleBuild42 on Sat, Feb 8, 14 at 8:58

I have a lot of Pampered Chef baking stones which I love (made in US)....muffin tins, pizza stones, baking dishes, pie plate, loaf pans, etc.

I have the Pampered Chef pizza stone. I would like to try some of their other stoneware. I have a LeCreuset stoneware lasagna pan, but there is some type of coating on the inside. It is really fabulous for making lasagna.

I have an old (from the 1970's) pyrex double boiler - clear not amber. It came with a wire diffuser to use on the stovetop, a little triangle of wire, to keep it from getting too hot, I guess, resulting in it cracking. I've used it for years on my different electric ranges. I wonder if the amber glass ones were originally meant to be used with a diffuser and that's why they explode on certain stoves?