1931 Booklet - Pyrex: Getting the Most Out of Foods (Part 1)  

Free literature promoting Pyrex and giving advice about its use was offered frequently in the decades following the product's introduction.  This booklet contains suggestions for entire meals that can be prepared, cooked and served in Pyrex.  The strategically planned menus aim to be energy efficient and convenient as the different dishes are baked all at once at the same temperature and for the same duration, either 20, 30 or 45 minutes. 

The second half of the booklet showcases all Pyrex products available at the time.  A publication with this content was first advertised in 1929, but this copy is an updated version from 1931, featuring a couple of new items that were launched in that year.

(Photo: Front cover.)

Retail prices for Pyrex had not changed a lot between the late 1920s and 1931, but all the prices listed in this booklet would become obsolete in October 1932.  Manufacturing costs were about to drop considerably, and the company would be able to reduce all Pyrex prices by 25% to 50%.

Inside the front cover are "A few simple Rules that will give you a lifetime of service from your Pyrex Glassware:  Use it in the oven – not on top of the stove or next to flame.  Handle it with a dry cloth while the dish is hot.  Avoid pouring cold water into hot dish, or placing hot dish on a wet table top, or in water."

On the back cover is the "Guarantee:  Any Pyrex dish or part which breaks from oven heat within two years from date of purchase may be replaced by any Pyrex dealer in exchange for the broken piece.  Notice:  Marks in the body of the ware are incidental to the process of manufacture, and are not in any way detrimental to the use of the dishes."


The 683 was new in 1931, marking the first appearance of a tab-handled flat-top utility lid.  Covered casseroles are always referenced by the number on the lid, so an 023 topped by a 683 lid is called a 683 casserole.

The other sizes have regular knob-top lids at this time, but utility lids would become available for 024s & 026s by 1934, and for 022s sometime between 1936 & 1938.  Casseroles with these lids came to be known as Double Duty Casseroles.

Individual 8 oz casseroles (164) had not changed since their debut in the 1910s, and they still have no handles.  A 164 was part of the Pyrexette Set during the 1920s.

A round tile is pictured under the casserole, but it is not the utility lid mentioned in the text.  Appearing in 1927, a group of round (723), oval (733 & 743), and square (753) wide-rimmed tiles were designed to fit underneath 1½ Qt casseroles.  This same photograph was used in a 1930 advertisement where the tile was pointed out specifically.  But it seems that the tiles were dropped by the time this booklet was written, since they are not in the item lists.

Uncovered casseroles are open baking dishes.  In the 1910s & 1920s they were called pudding dishes.

An 053/653 square casserole is deeper and more narrow than a square cake pan, and it was available in just one size.  Advertisements explained that the benefit of a square casserole is its ability to fit efficiently in the oven alongside other bakeware, wasting less space.

Octagonal casseroles (672 & 673) were also manufactured at this time.  It seems that they were distributed by the company that made the matching metal cradles, so these casseroles do not appear in Corning's literature.

Pie plates with a wide rim were offered in numerous sizes.  By the beginning of 1922 the variety of Pyrex sizes & shapes had doubled, from more than 50 to over 100 pieces, and at that time pie plates with a flat rim were made in all sizes from 206 to 211.  During 1925 a 205 appeared, but by 1927 the 206 & 207 had disappeared.  A 205 was part of the Pyrexette Set during the 1920s.

When hexagonal pie plates were first introduced they were called 1203, but their model number changed to 200 sometime between 1922 & 1924.

A 279 pie plate with a decagon shape was also available at this time, but it is not listed here.  It matches octagonal casseroles, using the same type of handles.

Utility dishes came in two sizes: 231 & 232.  Like most Pyrex baking pans of the time, they have no handles, just a thick rim.  All casserole sizes had gained handles in 1926, but baking pans remained handle-free until the late 1930s.  This includes: round cake pans, square cake pans, loaf pans, utility dishes. 

An au gratin dish has a long and narrow oval shape.  This 331 had been the medium-sized au gratin dish in the 1920s when a smaller 330 and a larger 332 were available.

The Two-Piece Dish (110) dates to about 1922, and it also had been known as a 2-in-1 Baking & Serving Dish.  Its lid was designed to be useful as a separate baking dish.

Cake pans can be round or square, but only one size was offered in each shape at this time.  Two more sizes could be purchased in the 1920s: a round shallow 220, and a square 810.

An oblong biscuit pan (235) is wider and more shallow than the other utility dishes are.  During the 1920s a smaller 234 biscuit pan was produced.

Loaf pans came in three sizes, and the dimensions of a 213 make it a very small pan.  It was part of the Pyrexette Set during the 1920s.

Flat lids transform the larger loaf pans into refrigerator dishes.  A 592-593 lid fits a 212 loaf pan and a shallow 592, and a 594 lid will fit a 214 loaf pan.

Custard cups can be tall & deep or shorter with flared sides.  When deep custard cups debuted in 1922 they were called "French Style" or "French Pattern".  In 1933, a deep 425 (5 oz) replaced the 424.

The shape of a 442 ramekin differs from custard cups, with a wide flat base, straight perpendicular sides and a flat rim.  Another ramekin from the late 1910s & early 1920s is a 432 (3½ oz), which does not have a wide rim.

Individual deep pie dishes are more like custard cups than pie plates.  When they first appeared in the 1910s they were named Cocottes.  A 452 was part of the Pyrexette Set during the 1920s. 

Oval dishes are also meant for individual servings.  Until the mid 1920s they came in four sizes: 400 (9 oz), 401 (10 oz), 402 (12½ oz), 403 (18½ oz).  They were dropped briefly and three sizes re-appeared in the late 1920s with different capacities.

Two styles of platters were available, either with an ordinary flat bottom (312 & 316) or with a well & tree shape (372).  It states that these particular ones cannot be used under the broiler, but in Flameware, a selection of platters that are safe for broiling debuted in 1947.

Also see: Part Two; Recipes.


Related Articles: 

1918 Pyrex Leaflet
1920 Leaflet: Pyrex ... For Gifts
1922 Pyrex Leaflet 
1924-1925 Pyrex Booklets: Part One, Part Two, Recipes
1927 Pyrex Booklet
1934 Pyrex Calendar: Part One, Part Two 
1937 Advertisement: Pyrex & Flameware
1938 Pyrex Leaflet
Clear Pyrex 1915 - 1950, handles, lids & knobs
Extra Photos: Clear Pyrex (Older than 1950)
1943 Pyrex Order Form
1946 Advertisement: Clear Pyrex Ware
1960 Pyrex Catalogue: Part One, Part Two
1961 Pyrex Leaflet: The Perfect Gift 
Pyrex Model Numbers 
Which model numbers are duplicates?
Compare shallow & deep oval casseroles
Compare Pyrex & Flameware Platters