Kitchen

[Monketoes]

I use mine like any other old bakeware. I put in preheated oven.

I would and do let it cool all the way down before running water on or putting DW.

I try not to bang it around, but I have slipped before and I haven't had any problems.

Would just say I am careful but sure don't Baby it.

[Cardamom]

Well, you can't let it get too hot and you can't let it get too cold. Don't get it wet!!! Just kidding. LOL. I have some and I don't baby them at all. In fact I've soaked them on multiple occasions. But they are old. I'm afraid the new stuff is not as good. I actually do have the newer tumblers and they all have crazing in the bottoms and I have never baked in them. I'm not buying any more but the pieces I have are workhorses in my kitchen and I am glad I bought them years ago. I've been so pleased with my Rachel Ray pieces. They look and perform spectacularly. I think they are much better quality than Temptations.

[terrier3]

On 5/10/2014 RetRN said:

Too risky because of quality, I use mine only for serving.

Same here.

I have a lot of nice holiday designs, but it's serving only for me now.

I have a great set of Lidia Bastianich from QVC that have held up perfectly. And Fiesta and Harker pieces from the 40s and 50s.

[Mominohio]

I have used mine both ways, by preheating the oven, and by not preheating the oven, when baking things like cake. I find no difference in the finished product, except time needed to bake completely, and I just judge that by inserting a toothpick until it comes out clean.

This is just my experience, but I'm wondering if the cracking and breaking in the oven isn't caused more by two other occurrences.

First, stoneware cannot soak in water through the unglazed portions on the bottom of the piece, because overtime, it will cause crazing and cracking. Therefor, I don't soak my TT, and I wash it very quickly by hand (no dishwasher) dry it and let it sit a day or two before I use it in the oven again. In my opinion, even the amount of water splashed around the dishwasher might be too much exposure and is soaking in to the unglazed portions.

Second, much of what is displayed on Facebook are pictures of lid its and bakers that don't have complete coverage of the ceramic surface with food or liquid. For example, if you put a chicken in a 9x13 to roast, but don't put liquid or plenty of food in the bottom of the dish, you are baking it "dry". The same with baking or roasting on a lit it. Lots of surface where no food or liquid contacting the ceramic. Most ceramic manufacturers tell you in their literature not to put the piece in the oven dry, and to be sure there is plenty of liquid to cover the bottom of the pan. Polish stoneware stressed this process in their presentations and directions sent with the dishes. I don't think ceramic can handle the stress of this dry heat, and that is why so many lid its crack.

Just some observations from my years of use, and reading the instructions from many manufacturers. Hope it is of some help.

[151949]

I think when you take it out of the oven DO NOT put it on cold counter tops - it is supposed to go into the wire rack - anyone who passed science class knows that when you put a hot dish onto a cold surface it is going to crack the dish. Otherwise i wash mine on the top rack of the dishwasher, and I do use them in a preheated oven. Of course - not throwing them around is a good idea too. Some one here complained that her's broke when she used it on her barbeque grill - DUH. I have been buying pieces since they came out and as yet have only cracked one and it was my fault - I accidently set it on a burner that was still on. With reasonable care you will have them a long time. Tara does say not to soak them in water, and I have never taken one from the freezer directly to the oven for obvious reasons - because I did pass science class.

[kittymomNC]

One large baker with two small ones I got several years ago was a limited edition pattern - beautiful...cream and yellow, trellis pattern with red roses and green leaves. The large one crazed while sitting in the cabinet --I didn't get it out to use it for well over a year and that's when I discovered it- never used it. Used the two small ones later, one time with sweet potato casserole - one of those cracked and crazed (not cracked all the way through). Tara sent a replacement for the large rose patterned one - a yellow round Old World which, needless to say would not fit in the rectangular wire basket of the original, and I hated that yellow for some reason. Made mac & cheese about 5 times and it cracked and crazed. So they sent me a green rectangular Old World, which is too big to fit in the basket and I haven't bothered to use. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't buy another piece of this on a bet....

[luciw]

don't think it matters. I have had 2 pieces crack and craze.  Large baker and another smaller one.  Nice for serving but that is about it.

[Mothertrucker]

Crazing and cracking are two different things but basically both are caused by thermal expansion/incompatibility between the body and the glaze... Some crazing will show up immediately after firing...some not till later, When   the piece is heated and cooled during use....this can happen in most pottery, and only involves the glaze layer.

Cracking involves the body of the piece, and should not occur with normal use

[JannyRee]

I've had Temp-tations for a number of years and I'm very happy with it.

I preheat the oven just like the recipes state and bake. When it comes out of the oven, I put it on a rack to cool.

As with any ceramic cookware, I'm careful when the dish is hot not to set it on a cold surface or especially a damp surface.

Enjoy your Temp-tations.

[gkelly]

Another very happy customer of Temp-tations here!  Have ben using TT for many years and get many compliments on it.  I do not do anything different when baking a cake or anything else with my TT....I follow the directions.  NO need to "pamper" these beauties.