Visions Cookware Is Ready for Its Comeback

By Wilder Davies

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Yes, we’re living in the era of dusty-hued, photo-ready ceramic cookware. But recently, among a near-endless supply of brand-new direct-to-consumer pans, I’ve spotted a new cookware trend. Corningware Visions, a retro cookware line that's made of a transparent, amber-hued hybrid glass and ceramic material called Calexium, has quietly been making a comeback.

Visions never really took off in the American kitchen, even in its heyday abroad. But recently it has been all over YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Which makes sense, if you think about it. In the boom era of DIY food videography, many people have no doubt seen the photogenic opportunities that clear glass cookware provides. With Visions, a content creator can capture their food while it cooks—from all angles. Many of these social media advocates discovered Visions cookware at thrift stores, but it's actually still possible to buy the cookware new. I did just that and put it to use in my kitchen for a few months to see how it performed. But first, a little history.

In 1977, Corning began marketing Le Clair (called Visions in the U.S. market) mostly in Europe. The innovative stovetop cookware was more resilient than borosilicate glass, capable of withstanding extreme thermal changes and heat of up to 850°C, meaning that it could go from the freezer to the oven without risk of shattering. And you could watch boiling noodles or chunky soups roil around while they cooked on the stove. One ad read "The pot that's tough enough to cook another pot is the only pot that lets you see what's cooking."

The see-through cookware has continuously sold in European and Asian markets since its introduction. But not so much in the U.S., where rumors of the glass spontaneously shattering gave Visions a reputation for being dangerous and led to a decline in popularity. For a period in the mid-2000s, Corelle Brands (which spun off from Corning in the 1990s and is now called Instant Brands) discontinued the U.S. line entirely.

Since Visions’ introduction, there has not been a product recall over safety concerns. Still, the reputation wasn't entirely unearned; there have been roughly 2,000 reports of injury allegedly caused by Visions cookware since 1983. However, many of those incidents have been attributed to people cooking with damaged or scratched pieces, which the company explicitly says to avoid. Some incidents involved the use of matching glass Pyrex look-alikes, which do not have the same thermal properties.

You can still find Visions tucked away in an inconspicuous corner on Corningware's website, which is where I purchased it. Currently, Corningware carries only two styles of Visions cookware—the Dutch oven and the saucepan—in sizes ranging from 1 to 5 liters. I’ve been cooking with the 2.5-liter Dutch oven and the 1.5-liter saucepan for a couple months now, and in that time, they’ve become the most-used cooking vessels in my kitchen.

In a way, cooking with Visions cookware is a lot like cooking with enameled cast iron. The glass-ceramic hybrid traps and holds heat, making it ideal for low-and-slow cooking, like when you want to tenderly braise meats. In fact, the cookware retains heat so well, you usually don't need to cook anything above medium heat. Turn the flame too high and food can easily burn on the bottom. There's a key way these pans differ from enameled cast iron: It's tricky to get a good sear. For Visions, the name of the game is gentle sautéing, oven-braising, and boiling.

Still, my roommate discovered that the saucepan is also great for making a fried egg, if you like one that's custardy without any lacy edges or browning on the sides. He sloshes the egg around in a glug of olive oil at low heat. I particularly love boiling pasta in the pot. Gimmicky or not, the child in me is thrilled to watch noodles dance from the side. (Just be sure to give the noodles a good initial stir. They can be prone to sticking to the glass.) And the thermal shock resistance means that if I make too much curry, I can pop the whole thing into the fridge and put it right back on the stove when I’m hungry again.

Cleaning is easy, especially if you mostly use the cookware on the stovetop. Glass cookware is notorious for baked-on grease, but even after using it in the oven I didn't have much trouble scrubbing it shiny and new. Maybe this is because I tended to favor it for low-and-slow cooking rather than, say, baking casseroles. And I’ve recently become something of a pro at cleaning glass. A little extra-fine steel wool and some good detergent and you’re good to go. The cookware is also conveniently dishwasher-safe.

Despite increased online popularity, Visions is still keeping a low profile in the U.S. market. As mentioned earlier, the saucepan and Dutch oven are the only pieces Corningware still sells domestically. In the past, the Visions line included skillets and large roasters. They made pieces with decorative embellishments and even offered an additional cranberry colorway. And most people online still seem to be buying their pieces vintage rather than new from Corningware.

Visions’ resurgence could be another nostalgia-driven fad, lighting up online for a brief moment before an eventual return to the past. Or, it could be the beginning of a new era. When I emailed Corningware to ask questions about Visions, the company told me that it was making exciting updates to the line, but that it was too early to share details. Maybe Visions of the future are in sight after all.