# Clay Pot vs Pyrex: Heat, Taste, and Care Guide > The bottom line: If you are making baked rice, okra pots, and meat on low heat in the oven, and you love the crust that forms in clay, get a covered Aswan clay pot. If you want something easy to wash, doesn't absorb smells, and lets you see your food cooking like béchamel pasta, get Pyrex. Neither should be moved from hot to cold suddenly, and Pyrex should never go on direct heat at all. **4 min read** ## The Difference in Heat Clay heats up slowly and retains heat for a long time, and it has pores that absorb a little water, so when it heats up, it releases steam inside the closed pot. That is why baked rice and meat cook slowly and the food continues cooking after coming out from the oven, and the bottom and sides form a crust that many people love. Pyrex also heats up slower than metal and retains heat, but it doesn't release steam, and the most important advantage is that you can see the food while it cooks, so you know if the béchamel has browned or not without opening. ## Cracking and Sudden Temperature Changes This is the most important practical difference. Both break from thermal shock, but in different ways: - **Clay:** Many methods advise soaking it in water before use, and putting it in a cold oven and letting it heat up with it, instead of putting it in a preheated oven. And do not put it hot on a cold countertop or in the sink. If the seller wrote that it withstands heat, use a heat diffuser and very low heat.- **Pyrex:** On the contrary, heat the oven first and then put it in, and if it was in the fridge, let it come to room temperature. And it should never be put on the stovetop, because the base heats up faster than the sides and the glass cracks. Borosilicate withstands this difference more than tempered glass, but both have limits. ## Taste and Smell Clay that is not glazed from the inside absorbs the smell and fat of food over time, and this is what gives the old pot its character, but it also means that a fish pot might leave a smell in the rice. That is why designate a pot for savory and a pot for sweet like Umm Ali and rice with milk. Glass does not absorb anything, so one dish works for béchamel today and cake tomorrow. If the pot is coated with a glossy layer from the inside, it doesn't absorb smell, and choose what the seller wrote as Lead free like some sales pages write. ## Cleaning and Care - **Clay:** Most instructions say wash it with hot water and a brush, without soap or with the least amount, because the pores absorb the smell of soap. Let it dry completely in the air before you store it, and do not put it in the dishwasher.- **Pyrex:** Normal soap and a sponge, and most dishes are written that they go into the dishwasher. Burnt food is soaked in hot water and bicarbonate. ## Price, Weight, and Common Complaints The clay pot is mostly much cheaper, and most Aswan pots on Amazon Egypt are written as handmade, so there is no warranty in the known sense, and the size and color may differ from one piece to another. The biggest danger in shipping is that the pot arrives cracked or the lid has a broken piece, so inspect it in front of the courier if you can. Pyrex and Borcam are more expensive, but the sizes are fixed and the piece lives for years if you treat it right, and the biggest danger to it is that it cracks or breaks from a sudden temperature change. Both are heavy when they are full, so carry them with two hands and oven mitts from the bottom not from the rim. ## How to Choose in the End? - **Baked rice, okra with meat, meat with onions pot, fish pot:** Covered clay.- **Béchamel pasta, oven vegetables, heating and storing in the fridge:** Pyrex or Borcam.- **Something that starts on the stove and continues in the oven:** Neither of them is the best here, use a stainless steel pot or metal tray.- **Small kitchen and small family:** Pyrex saucepan with lid does most of the work and stores inside each other. In both cases, inspect the piece as soon as it arrives: clay for hairline cracks, and glass for broken bits on the rim. Any crack means the piece will not live in the oven. ## FAQ ### Can clay pots go on the stovetop? Only if the seller states that it withstands direct heat. In that case, place a heat diffuser underneath, start with very low heat, and gradually increase it. If it is not mentioned, keep it for the oven. ### Do I have to soak the clay pot in water before use? Many instructions recommend soaking the new pot in water before its first use, and some say for a quarter of an hour before each time. Follow the seller's instructions, and dry it from the outside before putting it in a cold oven. ### Why does a Pyrex dish break in the oven? Usually from a sudden change in temperature: a dish coming from the fridge into a hot oven, or a hot dish placed on a wet countertop, or placed on the stove, or it had an old crack. ### Should I wash the clay pot with soap? Most instructions say no for unglazed clay pots from the inside, because the pores absorb the smell of soap. Wash it with hot water, a brush, and a little bicarbonate if there is fat, and let it dry completely. --- Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/article/clay-pot-vs-pyrex Edited by: Marwa Mohamed Last updated: 2026-10-31