Can Porcelain Go In The Oven?

When it comes to buying nice dishes for baking and cooking purposes, it’s always a good idea to be familiar with their capabilities and limitations.

There are so many different materials out there with different finishes. Some dinnerware is fragile while others are made to be durable and lasting.

One of the best ways to know what your dishes or ovenware can handle is to understand a little bit about the materials it is made of.

For example, one of the current trends is ceramic pans and baking dishes. These look great and they work great too when they are designed to be functional. 

But, can porcelain go in the oven? Most porcelain can go in the oven. However, you will need to make sure yours is oven-safe and never exceed the maximum temperature it can withstand.

The good news is that the majority of porcelain can actually withstand high temperatures. 

In this guide, we will dig a little bit deeper into whether or not porcelain can go in the oven. We will talk about how to know for sure and discuss the temperature capabilities as well. 

There is quite a bit to know and understand this subject before you try placing your porcelain in the oven. 

Keep reading to learn about using porcelain in the oven and more.

What Is Porcelain Made Of?

The best way to really understand porcelain is to understand just what it is, right? Porcelain is not your everyday material.

It actually falls into the ceramics category. Ceramics are made with high heat, to begin with, and most of the time also designed to withstand high heat. 

This means that porcelain is made of clay, or perhaps substances similar to clay. It is not always clay, but the key is that the material is nonmetallic.

It also should be heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant. Those qualities stand out above things like aluminum or steel or even glass baking dishes. Since porcelain is made from these sturdy materials, it usually is incredibly strong.

The materials are non-porous and will ultimately be one of the strongest materials out there when it comes to bakeware. Of course, you can find porcelain in other types of dishes too. 

Where some bakeware that is said to withstand high temperatures can sometimes be subject to challenges like thermal shock, porcelain doesn’t really have that issue.

It can resist high heat, won’t react to thermal shock as easily, and will probably also hold in heat for quite some time. 

Can Porcelain Go In The Oven? 

The best news of this article is that your porcelain can most likely go in the oven. However, there might be some porcelain out there that isn’t oven-friendly.

You might just be surprised though. It’s quite possible that your porcelain dishes are all safe for the oven, although not necessarily designed for oven use. 

You will always want to make sure that what you are using your dishes how they are made to be used. Before you just toss your porcelain in the oven, take the time to make sure it really is oven-safe first. More on that later. 

An oven-safe porcelain dish can be subjected to really high heat. It’s almost unusually high when you compare it to things like a glass baking dish. Porcelain bakeware is often heat-resistant up to 572°F, which is astronomical heat. 

The best part about it is that porcelain heats evenly as well. This means that when you put your porcelain dishes in the oven full of your new favorite casserole, the entire casserole will cook evenly. It’s basically the perfect baking companion. 

We mentioned that porcelain dishes are non-porous. The fact that they are non-porous makes them primarily a non-stick baking dish. The non-porous material won’t absorb the odors or the elements of the food that is cooked within it. 

Most of these dishes will also be non-stick. However, if you really want to make sure your ceramic baking dish is non-stick, you just need to be sure you have a glazed dish.

Those ones are really easy to clean up when you finish cooking, even if something burned in the process. 

Finally, when you put porcelain in the oven, you don’t have to worry about chemicals or harmful materials leaching into your food. Porcelain doesn’t have any chemicals and certainly won’t release any.

However, you will have to double-check that the glaze over your porcelain is oven-safe.

How To Tell If Porcelain Is Oven-Safe

Here’s the thing we want to be sure you understand. Not all porcelain is designed for the oven.

Don’t turn around and stuff a porcelain toy or cup in the oven and just assume it will be safe. Most of what we have said here is specific to porcelain baking dishes. 

That means that these dishes were designed to be baked with. They were created for that purpose. Those dishes will handle temperatures of 500°F and sometimes even higher.

Those dishes are also completely porcelain or at least have a porcelain coating on them. They are not delicate and fragile. 

On the other hand, there are a lot of porcelain products out there that are delicate and fragile. If you toss porcelain into high heat when you shouldn’t, your porcelain will probably break.

Porcelain that was designed to bake with could also easily have issues with thermal shock and end up in broken pieces unexpectedly. 

Most things like plates and bowls that are made of porcelain are really not designed for the oven. It is extremely important that you make sure you know the difference. Rest assured that it’s easy to tell, though. 

Let’s do a comparison. If you have a porcelain bowl or plate, pick it up and look at the bottom.

On the bottom, there should be stamps or markings that tell you whether the dish is microwave-safe or oven-safe. If it doesn’t have the symbol or the words, you should assume it is not oven-safe. 

Now, pick up your favorite porcelain baking dish and look at the bottom. Our guess is that the print or the symbol is there for that dish.

Why are they different if they are both porcelain? Well, it’s really all about how it was made and how it was finished. 

You will find that some of those porcelain items are microwave-safe but not oven-safe. It’s a good idea to make sure you understand the difference in the symbols so you know which is which when you’re looking. 

• Microwave-safe is a small box like a microwave with horizontal waves
• Oven-safe is slightly larger and resembles an oven with vertical waves

They look pretty similar, so just be sure to take the time to really understand them before you put anything in the oven. 

If in doubt about the oven-safe reliability of your porcelain dish, always look at the owner’s manual to be sure!

Tips And Tricks For Using Porcelain In The Oven

If you’re sure that your porcelain is oven-safe, there are a few recommendations to make sure you don’t have any problems. 

While porcelain bakeware typically is pretty safe in the oven with very few issues, you still should know some basic tips that just might help save your dish. 

• Don’t use temperatures over 500°F
• Always double-check to be sure it’s oven-safe
• Don’t take porcelain directly from the fridge to the oven. Let it set out a bit first
• Put the pan in the oven when you start pre-heating so the materials can heat with the oven
• When you’re finished cooking, turn off the oven and let the pan stay in there for 10-15 minutes to start cooling slightly
• Don’t put a hot porcelain pan in the fridge
• Place your baking shelf near the center of the oven

Related Questions

We hope that this guide to whether or not your porcelain dishes are oven-safe is helpful. Take a look at these questions and answers for some additional information that might be useful. 

Are Porcelain Dishes Microwave-Safe? 

They can be. You should always check your dishes just to be sure. Look at the bottom of the dish for the microwave-safe symbol. 

Is Porcelain Safe To Cook with?

Yes, porcelain is made with clay, a natural material. These have no chemicals. The dishes are also non-porous so they don’t absorb foods and odors. If they are coated with a glaze, you just want to make sure that is non-toxic as well. 

Is Porcelain Non-Stick? 

It depends. Most porcelain will be non-stick to some degree. However, many companies also add a glaze to their porcelain dishes that add to the non-stick capabilities.

That glaze will typically be added to produce an even better non-stick effect. Most people don’t even grease their glazed porcelain pans. 

Up Next: Ceramic Vs Porcelain Dishes – What’s The Difference?