Aldi's $15 Pyrex Copycat Is The Bakeware Set Every Home Chef Needs

Although the old, familiar Pyrex items that changed home cooking forever do not top the kitchenware price pyramid (and they sure don't compete with authentic vintage Pyrex's spendy sums), they still aren't exactly cheap. Their cost-per-use can further decline in households with slippery-fingered dishwashers or amateur gourmands for whom "stain-resistant" is something of a challenge. But we still can't get enough of the stuff's aesthetic uniformity and functional familiarity, so relative dupes are always welcome in our collection.

Aldi's addition to the Pyrex-adjacent genre, the Crofton three-piece glass baking dish set, includes baking dishes in 2-, 3-, and 5-quart sizes for $15. A similar Pyrex-proper set from a competing retailer is several dollars more. Aldi's alternative is advertised under the Crofton brand online, and a quick zoom in on its image further reveals that each piece is emblazoned with the label "anchor" on the bottom. Comparable Anchor trios, such as the Anchor Hocking glass baking dish three-piece set, sell for even more — lest you need another mathematical excuse to pick up the Aldi bundle.

You find a bit of an info void on Aldi's own Pyrex copycat product page, where we typically expect to see information about oven, microwave, and dishwasher safety detailed prior to purchase. Keep in mind that we've merely connected the dots, but Anchor's website asserts these very safety merits under fairly expected conditions. Don't subject the stuff directly to fire, for example, but a balmy bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit should be fine.

Fortunately, plenty of recipes fall at or under that upper limit, absent naked flames. For example, you can make Ina Garten's famously flavorful roast chicken at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for around 90 minutes in the 5-quart dish. Toss some green beans in oil, salt, and pepper in the 3-quart dish and join it with the chicken about 15 minutes before your bird buzzer is set to ring, then use the 2-quart vessel to nuke any leftovers the next day.