We can never have enough bowls—after all, there are 1,001 ways to use them in the kitchen. Prepared ingredients need to be stored, salads need to be plated, and dressings, dips, and sauces need to be mixed. Eggs need to be whisked, cream and egg whites need to be whipped, and chocolate needs to be melted. Maybe you need to let a pudding or mousse set, find a place to set aside that ball of shortcrust dough waiting to be chilled, or you’re missing a bowl for the freshly bought (or harvested) fruits and vegetables… It’s great to have a bowl set like this on hand—consisting of three glass bowls that are sized to fit together and can be stacked to save space. Made of borosilicate glass, these bowls are even microwave- and oven-safe and can just as easily be used to warm something up—or, as mentioned, to let a heated ingredient or dish cool down. After all, the material’s thermal shock resistance allows for that, too. (Just don’t place the bowls on a hot stovetop.) Our glass bowl set comes from Hario in Japan. Founded in Tokyo in 1921, the company specialized from the very beginning in the in-house production of laboratory glassware. It was only a small step from there to producing the first kitchen and household items made from this heat-resistant material—for example, the coffee maker with the evocative name Hario V60 achieved worldwide fame.

Borosilicate glass is considered impact-resistant and shatterproof. Nevertheless, you should handle these glass bowls with the same care as any other item made of “regular” glass, because borosilicate glass is under tension so that the containers are also suitable for heated items. Microscopically fine cracks in the material—such as those caused by impacts or blows, for example during the dishwasher cycle—or material fatigue due to aging can disrupt the balance of internal stresses, causing the glass to break.