"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Tuesday 17 January 2012

URGENT - Consol glass container update!

I have some bad news I'm afraid...


You remember I won some glass jars in the Sprig / Consol Glass competition back in October.
Consol's new range of glass storage containers
Well, I took the square set to the farm in December - I thought I'd need the food storage over the holidays, and square containers would fit perfectly in a (cooler box) fridge.


I didn't use them until just after the New Year, when we were expecting some guests over for dinner.  I decided to make a caramelized onion dip, using smooth ricotta or cottage cheese, plain yoghurt, a teaspoon or two of mayonnaise, salt, pepper and caramelized onions, and serving it in the smallest square storage container.


T'was very yummy:)  And quickly got wiped.  So I took the empty container to the kitchen and, loosely covering it with it's lid to deter any flies until it got washed up, left it on the counter whilst we ate our main meal.


Suddenly there was an almighty sound of exploding from the kitchen (well, we only have the one large room, so that wasn't hard to deduce LOL).


Rushing inside we found that the container had exploded!
The lid is where the glass container stood LOL
(we still haven't been able to paint inside, so
note the burn marks on the wall from when
I tried to set fire to the place last year...)
The gas stove had not been on since lunchtime, so it wasn't that heat that had caused it.  Nothing had fallen on it, so it wasn't that either.  I was amazed - and worried.  What would happen with the balance?  Would they also explode?


Heck, some of those shards were sharp, pointy and dangerous - and all over the place - kitchen counters and floor.  The labeling says that it is safe for microwaves and top shelf dishwasher loading.  Which means it must be toughened (a process which hardens glass and causes it to shatter into lumps of glass - like a windscreen on a motor vehicle - as opposed to shards.)  As you can see from this picture, there are definite sharp jagged pieces to this broken glass...  And large and minute fragments too - really, really tiny, very sharp pieces!
Glass shards - nothing like the lumps of glass
from a smashed windscreen
Thank goodness it hadn't happened whilst we were polishing off the dip...  And thank the Lord no-one was injured!


I have been in contact with Consol and they have informed me that they are experiencing "quality problems" with the storage containers.  They are recalling all of these storage containers - and will be collecting mine as soon as I bring the balance of them back from the farm.


So, if anyone has purchased such a set of containers from Consol, please contact them.


They would like to know where and when you purchased them, so they can recall any remaining stock from that outlets shelves.

22 comments:

  1. I've heard of this in other brands. They must have figured out some way to make glass "cheaper" and it's backfiring on them. I only by the old glass refrigerator dishes from antique stores now. At least back in the old days they built things with quality.
    Glad you weren't hurt--but my, how scary!

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    1. Sue - I've never heard of this happening before. Gave me serious pause for thought...

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  2. Gosh, that's could have been bad. Who would have thought that something like that could happen. Glad you are OK.

    Barb.

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    1. Barb - Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, but I'm shocked - and even more shocked that there is a "quality problem". Consol did say: "The storage jars are not manufactured by Consol, but carries the Consol branding." Reckon their manufacturer should be seriously hauled over the coals. I'd be happier knowing that serious research is being done into how this could happen in the first place, and making very sure that it doesn't happen again.

      The rest of the jars I won are apparently OK :)

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  3. Sounds horrid. Very grateful people were safely out of reach when it happened!

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    1. Diana - Me too - would hate to think what could've happened, especially with MKid

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  4. Holy crapola! Am glad you escaped the blast Dani. Who ever knew that there were such things as 'Suicide Bowl-ers'?

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  5. I think they've invented the disposa-bowl. :) Sure glad no one was hurt!!!

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    1. David - LOL - I'm trying to get away from disposa-bowl...

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  6. Glad no one was near or using the container when it did the self destruct! Not even going to try imagining what damage this could do if it was in the dishwasher or microwave at the time :O.
    Cheers,
    Robyn

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    Replies
    1. Robyn - Yup - and it would've caused a ruddy mess...

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  7. hey dani,

    i've never heard of this happening either. sorry about that but i'm glad you are fine... i guess in future we will have to hand out less explosive prizes :-)

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    Replies
    1. Sprig - LOL Who knew - but I still love my prize :)

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  8. Dani, that is so strange. So thankful no one was hurt. Still, it seems very odd for a glass container! I hope you can get to the bottom of it.

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  9. Leigh - Reckon it was caused through bad toughening of the glass... But, yes, it could've been much worse.

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  10. That's really strange. I'm glad nobody got hurt.

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  11. That is frightening! So glad no one was in the immediate area! The horrible thing about broken glass, at least in my house, is that little shards seem to turn up long after the area has been cleaned and cleaned and cleaned again...it's especially hazardous for paws and feet.

    Do you know in what country these containers were manufactured?

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    Replies
    1. Quinn - An excellent question! I didn't even think to look. There is no marking on the containers, nor on the bx. So perhaps they are made in South Africa, or perhaps they are made in China...!?

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  12. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_glass_breakage

    Not so uncommon it seems. But something Concol Glass should have known about.

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    Replies
    1. Brat - Seem to me that this particular product is not local. Only the food storage containers with plastic lids are at risk...

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