Casserole, Porcelain

Quick Answer: A porcelain casserole is a glazed laboratory evaporating dish fitted with a side handle, and usually a pouring lip, used for heating, evaporating, digesting and pouring hot liquids when the dish must be moved or tipped without tongs.

An Evaporating Dish You Can Hold

An ordinary evaporating dish has to be gripped with tongs when hot, and pouring from it is awkward. The casserole adds a handle projecting from the side, so the hot dish can be lifted, swirled and poured in a controlled way. Some casseroles have a solid porcelain handle formed with the dish; others have a short hollow socket that takes a wooden handle. The listing does not say which type this is.

Casseroles are used for evaporating solutions to crystallisation, digesting samples with acid, melting low-melting solids such as waxes, and preparing solutions that must be poured off hot. Glazed porcelain resists most acids and tolerates direct heat when warmed gradually, so a porcelain casserole can sit on a gauze over a tripod or on a hot plate.

Keep the handle away from the flame and the hot plate surface; porcelain conducts heat slowly but still warms near the dish. When pouring, use the lip and tip slowly so the hot liquid does not run down the outside.

Applications

• Evaporating salt solutions to the point of crystallisation.
• Acid digestion of samples before analysis.
• Melting paraffin wax or other low-melting solids for embedding or demonstrations.
• Preparing and pouring hot solutions such as starch or gelatin.

Care & Handling

• Heat gradually, and never set a hot casserole down on a cold, wet surface.
• Hold it by the handle, and support heavier contents with a heat-resistant glove under the dish.
• Clean promptly after evaporation so residues do not bake onto the glaze.
• Look for cracks at the joint between handle and dish before each heating.

Specifications

Why Choose LabEquip

Chemistry and pharmacy teaching labs, and assay and metallurgy labs, use casseroles where hot liquids must be poured cleanly. LabEquip lists this dish with its companion porcelain acid bowls in General Lab Products; ask about sizes through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a casserole in a laboratory?

It is a dish with a side handle, similar to an evaporating dish but designed to be held and poured from while hot. Laboratory casseroles are usually made of glazed porcelain.

How is a casserole different from an evaporating dish?

Both are used for heating and evaporating liquids, but the casserole has a handle for lifting and pouring. An evaporating dish without a handle must be moved with tongs.

Can a porcelain casserole be heated over a Bunsen burner?

Yes, on a wire gauze over a tripod, with the flame started small and increased gradually. Strong direct heating of a cold casserole can crack it.

Does the handle get hot?

It warms up, especially close to the dish, but much less than a metal handle would. Hold it towards the far end and use a heat-resistant glove when the contents are near boiling.

Which liquids should not be heated in porcelain?

Avoid hydrofluoric acid and hot concentrated alkalis, which attack the glaze. Most other acids, salt solutions and organic liquids are handled well.

How do I clean a casserole after evaporating a solution?

Soak the residue in warm water, or a dilute acid if it is a carbonate or hydroxide deposit, then wash with detergent and rinse. Avoid scraping the glaze with metal tools.

Last Updated: September 2026