Your dishes are piled in the sink, and you really need to heat up a quick meal with a container you’re not sure is ok to nuke in your microwave. You really ought to know if it’s ok to microwave since toxic chemicals and other icky stuff can find its way into your food, or melt and cause a big mess—that’s never fun.
Besides checking for the manufacturing label on the underside of a dish or container, you can test the compatibility of the containers using some water if you run into an invisible label. The principle of the matter is to tell whether or not your mystery container is made up of substances that will or will not absorb heat (you’re looking for the heat to pass through when it comes to being microwave-safe and NOT absorb).
So to begin this little DIY experiment, you will need to grab up a microwave-safe cup to accompany your (empty) container. Fill up your mug with some water, and pop it in your microwave along with the container. Nuke the duo on your microwave’s highest power setting—1 minute should do the trick.
Then, very carefully, using some oven mitts or other heat-resistant kitchen gear, remove your mug and mystery container. Briefly touch the dish in question. If the container is hot or warm, that will give you your answer—it absorbs heat and is NOT microwave-safe. On the other hand, if you find that it’s cool to the touch, it allows heat to pass through and is A-Okay for your microwave.
It’s a simple and easy experiment to make sure you don’t ruin your next meal with chemicals and melted plastic. Plus, once you know, go ahead and mark the bottom of your container for the next time it’s time to heat something up in your ‘wave.
Photo by: Wardie44B
