MICROWAVE OVEN - Yardley Hospitality

MICROWAVE-SAFE UTENSILSNever use metal or metal trimmed utensils inyour microwave ovenMicrowaves cannot penetrate metal. They willbounce off any metal object in the oven andcause arcing, an alarming phenomenon thatresembles lightning.Most heat resistant non metallic cooking utensilsare safe for use in your microwave oven.However, some may contain materials thatrender them unsuitable as microwave cookware.If you have any doubts about a particular utensil,there’s a simple way to find out if it can be usedin your microwave oven.Place the utensil in question next to a glass bowlfilled with water in the microwave oven.Microwave at power HIGH for 1 minute. If thewater heats up but the utensil remains cool to thetouch, the utensil is microwave-safe. However, ifthe water does not change temperature but theutensil becomes warm, microwaves are beingabsorbed by the utensil and it is not safe for usein the microwave oven. You probably have manyitems on hand in your kitchen right now that canbe used as cooking equipment in your microwaveoven. Just read through the following checklist.Dinner platesMany kinds of dinner-ware are microwave-safe. Ifin doubt consult the manufacturer’s literature orperform the microwave test.GlasswareGlassware that is heat-resistant is microwavesafe.This would include all brands of oventempered glass cookware. However, do not usedelicate glassware, such as tumblers or wineglasses, as these might shatter as the foodwarms.Plastic storage containersThese can be used to hold foods that are to bequickly reheated. However, they should not beused to hold foods that will need considerabletime in the oven as hot foods will eventually warpor melt plastic containers.PaperPaper plates and containers are convenient andsafe to use in your microwave oven, provided thatthe cooking time is short and foods to be cookedare low in fat and moisture. Paper towels are alsovery useful for wrapping foods and for liningbaking trays in which greasy foods such as baconare cooked. In general, avoid colored paperproducts as the colour may run. Some recycledpaper products may contain impurities whichcould cause arcing or fires when used in themicrowave oven.Plastic cooking bagsProvided they are made specially for cooking,cooking bags are microwave safe. However, besure to make a slit in the bag so that steam canescape. Never use ordinary plastic bags forcooking in your microwave oven, as they will meltand rupture.Plastic microwave cookwareA variety of shapes and sizes of microwavecookware are available. For the most part, youcan probably use items you already have onhand rather than investing in new kitchenequipment.Pottery, stoneware and ceramicContainers made of these materials are usuallyfine for use in your microwave oven, but theyshould be tested to be sure.CAUTIONSome items with high lead or iron content arenot suitable for cooking utensils.Dinner plates or cups that have painted finishesshould not be used in the microwave as thedecorative paint will cause arching and damage tothe paint's finish if the paint is metallic based.16