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21
Microwave-safe
Utensils
Never
use
metal
or
metal trimmed utensils in your
microwave
oven
Microwaves
cannot
penetrate
metal.
They
will bounce off any metal
object
in the
oven
and
cause
arcing,
an
alarming phenomenon
that resembles
lightning.
Most heat resistant
non
metallic
cooking
utensils
are
safe for
use
in your microwave
oven.
However,
some
may contain materials that render 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 used in your microwave
oven.
Place the utensil in
question
next to
a
glass
bowl filled with
water
in the microwave
oven.
Microwave
at
power HIGH for 1 minute. If the
water
heats up but the utensil
remains cool
to
the
touch,
the utensil is microwave~safe.
However,
if the
water
does
not
change
temperature
but the utensil becomes
warm,
microwaves
are
being
absorbed
by
the utensil and it is
not
safe for
use
in the microwave
oven.
You
probably
have many items
on
hand in your kitchen
right
now
that
can
be used
as
cooking equipment
in your microwave
oven.
Just read
through
the
following
checklist.
Dinner
plates
Many
kinds of dinner-ware
are
microwave-safe. If in doubt consult the
manufacturer's literature
or
perform
the microwave
test.
Glassware
Glassware that is heat-resistant is microwave-safe. This would include all brands of
oven
tempered glass
cookware.
However,
do
not
use
delicate
glassware,
such
as
tumblers
or
wine
glasses,
as
these
might
shatter
as
the food
warms.
Plastic
storage
containers
These
can
be used
to
hold foods that
are
to
be
quickly
reheated.
However,
they
should
not
be used
to
hold foods that will need considerable time in the
oven as
hot
foods will
eventually
warp
or
melt
plastic
containers.
Paper
Paper plates
and containers
are
convenient and safe
to
use
in your microwave
oven,
provided
that the
cooking
time is short and foods
to
be cooked
are
low in fat and
moisture.
Paper
towels
are
also very useful for
wrapping
foods and for
lining baking
trays
in which greasy foods such
as
bacon
are
cooked. In
general,
avoid coloured
paper
products
as
the colour may
run.
Some
recycled
paper
products
may contain
impurities
which could
cause
arcing
or
fires when used in the microwave
oven.
Plastic
cooking bags
Provided
they
are
made
specially
for
cooking, cooking bags
are
microwave safe.
However,
be
sure
to
make
a
slit in the
bag
so
that
steam
can
escape. Never
use
ordinary plastic bags
for
cooking
in your microwave
oven,
as
they
will melt and
rupture.
Plastic microwave cookware
A
variety
of
shapes
and sizes of microwave cookware
are
available. For the
most
part,
you
can
probably
use
items you
already
have
on
hand rather than
investing
in
new
kitchen
equipment.
Pottery,
stoneware and ceramic
Containers made of these materials
are
usually
fine for
use
in your microwave
oven,
but
they
should be tested
to
be
sure.
CAUTION
Some items with
high
lead
or
iron content
are
not
suitable for
cooking
utensils.
Utensils should be checked
to
ensure
that
they
are
suitable for
use
in
microwave
ovens.
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