Is it possible to put plastic containers in the microwave
The microwave has long taken a place in modern kitchens. The food in it is heated quickly, there is no need to additionally use pots and pans. And often, without hesitation, we put dishes from plastic in microwave dishes.
But food plastic, which is used for packaging products and production of dishes, is safe only if the operating rules are followed. If you pour an alcohol.containing drink into a plastic dish, formaldehyde poison is released, and when heated, a dangerous connection of styrene appears. About how to avoid such dangerous consequences, let’s talk in the article.
What plastic is suitable for the microwave
To choose the right plastic container for heating in a microwave oven, you need to pay attention to the following. One of the generally accepted icons confirming suitability for use in the microwave: for warming up foods was put down at the bottom of the container:
- schematic image of a microwave oven;
- inscription “Microwave Oven Safe” or “Micro”;
- a square or rectangular icon with the image of horizontal waves;
- A square.shaped icon depicting a plate above which horizontal waves are located.
The material should be thermal.resistant. The maximum boundary of the heating temperature is in the range of 130-140 ° C. The court must be made of food plastic.
When making a purchase should not save, but purchase products of well.known brands. Although the cost of such products is sometimes many times higher than the average for such goods, however, these manufacturers comply with the technological standards of production. Low.quality goods in the heating process distinguishes dangerous chemical compounds that cause irreparable harm to the systems and organs.
Important! Demand the seller of the quality certificate of plastic containers.
How to check the suitability of goods? Click on the wall of the lunch box. A white trace will remain on low.quality plastic. Put a container half-filled with water in a microwave for one minute. If the judgment is very heated, then it is not suitable for use in the microwave.
Don’t Microwave Food in Plastic Containers!
Types of plastic: table
To warm up food in microwave, it is extremely recommended to use only heat-resistant plastic containers from trusted manufacturers.
| Marking | Alternative name (English.) | Russian name | Security | Application | Is it possible to warm in the microwave |
| one. Pete | Pet | Polyethylene tereftalat (PET) | With repeated use, flulates may be released | Containers for oils, drinks, cosmetics | Not |
| 2. HDPE | PE HD | PVD (high.pressure polyethylene) | Safe only for cold products | Disposable dishes, containers for cold products | Not |
| 3. PVC | V | PVC (polyvinyl chloride) | Eating use is prohibited | Furniture, windows, pipes | Not |
| 4. LDPE | PEBD | PND (low pressure polyethylene) | Food use is allowed, cold products | Building materials, packages | Not |
| 5. PP | – | Polypropylene | Eating use is allowed | Food containers and other products | Yes |
| 6. PS | – | Polystyrene | Food use is allowed, but potentially dangerous | Disposable utensils, food containers, building materials | Not |
| 7. Other | O | Polyamide, polycarbonate, other polymers | Depends on the polymer | Packaging and other products | – |
Polypropylene containers can be used in the microwave, but not to warm up products containing alcohol. With a reaction with ethanol, PP emits phenol and formaldehyde dangerous for a person. Toxins settled in the liver and cause great damage to health.
Polymers that have not received a separate marking and included in the OTER group can be suitable for storing and warming food or not. Depends on the type of plastic.
Polypropylene is considered the safest for warming up food in the microwave, but with some reservations. PP cannot be used with products containing alcohol, otherwise it is possible to secrete phenols harmful to the body and formaldehyde. The container cannot be tightly closed, there should be either holes or a special valve in the container. Please note: polypropylene will go only for warming up, it is extremely not recommended to cook food in it.
Why you can not put metal dishes in the microwave
Metal, declared by manufacturers of microwave ovens as an object that can lead to breakdown, fire or explosion. Therefore, iron items and products with a gold rim fall under the ban.
The reasons for the negative impact of metal dishes on the work of the device:
- The risk of static electricity, similar to a flash of lightning, which can bring the device into a malfunction, increases;
- Metal particles in the paint are able to cause sparks;
- Metals do not carry out microwave radiation, at best the food will simply not warm up, in the worst. will lead to an explosion or fire.
Only thin metal products were not included in the list of prohibitions. The list of the permitted includes:
- thin aluminum sheets that protect food from handling;
- Factory aluminum containers, not more than 2 cm depth, when using you need to open the lid.
If doubts about the suitability of dishes for the microwave still arise, you can conduct a little experience: for this they put an empty plate in the microwave, put a glass of water on it and turn on the device for 1 minute. If during this time the container does not heat up, then it is able to skip radiation and is perfect for use in the furnace.
What dishes are not suitable for the microwave
It is also forbidden to put products wrapped in film or covered with a lid inside the stove. If we are talking about the film, then there must be small holes in it. If the steam does not go out. the explosion inside the microwave do not pass.
It is not recommended to use glass containers with defects: chips, cracks or porous surface. So that the glass does not crack and does not turn into a pile of fragments, the walls should be thick.
Faor and faience should also not have chips or cracks. Do not forget that Faoor with thick walls poorly misses microwave waves.
How to choose dishes for microwaves
If the microwave is frequent, it makes sense to choose a special container for it that meets all the requirements. When buying you need to look:
- For manufacturing material. glass, ceramics with glaze, heat.resistant plastic or FAOR are suitable for furnaces;
- to the thickness of the walls, the weighty the product, the better it will transfer high temperatures;
- on the homogeneity of the surface, for the microwave, it is advisable to take smooth containers without decorative elements, patterns, bulges and depressions.
You also need to take into account the dimensions of the products and special marking.
What sign should be on the dishes for use in the microwave
On the packages of modern plates, you can find designations explaining whether it is possible to put the container in the oven. There are several types of icons:
- wavy lines located parallel over each other;
- conditioned image of the microwave;
- Pictogram of a microwave with a ajar door;
- The letter inscription Micro.
Any of these designations on a plastic bowl for microwaves and on glass plates shows that they can be put without fears in the microwave.
On plastic containers, allowing icons are often applied directly to the bottom
Sometimes on the product you can see the microwave icon crossed out by a red or black line. Such an icon, like the inscription in the English “Not Recromended Microwave” means that it is better not to place it in the microwave of the container.
Form and size of the dishes
When choosing containers for a microwave oven, you need to pay attention to their shape. The best option is oval or cylindrical plates, they provide uniform heating of food. Square or rectangular capacities for microwaves are worse, food often requires more long preparation and as a result is overdried.
The choice of form depends on which dishes will be warmed up in the furnace. For example, baking dishes in the microwave should have high sides that will not allow the poured over the pouring. And for porridge or pasta it is better to buy containers with an extension in the upper part.
A warning! Plates with irregular shape and oblique edges look stylish in the interior, but the food in the microwave in them warms up unevenly.
As for the size, the selected container should freely enter the microwave camera and not touch the walls during rotation. You can use both large and small containers in the furnace, although in the latter food warms up faster.
Examples of suitable containers
And now I want to advise you with specific models of dishes for a microwave oven.
In Russia. As in many other countries, there are seven types of marking for plastic products, including for various types of packaging. Each of them has its own letter designation and digit (see. table).
Which can be put into the microwave
Almost all of the listed types of plastic are not intended for use at temperatures above 80 degrees. Plastic dishes for warming up in microwave.The stove should have a special marking. Even if the container is made of heat.resistant polypropylene and polycarbonate, only an icon with a microwave oven can indicate that the container can be used in this way, the Roskanka reports.
The exception is polypropylene (PP 5) and polycarbonate (there is no separate digital designation for it, this plastic will be marked with the number 7).
The fact is that in the microwave, the temperature can be even higher than the maximum mark for PP 5 (and this is more than 100 degrees). In order to confirm the possibility of using the product in microwave prints, the manufacturer must conduct the necessary tests.
“The temperature at which you can use the packaging of a particular material depends on many factors,” says Petr Bobrovsky, chairman of the technical committee 23 “Packaging” of Rosstandart Here the composition of the material is important. For example, a PET bottle for drinks can withstand even a temperature of 75 degrees, but only if the manufacturer has appropriately picked up the material recipe.
Whether toxic substances fall into products from packaging?
A recent study of American scientists, published in the journal Environmental Science Technology, showed that plastic could really be toxic for humans. This is reported by Consumer Reports. the organization, as well as the Roskanka, which is included in the International Assembly of Consumer Testing Organizations. Plastic plastic products make the appearance of new chemicals in the production process or substances that the manufacturer can add to the product to give color or flexibility to the product.
According to scientists, the “basic” substance of all the materials listed above may not be a danger in itself. But their combination or interaction with the environment can make the product dangerous to health. That is, harmful substances can migrate into a product that is stored in plastic.
The most dangerous substances made of plastic
In particular, in a Western study, bisphenol a. This substance is used as a hardener in the manufacture of plastic. The results of the studies have shown that bisphenol and can cause metabolic diseases, prostate and breast cancer, obesity, infertility and even attention deficiency syndrome.
However, it should be remembered that not all plastic products contain bisphenol a. Pay attention to the marking of plastic objects, avoid products with the inscription “PVC 3”.
Other harmful chemicals in plastics. flulates. can affect the production of hormones, which can lead to disorders in the development and work of reproductive organs. Ftalates are contained in many plastics and migrate very quickly. But basically flulators are released from non.food plastic.
According to Peter Bobrovsky, in a plastic package that is on the Russian market, the migration of chemicals exists, but in acceptable quantities. For packaging, these norms are indicated in the technical regulations of the Customs Union 005/2011 “On the safety of packaging” and GOSTs for specific types of packaging.
Three important tips that will protect from danger
If the plastic product meets the requirements, then it is safe for the consumer. But the migration of substances from packaging to food depends not only on the material of the container, but also on the specific conditions of its use. Therefore, it is also important to use plastic correctly.
Do not use disposable dishes and containers several times.
If the label does not have special recommendations about reusable use, most likely, a one.time packaging. In addition, bacteria can accumulate in the microcracks and complex bends of this container. Such dishes are unsafe from all points of view.
And in water bottles with a mark of PET 1, it is not recommended to pour drinks a second time. Such bottles are used once, after which they are subject to processing. If you want to save the product for a long time, it is better to move it to a glass container.
Let the PVC packaging today find it in stores, but not all plastic food containers are designed to heat in a microwave oven. Even if the reverse is written on the label, still look for a special marking. On the dishes, which is designed for food products, there must be a corresponding marking: a recognizable icon with a glass and a fork. Remember that polystyrene (PS 6) is dangerous for health when heated.
Do not wash such plastic containers in hot water, leave bottles of drinks in the heat under direct sunlight or about fire. If only on the dishes there is no special icon allowing heating.
Do not heat
The World Endocrinological Society has published a list of substances that destroy the endocrine system. The document, in particular, states that it is impossible to use plastic containers for warming up in the microwave, as well as it contains a clear algorithm for choosing products in plastic packaging.
“There are several types of plastic: polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene. They consist of natural or synthetic high molecular weight compounds. Plastic itself does not harm a person, but in its pure form it is a fragile material that melts from the heat, ”explained nutrition Maria Rozanova.
Therefore, manufacturers add various chemical and technological additives to the composition of plastic to extend its service life. These substances can be toxic and negatively affect human health.
In plastic containers, people often bring food to work and heat these containers directly in microwave ovens. Experts came to the conclusion that with a strong increase in temperature, the chemical supplement can react and release toxic substances into food.
It is safe to put plastic things into microwave, right?
To avoid unpleasant consequences, the expert advised to heat food only in glass or ceramic dishes. This will save the endocrine system and reduce the load on the liver and kidneys, which are already subjected to a huge load in modern life.
Special dishes
We have already written about a special set from Samsung. Other brands do not lag behind their Korean colleague. Panasonic, LG, Whirlpool, Teka, Sharp and Rolsen offer special dishes for frying their own development. Material. glass ceramics with a special coating that can absorb the energy of waves. Such containers can be complemented by anti.stick coating. As a result, heating occurs quickly.
For LG furnaces, a combined dish called “Talented dish” is created. This is a set for cooking in different modes to fully use the functionality. One of the models of Mulinx is supplemented by a loaf of an Oopeck, in which you can bake a traditional brick on your own or proposed recipe from simple ingredients. As in an ordinary loaf furnace, kneading, insisting and baking occur automatically.
There are few dishes, is it so? But you need to carefully choose what is suitable for the microwave, and that you should not bring close. Your attentiveness will protect the technique from breakdowns, and you from other negative consequences.
