Can You Microwave China? | When It Is Safe And How To Test It?
Alex Dew Cooking, Tips & Tricks
There can be instances where you don’t find a “microwave-safe” label on your Chinaware and still want to microwave. Perhaps the bowls and other tableware you have were produced before the microwave age. Whatever the situation you are in, I’m going to answer “can you microwave China tableware” in this article so that you can place your China tableware in the microwave with confidence next time. Let’s get started.
Can You Microwave Chinaware?
How to Test If China is Microwave Safe?
When is China Not Microwave Safe?
Can I Put Bone China In Microwave?
Can I Put Fine China in Microwave?
Can You Microwave China With Silver Trim?
Can You Microwave China With Gold Trim?
Regardless of the type of plates or bowls you use, the material has to be strong enough to bear the high temperatures in order for them to be named “microwave-safe.” If the bowl you use melts or warp in the microwave, it could be disastrous for both the meal as well as yourself.
So, is there microwave safe china tableware? In most situations, Chinese tableware doesn’t have the label you are looking for. However, most of them are microwave-safe, and you shouldn’t be facing issues when you try to microwave China tableware.
That said, if the bowl or plate you use is decorated with metal material, things can go wrong inside the microwave. Simply put, metal materials are not microwave-safe. Other than that, if you ask me can you microwave China bowl, my answer would be yes, as Chinese tableware is strong enough to keep the shape in Microwaves.
Is China microwave safe? Even though you know my answer to this question, it would be ideal to verify it by yourself, to stay on the safe side, isn’t it? Here are a couple of simple methods to identify microwave safe cookware.
Obviously, this is the simplest method you have to check whether the bowl is suitable for the task. Some kitchenware has wavy horizontal lines without mentioning the “microwave-safe” label as well. If you are unable to find none of these on your China tableware, please move on to the next method.
This is the most common method to check the eligibility of cookware. The first step is to turn your microwave into the maximum power setting. Now, this setting can vary from one manufacturer to another. The goal here is to bring your microwave to the highest level of temperature to see whether it is within the range of China.
Now, take a glass and put about one cup of water into it. After, place both the water-filled cup and the bowl you want to test in the microwave. I have seen people saying to pour water into the bowl, but that is not the correct method to execute.
However, if the bowl you want to test is considerably big, you will have to place the water glass in the bowl. Then microwave the bowl and water glass for around one minute. Once you complete one minute, turn off the microwave and take out both the water glass and the bowl.
If the bowl you tried is hot, it says that it is not “microwave-safe.” If the water-filled glass is hot, and the bowl is cool, then it suggests that the bowl is microwave-safe; simple as that.
For those who want to test a big container with the glass of water inside, keep in mind that the surface that is touching the bottom of the glass might be hot after one minute of microwaving, and that is perfectly ok, and the container is microwave-safe. However, the other parts of the container should be cool.
Once you try the Chinaware, please mark the test results on them in order to identify them in later uses. Whatever mark you put has to be outside of the container as the material you use can work against when you microwave.
When Can I Put China Tableware In The Microwave? So, I hope now you know the answer to can you microwave China bowl and test microwave fine China.
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This is important, guys. Let me elaborate on a few points that you should keep in mind when using Chinese cookware in your microwave.
If you notice metal in microwave China, never get tempted to use it in microwaves. The metal material can be harmful to the machine and blend injurious substances into the food as well. Also, it would be challenging to notice metal on certain Chinese cookware. So, look out for the ones that have aluminum foil, metal lining, metal handles, decorative metal items, and metal paints.
Don’t Use Glazing Bowls
Nowadays, it is pretty much impossible to find tableware that doesn’t glaze. It is better to say no to tableware with lead glaze for all servings and cooking tasks. I say this because the lead glaze has the tendency to transfer to the food, which can be harmful to the human body. When it comes to microwaving, things get worse as the excessive heat can cause more lead into the food you cook.
Old tableware, decorative dishes, and clay dishware are some of the common things that have lead glaze on them. So, be mindful to avoid such containers in the microwave.
Don’t Use Cold-Food Storing Containers
This might not be applicable to China tableware, but it is crucial to know that cold-food storing containers such as plastics are not capable of handling the heat. Yogurt, ice cream, and butter containers are some examples of that. In addition, such containers are made just for one-time use, so you definitely don’t want to let them go inside of a microwave to heat up the food.
All in all, I would not recommend using old China for microwave purposes as most of them contain lead glaze and have metal items that can play the spoil game. The lead glaze is particularly hard to notice. So, it is ideal not to put yourself at risk by using old China in the microwave.
Bone China tableware is made of high-quality porcelain and bone ash. So, it can be labeled as microwave-safe without much problem. Such dishware has no chance to start a fire or cause any other heat-related issues. However, you will still have to see the decorated parts as most cookware items come with metal material.
Since bone China items are free of moisture, they will not heat up when used in microwaves. All they do is heat up the food, which is all you want from a microwave-safe container. Moreover, Chinese cookware is renowned for sturdiness as they are fired at considerably high-temperature levels.
This makes China durable and capable of handling thermal shocks. The thermal shock absorbing is one of the notable features of bone China which says there is little to no hazard in terms of containers getting cracked in the microwave.
Considering all these, I have no second thought in recommending you to use bone China for microwave duties.
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Generally, fine China tableware is considered Microwave-safe. However, it is always better not to expose fine China to high levels of temperatures as the primary objective of fine China is not to cope with high heat. In addition, same as other China tableware, I do not recommend using fine China that has silver, gold or metal parts.
The rule of thumb is to inspect what the manufacturer says on the label. If it is labeled as “microwave-safe,” you don’t have to worry much as the manufacturer has done all the necessary testing at the production stage. If not, it is best to stay away from China that has silver trim.
As I mentioned throughout the article, metal materials are not recommended for microwaves. If you are unsure about the material used for trim, you should not use such dishes. So can you put silver trimmed china in the microwave? No.
Can you put china in the microwave when there is a gold trim? The answer to this query is pretty much similar to silver trim. Yes, gold-trimmed cookware is not recommended to use in microwaves. At the end of the day, gold is another type of metal, and when exposed to heat, it can cause various issues to the food and the machine itself.
In addition, you mostly see gold trims in old Chinese tableware, and the heat in microwaves can lead the container to break during the process. I don’t think you want to play with your valuable stuff just to microwave food.
Chinese tableware is awesome, and most of the items are made of high-quality materials that are suitable for microwaves. However, metal, silver, or gold-trimmed containers are not ideal to go inside microwaves. So, please consider everything I explained when you microwave China plates to stay away from potential unnecessary hassle. If you have anything unanswered, please use the below comment section to drop your concern. Have a great day!