A microwave safe bowl is very important when you have a microwave. Basically, you cannot use just any plate or bowl in your microwave, you have to ensure that such bowl is safe to be used in a microwave. But you might want to ask the question if a bowl is microwave safe is it oven safe?
Unfortunately, if a bowl is microwave safe, it doesn’t necessarily make it oven safe. There are a few material that are safe for both and they are clearly labelled as such.
You might not be able to cut costs by purchasing the same bowl or plate for your microwave and oven unless, you pick the ones that are labelled as such.
A microwave oven safe bowl does not make it an oven safe bowl because the heating process of both appliances are quite different. While a microwave is designed to heat a meal in the oven from the inside out, a convection oven has a more thorough heating process from outside in.
Occasionally, you might be fortunate to get plates or containers that can be used in a microwave oven and a convection oven but this is not necessarily true for all bowls.
If you are not certain of the type of bowl you have or you can’t see any inscription on the bowl to tell if you can use it in any of these appliances, do not use it, as it could cause a major damage to your oven.
If a Bowl is Microwave Safe is it Oven Safe?
Something is considered microwave safe, if, well, it has a microwave safe symbol.
But of course, having a microwave safe symbol does not automatically make it suitable also for ovens.
Plastic Microwave Safe Bowls
There are plenty of different types of plastic bowls that are microwave safe. With these bowl the meal is heated from the center and the bowl does not get heated much.
Certain plastic like that have recycling symbol “5” or that are made of polypropylene are considered quite microwave.
On the other hand, very few plastic bowls are oven safe, plastic bowls are less resistant to heat so they are not usually created for the oven.
Ovens generally operate at much higher temperature making most plastic unsuitable for regular ovens.
If you do not take proper care, plastic can literally melt in an oven and thus create a very dangerous situation for you.
Therefore, if you are unaware, no matter what plastic bowl you have lying around in your home, do not put it in the oven.
Also Read: How to tell plastic is microwave safe?
Microwave and Oven Safe Bowls
Occasionally, you might be lucky enough to find bowls or containers that can be used in both a microwave oven and a regular oven.
To identify such bowls, you would see the inscription microwave safe and then oven safe, this means that you can use them in preparing food in your oven just like the microwave without any fuss. Majority of these type of bowls are made from ceramic
Materials that are generally considered safe for both are glass and ceramic.
Recommended Microwave and Oven Safe Utensils
The following are microwave and oven safe:
Convection Oven Safe Not Microwave Safe
Alternatively, while shopping for the perfect bowls for these appliances, you will realize that some containers are regular oven safe but cannot be used in a microwave oven.
Most metallic bowls cannot be used in a microwave, if you do this, you might end up damaging your microwave oven beyond repair.
The main reason for this is the heating method of the microwave radiation, the reflection of the radiation off the metallic bowl will damage your microwave oven.
So in short, make certain that you, again, look at the specification or the safety symbols i.e microwave or oven safe symbols.
What to Look Out for When Buying Bowls for Your Kitchen
Buying bowls can be a very fun venture, especially when you’re a foodie. Different bowl come in a variety of sizes, and depending on what you have in mind when you’re making the purchase, you might get stuck on selecting the perfect bowls.
Below are something’s you should bear in mind before making your purchase
The Oven Type
It is better you have an oven type in mind before attempting to make this purchase, try to buy separate bowls for both ovens.
This is so that you might have another bowl to lean back on emergency days when you need to use both oven types.
Alternatively, you CAN purchase bowls that are both microwave and oven safe just make certain that you read their specifications.
For instance some plastic bowls that are oven safe have a maximum temperature setting of, say, 400 degrees Fahrenheit, that they can withstand.
Inscription / Safety Symbols
You must ensure that the bowl is certified and carries the standard safety symbols for the oven in question.
If you want to use on both, make sure the bowl has safety symbols for both microwave and regular oven.
What You Intend to Use it for and Size
Size matters a lot when you’re going bowl shopping, depending on what you would be preparing in your bowls, you might choose to get a variety of sizes just in case future emergencies pop up.
The size, of course, has nothing to do with whether a bowl is oven or microwave safe.
Just make certain that on regular ovens, the bowl isn’t so large as to touch the heating elements.
How to Know if a Bowl is Certain Oven Safe Without Inscription
Occasionally, a brand might skip putting this information on their bowl. In such a case, try visiting the website an comparing the bowl with similar ones on there.
Be Certain
If you decide to do something like this, ensure that you are a 100% sure that it can be used otherwise, avoid using such a bowl in your oven as it might end up not being safe.
How to Check if a Bowl is Microwave Safe Using the Microwave
- Fill a cup with water
- Put the cup of water inside the microwave safe bowl.
- Put on the microwave oven and boil the water for a minute.
- Check the temperature of the water, the water should be warm and the bowl cool too touch
- Note that the bowl might be slightly warm from the water, but ultimately, you will know if the water heated in the microwave
Are Ceramic / Glass Bowls Oven Safe?
Unfortunately, you cannot know how safe a bowl is to use in an oven, except of course through the manufacturer.
While most ceramic and glass bowls are very suitable for use in both a microwave oven and a regular oven, be sure before putting it in your oven.
This is because depending on the type and quality of the bowl, it may shatter due to the amount of heat emitted during cooking, so either check for the oven safe sign or words on the bowl or don’t use it in a convection oven.
So while ceramic, glass, chine or porcelain are generally considered oven and microwave safe, they are not all created equally. Some are not designed to be heated to extreme temperature.
Certain glass cookwares labelled as Pyrex or Corningware are considered microwave and oven safe.
Best Glass Containers Microwave and Oven Safe
Conclusion
In this article, we talked about whether if a bowl is microwave safe is it oven safe. The short is no, it is not.
Unfortunately people take risks by putting bowls they haven’t ensured are safe, into their ovens. Please avoid this if you can.
In cases of emergencies where you can discern whether something is oven or microwave safe, the best option would be to use a stove instead. It might end up taking more of your time to prepare a meal but you might have just avoided a potential accident and saved your meal too.
FAQs
1. How do you know if a bowl is oven safe?
To determine whether a plate, pot, cup, or bowl is oven safe, look for a unique Oven-Safe sign beneath. The following are some examples of materials that are oven-safe: Stainless steel and cast iron are examples of metals. (Avoid non-metallic components such as wooden or plastic handles.)
2. Can you use microwave safe bowls in the oven?
Plastic dishes and containers that are microwave-safe have been tested and are safe to use in microwave ovens. Melted containers or plates would contaminate the food, the containers, and possibly the oven; avoid using them in a standard oven.
3. What happens if you put a non oven safe bowl in the oven?
Using non-ovenproof bowls might damage not only the dish but also the meal on which you spent so much time and effort. The bowl or dish may fracture, scattering shards of glass throughout the beautifully prepared dinner.
4. Are porcelain bowls oven safe?
Porcelain is heated to about 2300 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the manufacturing process to give it its hard form. Porcelain items are exceptionally robust and resistant to thermal stress and heat due to the high temperature. As a result, it can withstand the high temperatures of a typical oven. The majority of porcelain products are suitable for use in the oven.
5. What type of bowl can go in the oven?
A bowl constructed of tempered glass, stoneware, or porcelain is safe to use in the oven or microwave, up to 572F. Porcelain is resistant to extreme temperature swings of up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.