Q: Ceramic is probably one of the most popular materials used to make dishes, vases and other tableware. What is more, modern kitchen trends suggest giving preference to savage country style in our homes. Therefore, we often find ourselves heating, cooking and eating food from ceramic plates. Is it healthy? Why can’t we microwave ceramic dishes with patterns or metal strips?
What are Pros and Cons of a Ceramic Dish?
When you prepare food in ceramic pots, it is soft and has a refined taste. However, many housewives doubt whether it is possible to heat clay pots in a microwave oven.
Ceramic or the burnt clay does not have electrical conductivity, so it is not forbidden to place ceramic dishes in the microwave.
Whatever it is, learn the benefits and implications of microwaving ceramic before you make final decision.
Some of the strengths of a ceramic are:
- Chemical neutrality (foreign substances do not enter the food)
- No harmful substances release (even at very high temperatures)
- The food in ceramic pots is steaming which helps to preserve vitamins and proteins
- Heat in the clay pots spreads slowly and lasts longer
- Thanks to the porous structure, ceramic dishes give up the accumulated moisture in the form of steam (keep them in cold water for 10 minutes before use and you won’t need to add fats and oil to your food)
- Hard water scale never occurs in ceramics
- If a ceramic dish is used to quickly preheat some food in the microwave, it’s life will last long
Among the bad sides are:
- Ceramic can be easily broken, cracked or crumbled
- Unglazed clay retains smell for a long time, so you have to use baking soda and metal sponge instead of detergents when washing the dishes
- Prolonged repetitive cooking in a ceramic dish leads to cracks on the surface
Microwaving Ceramics: How to Do It Properly?
The process of microwaving ceramics is really simple.
The first thing you need to do is to put aside all of the ceramic dishes which are decorated with golden or silver strips, flowers or whatever. The paint that is used for these patterns is usually current-conducting and will spark in the microwave oven.
The next step is to check your microwave oven manual. Some of the really can’t microwave ceramic dishes for some reasons. Don’t risk it.
If the technology of preparing the dish involves the use of closed containers, it is better to use natural lids made from the dough (the simplest recipe is flour, water, and salt.)
Examine the dishes thoroughly to make sure that they don’t have cracks, because broken plate or cup can’t go in the microwave.
If you use a few ceramic portion pots, place them at some distance from each other.
Always use a towel or a potholder to take the ceramic dish out of the microwave. The walls of the ceramic dish are usually hotter than its contents.
Can I Microwave Ceramic Faster?
Sometimes even your microwave can’t be as fast as you wish. Then our hints and tips are there to help you with the process.
The good news is that you are able to accelerate microwaving ceramics. For this, stir the contents of the dish or pot every 2 minutes so it heats faster and evenly.
You are allowed to take out the dish 7-10 minutes before a set time – ceramic walls will be so hot that the food will be cooked outside the oven.
Is It Safe to Burn Handmade Clay Decorations in the Microwave?
If you are asking about regular clay for ceramics, you won’t be able to burn it in the microwave unfortunately. You can only dry it lightly.
In case you have made some decorations with polymer clay and need to burn them, then you can use your microwave given that the device has convection or grill function. In this case the microwave heats up the air exclusively just like a convection stove.
