Hi Ladies, I am on a mission to seriously cut back the amout of plastic we use in my house. I've been teaching the kids to heat things up in glass bowels, etc. I found a beautiful, colorful, stackable set of painted ceramic bowels in Pier 1 today that I love. It says that they are microwavable (but so do most of my tupperware containers;-P) and I was wondering if any one knew if microwaving in ceramic has a downside? Is it just as safe as glass? I assume it's better than plastic but wanted to know if anyone else had read something different. We would be using mostly to heat up foods. Thanks in advance for feedback;-)!!
The only downside is that it can be heavy to remove when filled and also very hot. You will want to make sure you have good non slip mits when pulling it out or the microwave..
The other thing is that ceramic tends to chip, craze and crack the easiest, because it is not fired a at as high as a temperature as class or corning ware.. I have started using Pyrex measuring bowls and cups to cook with in the microwave, because they have handles.
I am with Laurie on this one. Pyrex is the way to go...I have a 1c, 2 c and 4 c glass measuring cup and then I pour whatever is being heated into a serving dish. I have some ceramic stuff, but I don't use it too often. Since it does wear a little rougher, I have to hand wash it.
The beautiful, hand-painted Italian bowls that we sell at Ceramica in Chester, CT, for example, are not really intended to go in the microwave....although you may do so CAREFULLY, the iron content in most earthenware clay causes the pottery to get hot when heated in the microwave oven. Regardless of what the manufacturer says, it's probably best to test a new piece in the MW by heating a pyrex glass container with the test item placed near it, but not touching. If MW'ing after 1 minute doesn't cause the empty item to get hot, it should be OK for Mw'ing.... Hope this helps!
We make ceramic and purchase them from other potters. Almost everything we eat off of, is ceramic. We are also careful about unsafe plastics and chemicals. I'm happy to inform you, ceramic is a very green alternative to plastic!
P.S.
If you ever use ceramics in the oven, don't pre-heat. Put the ceramics in a cool oven and then turn the oven on. This will prevent breakage and chips!
