Today we have a wide range of microwave-safe utensils, including plastics, ceramics, etc. The curiosity to learn if there is any kind of wooden bowl or dish that you can microwave.
So if you have been also asking Is Wood Microwave-Safe Then this article is for you –
No wood is not microwave safe, and you should not put any wooden object or utensils be it a bowl, mug, or even spoon inside the microwave. Due to the presence of moisture inside the wood, it can crack, shrink, or even burn and cause kitchen fire if microwaved. Wooden utensils can only be used to serve hot soups or food and should not be microwaved.
If you are interested to learn more about microwaving wood, then keep on reading:
What happens if you microwave wood?
There are a couple of things that could likely happen if you tend to microwave wood and those are –
- As there are some water molecules present inside the wood when microwaved the wooden bowl or object tends to get hot and eventually get cracked or damaged.
- Also as most wooden utensils are made with a variety of woods by sticking them together with glue, when microwaved the glue tends to get melted or liquidised which could create a mess in your microwave or even worse.
- Last but not least if you microwave wood for a prolonged time at a high temperature it could actually burn into flames.
Are wooden Bowls safe to microwave?
In case you are trying to figure out if you can microwave a wooden bowl or not, this is the answer:
Definitely not, wooden Bowls cannot be microwaved because microwave radiation will damage the bowl and ruin it. Moreover, if the bowl has any metal components like decorations or even pins that are used to build a wooden bowl, then it may even cause sparking inside the microwave.
Additionally, any glue that is used to hold either the bowl or its decorations together will also get loosened up in the microwave, which is certainly not good in my opinion.
If that happens then the melted glue would be harder to remove from the microwave interior which ultimately can cause serious problems in the long run.
The same goes for wooden plates and wooden mugs, they also can’t be microwaved.
Also, check out the other related posts like Is Pyrex microwave safe.
Why can’t you microwave wood?
The main reason why you can’t microwave wood is of course the presence of water in it. Due to the presence of water, the wood is bound to get too hot inside the microwave.
Also, wood, if microwaved, could reach such an extreme temperature that it could even burn from the edges.
But what will most likely happen is that the wood will turn black from microwave heat.
Can you microwave wooden bento boxes?
Now, this is a tricky question to answer.
Microwaving Bento Boxes is possible but for only a short duration, as wooden materials are not supposed to be microwaved. Thus, you can get an idea of how much heat a wooden bento box can tolerate by microwaving it for a few seconds.
Most bento boxes have written instructions on how much microwave heat they can tolerate or how to or how long to use them in the microwave and at what temperature.
In a nutshell, wooden bento boxes can be microwaved but only for quick reheating purposes only for a brief period and not for cooking as if you microwave them for a prolonged time then they may get cracked.
Related Post: What happens if you microwave wood
Can you microwave a wooden spoon?
As I discussed earlier, wood is not meant to be used inside a microwave for any purpose, it doesn’t matter if it’s a bowl, a plate, or even a spoon.
So, No you can not microwave a wooden spoon in any circumstance.
If it’s a wooden object you don’t microwave it unless, of course, you are looking for some trouble.
Certainly, a wooden spoon can withstand decent heat, but it has to come from food and not the microwave.
Can you microwave bamboo?
Bamboo can’t be microwaved as it is also wood thus it has some moisture present inside, which is not ideal for microwaving. If you microwave Bamboo then it may crack, get extremely dry or even burn.
Hence you should avoid microwaving Bamboo tableware or crockery.
Bamboo similar to other wooden utensils can definitely be used as a means of serving hot cooked meals or food but can’t be used for cooking inside the microwave, as it can’t stand that level of high heat.
Also Check Out: Should you be Putting Things on top of Microwave or NOT!
Wrapping up!
In this article, I have covered everything about whether the wood is microwave-safe or not. Along with discussing what can happen if you try to microwave wooden utensils.
For a quick summary,
No, you can not microwave wood, as it’s not microwaveable. In wooden utensils, there are some water molecules that can heat up rapidly and excessively if microwaved leading to serious problems mentioned above.
So I hope after reading through this article now you have a clear idea of why you can’t microwave wood. In case you have any suggestions or queries then you can ask them in the comment section below.
Meanwhile, you can also read other articles on this site to enhance your knowledge about microwaves.