Out of the many things you should never put in your microwave. Wood or wooden cooking tools is often questioned. This question may seem obvious but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Since we are aware that wooded skewers are used often on a grill. Can you microwave wooden skewers?
Wooden skewers are safe to microwave with food. The risk of burning the skewers or damaging a microwave is minimal. Soaking skewers in water before cooking prevents them from burning. When microwaving this would not be necessary.
Wooden skewers are perfectly safe to use in a microwave. Although it would be hard to cook kebabs this way. So I assume it would be to reheat leftovers.
If that is the case then you shouldn’t worry about the skewers, they will not burn. Wooden utensils might be more common than you think. Actually a lot of them are commonly used in microwaves.
I can go into more detail about using wood utensils in the microwave. What problems that can arise and how you can avoid them.
Microwave-Safe Wooden Utensils
Wooden utensils I will call them are used pretty often. Skewers are used to make kebabs and are usually made of bamboo. These tools are thin wooden sticks that hold various meats and vegetables for grilling.
Chopsticks are also commonly made out of bamboo. These Chinese utensils became popular because using them was less harmful to dishware. Which was usually decorative and delicate against sharper utensils.
Another popular food item using wood utensils. Is the American Corn dog which is a battered hot dog or sausage on a stick. Corn dogs are deep fried but you can by frozen ones.
The frozen ones are microwavable and the wooden stick doesn’t get dangerously hot either.
Other foods that use wooden utensils include, caramel dipped apples and popcorn balls. Also wood coffee stir sticks are popular against using plastic that might melt in the microwave.
Not-Microwave Safe
Wood and bamboo utensils such as plates, bowls and cups. Aren’t always microwave safe. In fact the microwave can do a good amount of damage depending on how they are made.
Not only physical damage to the utensils but also harmful fumes could be released in the microwave. Due to the intense heating of certain glues, paints or finishes.
Luckily nowadays most manufactures of cooking products are cognizant of this and like to make products that are microwave safe. Especially ones that are used for children or babies.
So how do you know if your wooden plate or bowl is safe to use. I would start first with checking the manufactures labeling. If you threw this away check on their website or where you bought it from.
Find a description or a way to contact the company.
The good thing about bamboo products as opposed to plastic. Is the absence of toxics such as phthalates and BPA.
Most bamboo or wood products are considered food-grade. Meaning that the products material is safe for direct contact with food.
What To Look For
Okay the thing to look out for is any product that made out of multiple pieces of wood. A plate that is made using different colored wood pieces for example.
Each strip of wood is held together by a wood adhesive or wood glue. When the utensil is microwaved, the moisture within the wood is heated.
This can cause the glue to melt or give off fumes. Also wood can crack due to the heating of the inside and no where for moisture to escape.
As the glue becomes weakened the pieces being held together could break apart. Another potential problem is the wood becoming drier overtime, which also weakens the product.
Wooden spoons I would not recommend heating in a microwave or oven, although I’m not sure why one would. A throw away wooden spoon for ice cream or rice stirring should be okay in the microwave.
Always check if your product is microwave and oven safe before cooking food in them.
What Can You Put In The Microwave
I put together a list of things that are safe to heat in a microwave. These are items that might be questionable and not obvious.
- Paper Towels
- Napkins
- Paper Plates, Bowls
- To-Go Containers
- Glass Containers, Bowls, Plates and Cups
- Parchment Paper
- Wax Paper
What You Can’t Microwave
A list of things you shouldn’t put in the microwave.
- Anything Styrofoam
- Aluminum foil
- Plastic Containers
- Stainless Steel Products
- Paper Bags
Conclusion
Wooden skewers can handle the heat of the microwave just fine. Finely crafted wooden utensils, such as bowls or plates. Might not be microwave safe.
There is ways to check if your wooden or bamboo dishware is safe. Always look for microwave-safe labeling before you using.
