Whenever you plan to heat or cook something in your microwave, it is better to check if the dish is microwave safe or not, to avoid any bad experience.  There are a lot of microwaveable and non-microwaveable dishes but what about stoneware? Stoneware is common ceramic material for the kitchen. 

But is stoneware microwave safe? It is also important to know. Well, the short answer is ‘yes’, all the stoneware that has a ‘microwave-safe label, is safe to use in the microwave. In spite of it, there are many things to learn about microwaving stoneware.

However, it’s important to be aware of a few crucial things about it.  So, in this helpful article, we will try to cover exactly what you need to know to take care of your stoneware and protect your microwave. So let’s get started for more detail!

What Does Microwave Safe Actually Mean?

‘Microwave safe’ means can be understood by one or all of the following:

• If the item won’t break, crack, shatter, or melt while microwaving, that is microwave safe.
• If the microwave does be damaged the container is being used, so it is microwave safe.
• If the substances will be transferred or ‘leached’ from the container into the food when it’s heated in the microwave then it is microwave safe.
• If the container will not become so hot and can easily be picked up.
• Most important is that when manufacturers label their ceramics microwave safe.

But what does mean by stoneware, and is stoneware microwave safe, according to all the above criteria?  Let’s take talk about it.

What exactly is Stoneware?

Basically, Stoneware is a common type of ceramic material, and ceramics and pottery are classified into 3 common categories.  Such as:

• Earthenware
• Stoneware
• Porcelain

Basically, the main difference between these types of ceramics is the condition of porous.  Porous are tiny holes of the material in a sponge. Well, the more porous a material has means the more holes there are throughout it.

Now you can understand that Porous materials can absorb water whenever it is used to contain liquids. Stoneware ceramics have lower prongs.  This means that it absorbs less water. That’s why it is microwaveable.

How Do Microwaves Work?

Basically, when you use Microwave ovens, it will produce energy that is called electromagnetic waves. These microwaves are spread around the inside of the oven cavity and are absorbed by food.

The waves make the included water molecules in your food vibrate and this vibrating water will make the heat that cooks the food. But to microwave anything the container should be microwave safe otherwise you can make a mess.

Can You Microwave Stoneware?

As you know, Stoneware is a kind of earthenware that can be fired at a high temperature. It is also heat resistant and can hold heat properly. These features make it an ideal choice for dinnerware in the kitchen.

Generally speaking, you can microwave stoneware. However, you should understand that all stoneware is not microwaveable. It is on you to recognize that kind of stoneware.

Basically, some stoneware has high amounts of lead and arsenic that can easily leach into your meal while microwaving, and some stoneware can retain much heat and cause burns.

This is because Lead and arsenic are both toxic metals that might be harmful and has serious side effects when ingested.

Arsenic material is also called a carcinogen that may cause cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems. So this material is never good for your human health. If we talk Lead, it is also a toxic metal that can be the reason for serious health problems in children.

It can easily damage the brain and nervous system. it can also put bad effects cause on physical growth. So you want to avoid such stoneware that contains the metals like arsenic and lead.

So you should not microwave your meal with such stoneware. The stoneware dishes are lead glaze by looking. If the dishware is much shiny, that means it contains lead and it is only for decoration not for microwaving.

Another fact about some stoneware is that the material that is used by some stoneware has trace amounts of metals that absorb microwave energy. This can never be good because it can cause the dish to become so hot and burn your bear hand.

We must recommend that you should always stick to stoneware marked with a microwave symbol. If the manufacturer has designed any dish microwave safe, then it will probably say so on the bottom. If not, it is better to avoid this stoneware dish and pick another different microwave-safe dish.

Conclusion

If the stoneware is made by a reputable ceramics manufacturer and is labeled microwave-safe, then you can use it for heating your food and drink. However, keep in mind that with appending time even well-made stoneware will start to lose its strength and integrity.

In the end, we must say you should always test out your stoneware first before using it to heat food or drink. This stoneware goes ok with the microwave then you can use it, otherwise it is better to use the best alternative cooking bowl to cook or heat your food.

So that’s all you need to know about “is stoneware microwave safe”. We have explained everything in detail. We hope this article will help you a lot!