Wednesday, February 25, 2009
HOW TO TELL IF IT'S SAFE TO USE AN OLD DISH IN THE MICROWAVE
Put the dish and a glass of water in the microwave. Heat it for one minute on high. If the dish doesn't get hot it's okay to use it to heat food. But if there is gold or silver trim on the dish it will spark and can't be used. Never use a plate with chips, deep scratches or crazing. You will damage the plate and you may find bits of glasslike glaze in your food. And this is not a test for lead content in the glaze. Some old majolica and heavy pottery wares of the past were decorated with lead glazes which should not be used. Watch out for new decorative plates. They are usually marked "for decorative purposes only" because they have lead glaze.
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4 comments:
Here's my advice: don't use any vintage or antique dish or glassware in the microwave; don't wash any vintage or antique wares in the dishwasher. Why risk it? Cook your food in something modern created for the microwave, let the food cool so that it's not boiling hot, then move it to your beautiful old dish for serving.
Also be careful of cupsand bowls even new ones that are Made in China. They get extemely hot in the microwave, dangerously so, even when it said it was safe for the microwave.
I'm wondering if someone knows when the practice began of putting a warning on pottery similar to: "For decorative purposes only. Not for food consumption". Thank you.
Some of the thicker pieces of pottery absorb small amounts of water in pores. When put in the microwave the water may expand to steam and crack the dish. I know this from sad experience.
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