Plastic is a tricky material to use in your microwave. Some plastics will melt and degrade when exposed to the high heat and can leach undesirable chemicals into your food. Definitely something you want to avoid.

How to tell if plastic is microwave safe

You can be sure a plastic bowl, plate or container is safe to use for a microwave oven if the words “microwave safe” or “microwavable” are found somewhere on the dish.

It’s usually found on the bottom and often accompanied by a design of a microwave oven or some waves.

In the US, the “microwave safe” label is regulated by the FDA to guarantee that the manufacturer has done the necessary testing to ensure the container is microwave safe.

If there is no “microwave safe” label? It’s possible the container is still safe for use and just hasn’t been tested. But why take that risk?

Another important point is to not fall into the trap of assuming a container that doesn’t heat up is safe. The microwaves from the microwave oven will pass straight through the plastic itself, but the plastic can be heated by being next to your heated up food. This is what causes the leaching (more on this below).

Be safe, look for the “microwave safe” label.

How dangerous can plastic be?

The issue with microwaving plastic containers is undesirable chemicals and compounds leaching into the food and finding their way into the body. Of particular concern are BPA plastics.

BPA chemicals have come under fire in recent years due to a number of studies linking them to various health conditions. This article gives a far better summary than I could of the implications. Here are a couple of choice quotes.

“The two components in plastics that experts are most concerned about are phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA), which are often referred to as endocrine disruptors because of their ability to affect estrogen and testosterone levels in humans. They also appear to have the potential to impact the development of the brain and reproductive organs in developing fetuses.”

“Exposure to BPA when a fetus is developing, meanwhile, has been associated with prematurity, changes in breast and prostate cells, early puberty, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease according to the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialist Unit.”

Given all that, is it really a risk you want to take?

What makes something microwave safe?

There are two reasons that a container or material may be considered NOT microwave safe.

1. The material itself is unsuitable for heating in a microwave. For example, all metals will reflect microwaves rather than absorbing them or letting them pass through. This can cause a dangerous build up of energy.
2. The material contains chemicals or constituents that are unsafe for human consumption AND these constituents could find their way into the food or liquid being heated.

In the case of plastics, it’s the second one.

In the US, the FDA stipulates a number of guidelines a container must meet in order for the manufacturer to label something as “microwave safe”.

Here’s a summary of the process, quoted from the FDA.

“Some plastics are deemed by the FDA to be microwave safe. To get the FDA’s designation, manufacturers must test the containers, estimating how long the container will be in the microwave, how much a person is likely to eat from the container, and the anticipated temperature of the food inside.

Provided the amount of chemicals leaching from the container into the food is estimated to be lower than the maximum allowable amount, the container is considered microwave safe. But that doesn’t necessarily guarantee safety.”

Interestingly, the FDA doesn’t do the testing, the manufacturer must do it themselves. Taking that into account, you may want to stick with a safer bet such as glass which will never leach into food as the melting point is far too high.

What materials are microwave safe?

Outside of a “microwave safe” label, experts advise the best materials for use in a microwave are glass and ceramic. These materials have very high melting points (3000°F or more) and will not leach into food.

Do understand that this does not mean glass or ceramic does not heat up. One common cause of accidents is picking up a scalding hot dish that can cause a burn or cause you to drop hot food everywhere. The heat can still travel from the food to the container by convection.

Metal containers are an absolute no-no. The microwaves reflect off the metal which can cause a build up of energy which will at best burn your food and make it inconsistently hot. At worst, it can blow up your microwave.

If you need to cover your food, use a paper towel rather than plastic wrap. This minimizes undesirable plastics finding their way into your food.

The worst plastics to avoid are those that are one time use. Take out boxes or margarine tubs, for example, are likely culprits for leaching plastic into food.

The types of plastic themselves have an impact. Without wanting to get too stuck in the weeds, these are the symbols you’re looking for of plastics that you want to AVOID in your microwave (and probably storing anything for human consumption as even without heat it can leach.)

The number 6 the infamous BPA chemical that you’ve surely heard about.

When it comes to wattage on a microwave, more is better.

A high wattage means a powerful microwave that can cook fast. A low wattage means you’re waiting around for your food to be cooked.

The range for wattages of microwaves is between 600W and 1200W on average. Boxed and packaged foods give you a reheat time based on 700W-900W microwaves which are the most common.

Is there any disadvantage to a high power / high wattage microwave? Not really. Modern microwaves have multiple power levels to adjust the heat when necessary.

If you’re looking for the best wattage microwave that can cook things in an instant, then I recommend you check out this model from Panasonic.

This microwave is top of the line, offering a beefy 1250W and lightning fast cooking times that make it one of the most useful and reliable microwave ovens on the market.

The Panasonic comes with awesome features like its patented “Inverter Technology” (click the link for specifics) as well as being just about the highest wattage for a (home use) microwave on the market at the moment.

How does wattage on a microwave work?

A watt is a measure of power. It tells us how much energy can be transferred to your food per second. A microwave of 1000W can transfer 1000 Joules of energy per second.

The wattage of microwaves works in a linear fashion. So a microwave of 1000W will transfer heat and cook twice as fast as a microwave of 500W. This makes it easy to do a quick calculation of how long different microwaves take to cook.

A boxed meal that says put in on high power at 900W for 3 minutes but you want to use a 1200W microwave? Simply do the following calculation.

So you pop it in for four minutes. No problem.

Are high wattage microwaves always good?

If a high wattage on your microwave is always better, why wouldn’t you always get the most powerful model possible?

Well, it’s a lot like buying a new car. Everyone wants a Porsche with its powerful engine, smooth handling and bucketloads of snazzy extras, but not everyone can afford it.

The best microwaves are high wattage and come with loads of useful features, but it might be more practical to get something a little more affordable.

One misconception is that powerful microwaves can cook too fast and leave you with burnt edges and cold spots in your food. This is incorrect.

Microwave ovens cook and reheat in a unique way. You can think of them as cooking from the inside out. The radio waves that your microwave oven emits is absorbed inside the food rather from the outside in. A higher wattage doesn’t burn the edges at all.

Now, it’s true that burnt edges and cold spots are an issue with microwave cooking in general. The best two tricks to avoid these issues are as follows.

1. Stir your food (if possible). All food that can be stirred should be stirred multiple times during cooking. This allows the heat to be spread out through the food rather than concentrated on the high energy places where the microwaves build up.
2. Leave to stand once heated. The biggest reason for cool spots is not giving food time to stand once cooked. Your food should be microwaved until it’s piping hot then left for 2-3 minutes for the heat to spread out through the food.

Follow these rules and it makes no difference what wattage your microwave is.

Most people’s idea of a perfect breakfast is last night’s takeaway sitting in your fridge. A couple of button pushes then a few minutes in the microwave and it’s (usually) just as tasty.

Have you ever noticed that reheated pizza is never quite the same though?

When it comes to microwaving leftover pizza, here are two invaluable tricks that’ll turn your dry, stale pizza remains into the crispy delicious stuff you had the night before.

1. Add moisture to the microwave. You can do this by putting your pizza on a damp paper towel, spritzing the pizza itself with a little water or putting it in the microwave with a small cup of water.
2. Use low power. Around 50% works well, and set the time for double to make up for it.

These two tips will transform your morning-after-the-night-before pizza with barely any effort.

Why do these tips work? Answers coming right up.

How to microwave day old pizza

Let’s examine the two tricks to making perfect reheated pizza with full explanations of why they work.

Tip 1 – Add moisture to the microwave

A microwave works by emitting low-frequency radio waves that are absorbed by food and especially water molecules. The waves cause these molecules to vibrate and heat up.

The important point here is that your microwave evaporates the water in your food and dries it out.

It’s no problem with foods like soup, curries or chilis. But for drier foods and particularly bready or doughy foods, using a microwave can ruin the taste.

So what’s the solution? Well, you need to add moisture.

One simple method is to put a small cup* of water in the microwave while your pizza is reheating. You can achieve the same effect by placing your pizza on a damp paper towel rather than a plate. Another option is to spritz the pizza itself with a few splashes of water.

*Note: Use a microwaveable cup or container. If you can’t find anything with a “microwave safe” label on it, then the safest materials are glass and ceramic.

Tip 2 – Use 50% power for double the time

Microwave ovens do not distribute heat evenly. The waves focus on certain areas more than others. It’s why every microwave has a rotating turntable to keep the food moving which avoids the issue of certain parts of the food being too hot or burnt.

You might have noticed packaged meals instruct you to stir the food? This allows the heat to be spread evenly throughout. This works great for curries or soups, but you can hardly stir a pizza.

Use a low power instead. Setting your microwave to 50% and double the time will allow the heat to spread by convection. The pizza will become consistently hot and less likely to end up a soggy, cardboard-like mess.

What is the best way to heat up pizza?

The best way to heat up leftover pizza is by using a skillet or oven. Microwave ovens do not get hot enough to crisp your pizza, melt the cheese or cause the desired “Mailliard Reaction” which causes the delicious browning we all love.

On the other hand, using a skillet takes longer, requires you to watch it and means more cleaning up once you’re finished. Using an oven means sitting around waiting for it to heat up. None of which is ideal when your goal is a couple slices of pizza and some Netflix while you nurse a hangover!

So there are reasons why you would use a microwave oven for reheating pizza, even if it’s not the optimal choice. Hey, I’m as guilty as anyone.

Now if you want the convenience of using a microwave to reheat pizza but still with awesome taste, check out the next section…

The combination method

Let’s say you’ve got access to a full kitchen but you don’t want the effort of reheating your pizza properly. Let me introduce you to “the combination method”.

1. Put your pizza in the microwave oven (one minute a slice is a good rule of thumb)
2. Flick the heat on your oven or skillet while you wait
3. When the pizza has finished in the microwave, throw the pizza into the (slightly) preheated oven for 20 seconds or so

There you are! Quick, convenient microwave cooking with the crispy crust and gooey cheese from a quick blast in the oven.

Your plucky microwave oven sits in the corner of your kitchen waiting to reheat three-day-old pizza or the chicken soup that’s for dinner because you can’t be bothered to spend more than 4 minutes cooking tonight.

But did you know it can do so much more?

This article has a bunch of interesting and surprising ways to use your microwave. We’ve included loads of cool recipes along with a couple of tricks to cook things you didn’t even know could be done in a microwave (chicken, anyone?)

Feast on the info that follows and you’ll find cooking easier, simpler and faster than ever!

Microwave Mug Cake

Let’s start with a classic, the microwave mug cake. If you’ve never experienced the pleasure of making chocolate cake by lobbing a cup in a microwave, that’s something you need to rectify pretty darn soon!

Using a few common ingredients and with a cook time of less than two minutes, this is perfect for an easy treat. The cake pops out the top of the mug when it’s finished (cute af, by the way) and kids adore it. I can personally vouch for this recipe, but countless twists and variations are just a google search away.

Easiest Bacon Ever

Oh, you thought bacon was reserved for precious mornings off?

Well you’re mistaken, my friend… Bacon can be cooked in your microwave in a couple of minutes and with a fraction of the cleaning up.

While meat is inadvisable to throw into your microwave, bacon is so thin that it absorbs the heat efficiently.

I’m going to defer the full explanation to this picture-laden post here. Check out the photo at the bottom, can you even tell it wasn’t cooked in a skillet?

Cooking Dry Pasta

Next up is the most criminally overlooked of cooking “hacks”, a way to cook dry pasta from scratch in just ten minutes.

Put one serving of pasta in the microwave with cold water and cover. Full power for ten minutes. The pasta cooks easily, the difficulty is getting the amount of time right.

Check the pasta has softened before serving. You can give it more time or add more water if needed. The process gets easier after you’ve mastered it (i.e. done it four or five times).

This shortcut is a lifesaver for those who get frustrated watching a pot meander its way to a boil (AKA me).

Easy Peasy Scrambled Eggs

Rustling up breakfast can be an ordeal. All that mixing, cooking and cleaning just to plop some scrambled eggs on a plate.

Sidestep the hassle by throwing a few eggs (with seasoning) into a bowl and giving it 30-60 seconds in the microwave. Stir in intervals if you don’t wish the eggs to set, and giving it more or less time will change the consistency from thicker to runny.

Either way, eggs on toast in a couple of minutes doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

Awesome Mushroom Risotto

This risotto recipe shows that your microwave can pull off more than just snacks and small bites. Get dinner ready in a jiffy with a handful of common ingredients you’ve probably already got.

The risotto is not just easy to cook, but easy to customize too! Great for the last few days before paycheck or a clear out of the pantry. You can throw almost anything in there!

Make Peeling Garlic Super Easy

Place a head of garlic in the microwave for about 20 seconds and the heat will break apart the tough seams.

Put pressure on the full bulb of garlic using your bare hands and it will swiftly slide out. No messing around with knives or crushing the garlic first.

This is a great way to use full bulbs of garlic without chopping the ends off. They look fantastic placed around a joint of beef an oven roast, for example.

Make Foamed Milk For A Cappuccino

Love foamed milk in your coffee? This 30-second video shows how to create foamed milk using just a mason jar and a microwave.

Impress friends and loved ones by making coffee just like they do in coffee shops with none of the fancy (or expensive) equipment!

Toast Your Nuts

Whether your jam is almonds, walnuts, cashews or anything else, everyone agrees that nuts taste better toasted. Get your burn on by putting your nuts in the microwave for a quick blast to get that toasty, crispy texture.

Read this article that walks through trying it out with some walnuts. Eight minutes is the sweet spot, apparently. Taste-wise it’s not far off what you’d get from doing it in the oven.

Sweet Potato Chips

Sweet potato chips are an awesome crunchy and salty snack that are yet another to throw on the pile of “super easy microwave food”.

Take one sweet potato and some seasoning and you’re a few minutes away from crispy chips ready to eat.

What’s best is you get all the pleasure of munching on delicious chips with none of the guilt. The preservatives you get in store-bought chips are absent and you’re chowing down on ultra-healthy, low-GI sweet potato!

Check out the full recipe here.

Choc Chip Cookie In A Cup

These delightfully cute “choc chip cookies” are another five minute microwave wonder.

Like the “cake in a cup” I mentioned earlier, everyone is gobsmacked when they find out their little ol’ microwave can bake up goodies like this.

Recipe here. You’ll notice the ingredients are all probably in your pantry already so I’ll understand if you wanna close this article to run off and make these!

“Roasting” Garlic

If you’re in need of roasted garlic for a recipe without waiting an hour for your oven to get the job done… then you’re in luck. Read this shortcut for getting squishy, cooked garlic in just a few minutes.

Mac And Cheese

The biggest shock for me with microwaves was being able to cook dry pasta with little difference in taste. What a timesaver!

This four-ingredient mac and cheese (in a mug) is the perfect recipe to show off the microwave’s versatility. And to make super easy dinner tonight!

Oatmeal In A Mug

Oh yes, get your mugs out (again) for another cool ‘n’ quirky idea for breakfast. This recipe imitates “baked oatmeal” but with none of the aggro.

It’s super customizable, so get creative with all your favorite embellishments. Chuck nutritious whole grains and fruits in there for the health-conscious.

Soften Butter

I don’t use the word “lifechanging” lightly, but of all the tips in this list, this one comes closest.

Take hard butter from the fridge and put it in your microwave on low power (30% or so) for 10-20 seconds. Congratulations, you now have soft, perfectly spreadable butter!

Melt Chocolate

In a similar vein to taking the grief out of hard butter that you can’t spread, microwaves can be used to heat up and melt chocolate into delicious gooey goodness!

Use very low power (10% is ideal) for 10-15 seconds, it doesn’t take much. If need be you can give it a little more time and/or stir.

Microwave Mug Pizza

Didn’t think microwaves were suitable for pizza? Well, you’re not way off the mark.

Pizzas and other doughy products rely on high heat to brown and crisp the pie and give it that lovely texture. A microwave can cook a pizza but it’ll be a soggy, disappointing mess.

There is a workaround however, and surprise surprise, it involves a mug.

Recipe here. Ingredients are simple, preparation is simple, and it just might satisfy your craving for a cheesy, tomato-ey meal!

“Roast” Chicken

One of the beauties of the microwave is it can be used to simplify otherwise long and arduous cooking processes.

For example, making some chicken for a chicken sandwich requires either an oven or a pan, plenty of time and lots of clean up.

Alternatively, read this from my new favorite website. Full instructions on how to safely and easily microwave raw chicken into cooked chicken that can be used in sandwiches or any other dish.

Fluffy Rice

No rice cooker? No problem!

Rice is one of the cheapest ways to get your calories and with a microwave and a bit of knowhow you can serve yourself up some fluffy goodness in no time.

The process is a little tricky. Follow this (very) detailed recipe for starters. It might take a few tries to pull it off as you’re working with water ratios and getting the time dial in. There’s definitely a knack to it.

Thick, Creamy Polenta

Need some quick carbs to beef up a meal? Throw some polenta into a microwave and you’ve got a great complement to whatever else you’re cooking. Find the recipe here, it’s as simple and easy like most of the other things on this list!

Perfect Poached Eggs

We all know that pulling off a sublime poached egg is the holy grail of breakfast making. And we’ve all tried and failed at making perfect poached eggs in a pan (to be fair, it’s darn tricky!)

Just 30 or 40 seconds is enough to make poached eggs in your microwave by following the recipe here. And you don’t even have to tell anyone you cheated!

Boiled Water For Tea Or Coffee

No kettle and looking to make yourself a hot drink in a pinch?

Guess what… your microwave can help you do that as well!

Put a microwaveable mug filled with water up to 2/3s and on high for around a minute. Your water will be boiled and ready for tea/coffee/cocoa.

The wattage of your microwave is one of its key features. It tells you how powerful your microwave is, how fast it cooks your food and ultimately how your food will taste.

Understanding the wattage and using it will help you heat food more thoroughly and consistently. Best of all, your food will taste better.

Join me as we explore the ins and outs of microwaves and their wattages!

What Is Microwave Wattage?

Wattage is a measure of electrical power, measured in Watts. Technically speaking, it’s the amount of energy per second that an electrical device can impart.

Everything electric you own has a wattage. From a lightly powered 100W lightbulb up to a powerful 15000W air conditioning unit.

For microwaves, this translates to the speed your microwave heats up food. A typical microwave imparts 800W of power which can cook a plate of food in about three minutes. A powerful, top-of-the-line microwave with 1200W would take just two minutes for the same plate.

The way wattage works is linear, which means that a 1200W microwave is twice as powerful and cooks twice as fast as a 600W microwave.

How To Find The Wattage Of Your Microwave

Microwaves are required by law to state the wattage on the machine. It can be written on the front where the controls or keypad is, on the inside of the door, or sometimes on the back of the microwave.

Here’s a photo of a microwave displaying its wattage.

What Is The Standard Microwave Wattage?

The standard microwave wattage has hovered between 700W and 900W for a few decades now. Just recently this range has been pushed up by new technology making higher wattages available for home use microwaves. Even 1200W microwave ovens are commonplace these days.

This has been a trend for some time. When microwaves were first introduced to the home market, a standard microwave wattage was more like 600W which would be positively glacial by modern standards.

What Is A Good Wattage For A Microwave?

Microwave ovens are produced with a wattage in the range of 600W to 1200W. The middle of that range is the most common. The higher the wattage, the faster the food cooks.

So you might think the higher the better, right?

Well, if you want to heat and reheat food as quickly as possible then yes, treat yourself to a 1200W microwave.

You’ll save around 10 seconds for each 100W extra on your oven. (For a better calculation, check the next section). Those 30 seconds or so can come in pretty useful when you have lots of food on the go.

One issue with higher wattage microwaves is that packaged foods will give heating instructions based on lower wattage microwaves, usually 700-900W. So when you buy your favorite microwave lasagne you’ll need to use a lower power setting to heat it. Or you can do a quick calculation in your head to work out how long to heat it.

The 1100W+ microwaves fall on the expensive side of the microwave spectrum. You run into cool features like “moisture sensors” which can automatically work out cooking times and “turbo defrost” to speed up thawing times. At the same time, you can expect to pay 2-3x the cost for a higher watt microwave.

If you’re in the market for a new microwave, here’s my pick for the best high wattage microwave. It’s from Panasonic and comes with a bunch of useful features. Check out this link to read about them.

Is 700/800/900 Watts Enough For A Microwave?

No wattage is too low to be able to cook food. Your low power 700W microwave is just as capable of cooking whatever you want to put in it as the latest and greatest devices on the market. It simply takes longer.

Even something as low as 600W (the absolute lowest you’ll come across) will be perfectly capable of heating and reheating food. The issue is you will have to wait twice as long as you might with a more powerful and faster microwave.

If you want my advice, then get the most powerful microwave you can afford. The extra wattage will cook food quicker and you can always dial down the power a little if need be.

How To Convert Between Wattages

Let’s say you want to cook some microwave fries but the packaging gives instructions for 900W and you have a 1200W microwave. What a crisis!

Well, you can avert disaster with a quick calculation. If the time needed is three minutes, then you convert that into seconds (180) and do:

So you heat the food up for 135 seconds (or 2 minute and 15 seconds) and it will be perfect. Hopefully it’s clear how the rest of the equation worked!

If that seems too much like hard work then this website will do the hard yards for you!

When heating food, it’s good to get a feel for how quickly your own microwave works. Remember, your microwave will often heat up the outside of the food first. So stab a fork into your food and wait a few seconds then check if the fork is warm. This will tell you whether the food is cooked through or not.

When using a microwave, it’s better to overheat rather than underheat. Burnt edges and cool spots can be a real problem, so nuke until you’re sure it’s done. The heat will dissipate and leave you with evenly warm food. And even if it’s too hot, you can just wait for the food to cool down.

Why Are High Wattage Microwaves More Expensive?

The technology in microwave ovens is pretty neat stuff. Bear in mind these things only started appearing in our kitchens in the 70s…

The appliance uses a “magnetron” which generates radio waves, this is radiation which heats up the water molecules in your food. Producing all that in such a small machine takes some advanced engineering.

In addition, safety is an aspect of microwaves that takes some skillful technology. After all, you don’t want any of that radiation coming near you or your family!

Basically, if you want a quality microwave that can nuke food in double quick time, you gotta fork out a few bucks.