Simple Green: Don't Microwave in Plastic ... Ever

We've gotten pretty good about this over the last couple years. So good, in fact, we almost forget that some people still microwave food in plastic. Being home for Thanksgiving has reminded us.

This little post at Plenty magazine also reminded us.

Replacing our plastic containers with glass ones seems like the most obvious step, but what about all the food that comes, ready to be microwaved, in plastic bags or plastic wrap? We sometimes buy cauliflower and broccoli from Trader Joe's -- it comes in plastic with instructions on how to nuke the vegetables right in the bag.

We cut the bag open, dump the veggies into a dish and cook them. It's that easy, but every once in awhile it's almost slipped our minds.

Have you stopped microwaving in plastic entirely?

Via Plenty

Comments (16)

absolutely! i don't own a microwave, but occasionally use one at work. I always transfer food to a bowl or plate i've brought from home before reheating.

oh, i see. forgive me its a lazy day.

I haven't owned or used a microwave in about 3 years. Not for any particular reason. The glass carousel broke on my last microwave. The carousel cost more to replace than I spent on the microwave, so I freecycled it and never replaced it. After reading that article I'm glad I don't own one.

I wonder how much energy they used compared to electric or gas range?

I still microwave stuff in plastic all the time. Oh well.

Having no microwave in the house makes it easy to avoid.
And my husband and I pack glass for our lunches that have to be heated up out of the house.

a few years ago my parents ancient(I'm talking 15 years old) microwave died and we went three years until recently without using one.

It was during that time we only used a toaster oven for reheating things. Everything just tastes better when it comes out of toaster oven :)

And it wasn't until this past year I read a label on this plastic bowl I would use that says not microwave safe and I had been throwing it in the microwave MANY times. O_O Now, I just use glass plates and bowls.

Does anyone knowwhere I can find cheap (or at least cheaper) glass food storage? The only place I've seen nice items is the Container Store, but at their prices it'd be a $100 investment to replace all of our current containers.

Amazon sells some reasonable priced Pyrex sets.

coffeebuzz76 asked:
"I wonder how much energy they used compared to electric or gas range?"

they use far more. But you only use the microwave for very short bursts, compared to using a stove. So the net result is you save a LOT of energy by using the microwave. I use mine all the time to steam vegetables, heat liquids, reheat leftovers, even make cheese crisps. Most of these jobs are 2 minutes or less, whereas they'd be much more (including water-heating time) on a stovetop or in an oven.

here's a good article about it: http://www.terrapass.com/blog/posts/overcooked-myth

My favorite kitchen item is a plastic microwave food steamer from Japan.

Does anyone know if it's save to use plastic lids on glass containers if they don't touch the food? I have some very nice Rubbermaid glass containers with plastic lids. How about plastic wrap over a dish or a large plastic dome that covers a dish?

"Everything just tastes better when it comes out of toaster oven"

I second that.

Don't microwave in plastic ever is not exactly what the original study said. On the other hand, "Some Concern" by the NTP probably warrants going to glass. Pyrex has some great sets, some aren't even that utilitarian looking.

This is a lot more easily said than done. I work in a place where we have no sink except for the bathroom, so I bring frozen lunches in gladware containers so that I can microwave them and then wash them later. I make several lunches at once, and store them in the freezer. What's the alternative? Keep a stack of glassware in the freezer? Lug some giant pyrex thing to work every day?