There seems to be a lot of concern about the safety of different bowls used for warming food inside the oven. Some bowl materials are too sensitive to heat; hence they either melt or release some of their chemical compounds into food. The safety of bowls inside the oven must also be looked into from the perspective of human safety. There is vital evidence that certain foods can react with some components of bowls under intense heat.
So, What Types of Bowls are Safe for Use in the Oven?
Glass and ceramic wares are oven safe as long as they do not come with paints.
What Containers Are Oven Safe And Which Are Not?
Despite glass and ceramic being part of the safest bowls, you should put inside the oven, there are several exceptions: hand-made pottery and crystals. Even if you have to use glass or ceramic bowls inside the oven, you must be sure that these materials don’t come with inlays or inner and outer paints. If possible, the only items you should put in your oven are liquids, foods, and food-safe containers. Sometimes, it can be tough to ascertain what items should be put inside the oven.
1. Glass
Some people often wonder if the glass is safe for the oven considering the fact that some types of glasses can crack under intense heat. Thick glass usually is safe for oven use, but crystal glass is not. If you have to put glass plates, bowls, mugs, and bakeware into the oven, you must ensure that they don’t contain inlays or painting.
2. Plastic and Tupperware
Not all plastic is safe for the oven; as a matter of fact, many of them will melt under extreme heat. For instance, single-use plastics made for foods like yogurt and cheese should never be put in the oven. Old and cracked, discolored plastics must also be avoided. On the other hand, special plastics used for permanent storage and similar things can be used safely inside the oven.
3. Plain Paper Plates and Paper Towels
Though it is possible to put plain paper plates inside the oven, much disposable paper tableware should not be placed inside it. While some paper towels can be used in wrapping some foods so that they don’t spill while heating or cooking, paper towels like recycled papers, paper towels with printing, and brown paper bags pose serious hazards inside the oven; hence they must not be put there.
4. Ziploc Bags
Ziploc has assured its consumers that its food storage bags are generally safe for reheating and defrosting food materials, but they encourage users to follow all label directions. You have to confirm that the Ziploc bag of your choice is safe for use in the oven, and you must follow all label directions when using it. Keep a Ziploc bag out of the oven if you are unsure of its oven safety.
5. Styrofoam
If you have to use Styrofoam in the oven, it must be labeled oven-safe. Despite several types of Styrofoam being labeled as oven-safe, they are never labeled for such. It will be best to keep this material out of the oven if it is not labeled for oven use.
6. Cardboards
Some people believe that since they can microwave certain paper plates and paper towels, they should be able to put cardboard in the oven. Unfortunately, cardboards are different from paper towels because cardboards contain glue, waxes, and other components that make them unusable in the oven.
It is common to see some takeout cardboard boxes with metal handles today, and these two are unsafe for oven use because they can trigger sparks and fire hazards. You must remove food and liquid items from cardboard containers before adding them to oven-safe bowls.
7. Stainless Steel and Aluminum Foil
Anything made from metal should not go into the oven. Iron, copper, container steel, and other hard metal material must not enter the oven. Metal surfaces absorb and conduct heat faster than most other materials. With high conductance, heat rapidly builds up inside metal substances, which could trigger a fire. If, for instance, you are storing food inside a metal substance, remove it and put it inside the oven-safe container.
Things can become more complicated with Aluminum foil because it can be technically used in the oven, but you must ensure the surface remains as flat as possible. Arcing is an issue that develops in Aluminum foil when you use wrinkled. Arcing occurs when electrical sparks move rapidly across the Aluminum foil’s surface, leading to a fire accident, and sometimes your oven may become damaged.
In addition to the high risks of fire, foods wrapped inside aluminum foil may not cook even or adequately reheat well inside the oven. The aluminum foil is known to reflect most of the heat. For all these reasons, you may need to consult your Aluminum foil manufacturer to be sure if the foil is safe for use in the oven.
8. Stoneware
Stoneware can be an alternative material that you can use safely in the oven. The reason for this is that stoneware is a non-reactive material; hence the heat in the oven will not cause harmful chemicals from the material to leach into your food. The main disadvantage of stoneware is that they can’t become very pricey compared to some other oven-safe materials.
9. Silicone Baking Mat
Silicone baking mats are pretty new in the baking world though used for over a decade now. Fortunately, they are generally chemically inert; hence many believe they can be safely used in the oven. Silicone mats are preferable, especially to individuals who can’t deal with muffin tins, brownie pans, and loaf pans. It would be best to be sure you are using the food-grade silicone mat.
10. Non-stick Surfaces
Non-sticky surfaces must never be used in the oven. They are known to contain PFOA chemicals that can affect your food. Many other non-sticky surfaces also possess these black substances that can be poisonous to your food; hence you should avoid using the materials in the oven.
11. Wood and Wooden Materials
Wood is a No! You cant put wood and wooden materials in an oven because they will surely catch fire even within a brief period. Wooden bowls, flat wooden surfaces used for serving foods, and wood in any other form must not be used in the oven.
Other Things You Should Know About Materials Usable In The Oven
The following is some other information you should have about the types of materials you can place in the oven;
1. How Can I Tell if a Non-classified Container is Safe for the Oven?
There are times when you get confused about the oven safety of a container. There are general guidelines on the safety of different containers for ovens, but some exemptions are worth noting. If you are unsure whether an item is oven-safe, you can check the back or the bottom of the item and see if there is an oven-safe label. If you can’t find this label, try researching what substances the material is made of. Your research findings will give you an idea of whether the material is safe for the oven or not. If you still can’t discover what the item is made of, it will be safer to leave it out of the oven.
2. What If A Material Is Oven Safe But Gets Hot Quickly
If you are using a material to put food in the oven for the first time, you need to be careful, especially when such material gets hot quickly. You may want to reduce the total time the material spends in the oven or transfer the food into another oven-safe material that dissipates heat quickly.
Since different materials react to different temperatures differently, it makes sense to be cautious of how you use them in the oven. If you are unsure of the safety of the material, use it under lower oven temperatures, even if it is oven-safe.
Sometimes, manufacturers don’t put oven-safe labels on the bottom of the back of their products, but descriptions may be found on the product labels.
Conclusion
It would be best if you avoided any bowl with no label whatsoever, especially one indicating whether the product is oven-safe or not. Manufacturers who don’t count it worthy of putting this important label should not be taken seriously. This does not mean unlabeled bowls are useless, and perhaps you can use them for other things in the home except the oven. It is also possible to look up a bowl or any other item on the manufacturer’s website to be sure of their usability in the oven. Some manufacturers of these bowls will indicate the temperature range within which you can safely use their products in the oven.
