Kitchen

[Twins Mom]

Anyone know why some dishes (microwave safe) get hot in microwave and others don’t?
I have Pottery Barn mugs get super hot to touch while my 20+ year old Pfalzgraff stay relatively warm.
I was going to donate my Pfalzgraff but compared two and now rethinking.

[StylishLady]

Good question. I do not know. 

[Yahooey]

head scratcher to me

My container gets hot if the stuff inside it gets hot

if the vessel is just warm - I nuke it again

[lovemybichonfrise]

Hi @Twins Mom 

I have two of four left of the 5" tall coffee mugs in Putty from Pottery Barn that were created by Barbara Eigen ceramics.  I didn't have a problem with them being heated in the microwave at that time.

When I reordered the same mug in set of six in Cocoa two years later, I noticed a big difference in the quality.  They were much lighter in weight and two minutes on HIGH in the microwave would make the handles so hot you couldn't pick it up.  The first time that happened with the new mugs, I almost drop it on my tile floor, caught it but I got burned by the hot water used to heat the cups for coffee. Now, I heat the mugs for under two minutes MAX on lower heat setting, and they're safe to handle.

Did some research and found Barbara Eigen's company went out of business but Pottery Barn continues to promote her name.  Just looked at the bottom of my older and newer mugs and both say "POTTERY BARN STUDIO BY BARBARA EIGEN."

[Nightowlz]

Found this interesting info online from Home Ec 101.

It’s important to remember that not all ceramic is created equally. Dry, unglazed ceramic is usually microwave safe, but there is a caveat. The material is porous and can absorb water. When this happens the microwaves heat the water in the ceramic dish. If the water gets hot enough it can cause uneven thermal expansion (some things get bigger when they are heated) which can break your dish.

When it comes to ceramic glazes a few other factors come into play. Some ceramic glazes may may contain dangerous chemicals like lead that can leach into food. These containers should not be labelled food safe. Caveat emptor is the rule of the day. Most retail establishments would not knowingly sell consumers items not intended for food use without a clear label. However it has happened in the past. Use extra caution with decorative bowls, that label not for food use is VERY important.

With food safe glazes, no dangerous chemicals should leach into your food. That doesn’t mean your dish should be used in the microwave. If the bowl gets hot, before the food, the microwaves are exciting molecules in the glaze. While this may not be dangerous from a chemical standpoint, burns still hurt. Throw in the the fact that you’re not getting the most efficient use of  your microwave and I’d quit using that container to reheat food.

[Twins Mom]

@Nightowiz
Interesting information, thank you.
My takeaway is that dinnerware can be microwave safe but not necessarily efficient. I have been concerned about lead and quality
of dinnerware. I need to eliminate my „hot“ cups since I often reheat in microwave.

@LuvMyBichonFrise
Wow, your experience was one of the worst. Glad not more serious but bad enough. Prime example of why I am concerned.

[suzyQ3]

I've learned through bitter experience never to reheat a half-full mug of coffee (I love hot coffee). Recently, I did so without thought, and when I removed the mug from my over-the countertop microwave, coffee spew all over the place.

It landed on my head, but thankfully not on my face. It was a very jarring experience.

[Twins Mom]

@ suzyQ3
I am on tall side so never had issue with over counter microwave but I did see issues with kids.
Have an in island microwave and liking it more than I thought. (DH really was worried about standing on head cleaning). If cup filled to top it might spill from movement but rare. Cleaning not issue since I cover most with paper.