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It is safe to use aluminum foil and containers in the microwave – if you know the rules.

By on October 23, 2023

There is a lot of do’s and don’ts on the internet about whether or not heating food with aluminum foil or package inside a microwave oven is safe.

One netizen says “aluminum foil could damage the magnetron – but more to the point –  you won’t heat the food. The foil prevents the microwaves from accessing the food.”

”If you do see sparks inside the oven cavity, it’s not a cause for alarm,” said one retired electronic engineer.

“Aluminum foil does not catch fire. It does, however, conduct electricity,” he adds.

Sparks occur because energy waves that should be absorbed by your food instead bounce between objects.

“The microwaves heat the material, not the air in the oven so that when sparks fly, turn the oven off and the spark will be gone,” he said.

 

 

The results of an extensive study by Fraunhofer Institute (IVV) in Freising, Germany dispels the myth that aluminum foil containers or aluminum foil packs are not safe for use in microwave ovens.

TESTS

There were 200 microwave-oven tests conducted with food using a wide variety of aluminium foil containers. For each of the experiment, four different microwave ovens were used. The tests carried out were on aluminium trays containing tap water, egg batter, deep-frozen lasagne and minced meat. In other tests, plastic beakers and dishes containing noodle soup or children’s meals sealed with aluminium foil or composite- material aluminium lids were used.

The researchers carried out all application-oriented tests with the microwave ovens switched to full heating power.

The result: Not one single oven was damaged, no user was injured. Not one case of sparking in the microwave ovens was observed when the instructions were properly heeded. The tests were carried out under the general condition of use that only one tray was used for each heating run and that this tray was placed in the middle of a nonmetallic oven turntable without any contact with the walls.

HOW TO DO IT RIGHT

REMEMBER THESE 5 RULES WHEN USING ALUMINUM CONTAINERS/FOILS IN THE MICROWAVE

1. Aluminium lid or sealing film must be removed from the tray before use.

2. The amount of food being heated should be well distributed throughout the tray.

3. Place aluminium container in the middle of the turntable in the microwave oven.  If your microwave happens to have a metal turntable type, place a ceramic or glass plate in between the tray and the turntable. No two metals should come into direct contact with each other.

4. The container should not come into contact with the walls of the microwave oven. Allow at least a minimum 2-cm distance between wall and container.

5. Heat only one aluminum tray at a time.

The study found that lasagna in aluminum container heated in a microwave oven produced a more visually appetizing brown crust on the surface than other containers.

 

 

 

 

 

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