{"id":1755667,"date":"2022-04-04T07:18:34","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T12:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=1755667"},"modified":"2024-09-26T04:02:25","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T09:02:25","slug":"can-you-microwave-styrofoam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/can-you-microwave-styrofoam\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Microwave Styrofoam?"},"content":{"rendered":"When it comes to convenience, using a microwave<\/a> to reheat food is second to none. But as you already know, not everything is safe to put in the microwave. Your restaurant leftovers and to-go orders are often packed in plastic foam containers. Not all foam containers are the same, nor are they all microwave-safe. (Learn more about whether you can put aluminum foil in the microwave.<\/a>)\r\n

What Is Styrofoam?<\/h2>\r\nHere's a fun fact: There's a good chance you've been using the wrong word to refer to plastic foam food containers and cups. Turns out, neither are made with real Styrofoam. Styrofoam is a trademarked brand name for a specific type of building product made by the Dow Chemical Company. It's made from extruded polystyrene foam. The foam food containers we're familiar with are made from a similar, but different, product: expanded polystyrene foam, or EPS. This material is about 95% air, which makes it super lightweight.\r\n\r\nThe styrene used to make foam containers is a human-made product, manufactured with products derived from petroleum and natural gas.\r\n

Can You Microwave Styrofoam?<\/h2>\r\nThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has deemed polystyrene food containers and packaging to be safe for hot and cold food items. However, not all foam containers should be microwaved. To determine if a foam container is microwave-safe, look for a small symbol of a microwave with wavy lines. That symbol means the FDA has determined the container is safe to heat in the microwave. If the container does not<\/em> have that symbol, it's not safe to use in the microwave. (Learn when you can microwave cardboard<\/a>.)\r\n\r\nWhat happens if you microwave plastic foam containers? There is a chance that, when heated, some styrene can migrate into the food within the container. This is particularly true for fatty items such as meats and cheeses. This is potentially concerning as styrene has been identified as a cancer-causing agent<\/a>. Additionally, foam containers that are not marked as microwave-safe could melt or catch on fire if microwaved too long.\r\n\r\nEven if you can reheat microwave-safe foam containers, should<\/em> you?\r\n\r\nTurns out, the very quality that makes these foam containers so useful (the ability to keep foods hot or cold) also makes them poor vessels for reheating food. To make sure your food is heated evenly throughout, transfer leftovers to a microwave-safe container, (you can microwave glass<\/a>.) You can also place the food in an oven-safe container and heat it up in the oven.\r\n\r\nLearn how to microwave leftovers<\/a> the right way.\r\n\r\n[cf]skyword_tracking_tag[\/cf]","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can you put plastic foam containers in the microwave? The answer is “not always.” Follow this guide to safely reheat leftovers packaged in foam containers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7801,"featured_media":1758281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[304032,303966,304071],"categories-v2":[308623,308481,308495,308668],"coauthors":[145797],"acf":{"ncv_override_generic_settings_option":false,"ncv_autoplay_option":"","ncv_stickyplay_option":"","ncv_ads_option":"","ncv_mute_option":"","ncv_comscore_option":"","ncv_moat_option":"","ncv_autoplay_mobile_option":"","ncv_viewable_threshold_option":"","ncv_sticky_offset_option":"","ncv_autopause_option":"","ncv_sticky_offset_mobile_option":"","ncv_autopause_mobile_option":"","ncv_sticky_mobile_option":"","ncv_remove_player_option":false,"long_pin_file":false},"yoast_head":"\nCan You Microwave Styrofoam? 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In 2010, she created the food blog <em>A Less Processed Life<\/em>, which features made-from-scratch recipes that highlight locally grown ingredients. As a contributor for <em>Taste Recipes<\/em>, Susan has written about twists on classic cocktails like apple cider sangria and maple old-fashioneds. She also shares tried-and-true cooking techniques and re-creates and reviews recipes from notable chefs, including Julia Child and Ina Garten. She lives on a small family farm with her husband and son, and loves tasting all that the Upper Midwest\u2019s culinary landscape has to offer.<\/p>","twitter":"","instagram":"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/susanbronson\/?hl=en","facebook":"","public_email":"","linkedin":"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/susanbergbronson\/","tiktok":"","youtube":"","location":"Rhinelander, WI","school_and_year":"Indiana University","education":"<ul>\r\n<li>University of Dayton, bachelor's in biology<\/li>\r\n<li>Indiana University, master's in journalism and public affairs<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","highlights":"<ul>\r\n<li>10 years of professional food-writing experience<\/li>\r\n<li>Writer for <em>Taste Recipes<\/em>, <em>Tripadvisor<\/em>, <em>USA Today<\/em>, <em>eHow<\/em>, <em>Birds & Blooms<\/em> and <em>Wcities<\/em><\/li>\r\n<li>Food content contributor for WXPR public radio<\/li>\r\n<li>WSET Level 2 Award in Wines in 2023<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","expertise":"Recipe development; cooking techinques; baking; beer, wine & cocktails; product testing; gardening & plant care; grocery shopping","short_bio":"<p>With 25 years of food and science writing under her belt, Susan is able to test pretty much any recipe for <em>Taste Recipes<\/em>. 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