Heating Drinks on Microwave

[KangUsapEmenq]

Well, I know it's kind of funny to ask here but.. I never use microwave, like, at all. Currently I'm interning on an office that has one microwave at it. I figured, heck, instead of drinking 'instant' coffee + milk (in powdered form), I can probably just got some Nescafe black coffee and one pack of UHT milk, and make it on office. I usually made such kind of coffee at home using normal stove and a pan, kind of drinking it daily at home so, yeah, have to fulfill the caffeine addiction.

 

Problem is, I never know of what kind of glass that can be used for microwaving any kind of drink. The office got some standard ceramic and glass-material mug tho, didn't see enough of "Microwave-safe" thingy on those. I Googled it already and still found no good answer, if you're driven nuts of my question here, perhaps.

 

And "Why don't you get Starbucks or just order it online instead?"

Shit's expensive, yo. Can save enough money for something else. I lived (rented a crib) alone on the city.

[GhostRoadieBL]

pyrex which will be marked with "pyrex made in England" or sometimes has an anchor etched in the glass is safe for the microwave.

Your best option (and safest) is ceramic mugs, basically every mug which doesn't have a metal rim is microwave safe and you can get pretty much every size. 

 

if you use a "normal" glass in the microwave you can crack the glass or worse case burst the glass because of how the microwave heats liquids compared to amorphous solids. (we can go into the molecule vibration heating from micro-wave energy but it's complicated and really unnecessary if you just don't put non-pyrex glass in the microwave) 

 

also avoid putting cold spoons into liquids immediately after pulling the mug from the microwave, this can cause splash burns. Give the cup a few seconds outside the microwave before putting the spoon in so the mug and liquid normalize temperature. (microwaves can get liquid above the boiling point but until you agitate the liquid it won't appear to be boiling then boil all at once)

 

[Vishera]

Ceramics on their own have no problems with micro-waves,

The problem is the paint on them,any metallic paint can cause sparks and is a fire hazard in a micro-wave.

And glass can shatter from the stress of the heat.

[KangUsapEmenq]

1 hour ago, GhostRoadieBL said:

pyrex which will be marked with "pyrex made in England" or sometimes has an anchor etched in the glass is safe for the microwave.

Your best option (and safest) is ceramic mugs, basically every mug which doesn't have a metal rim is microwave safe and you can get pretty much every size. 

 

if you use a "normal" glass in the microwave you can crack the glass or worse case burst the glass because of how the microwave heats liquids compared to amorphous solids. (we can go into the molecule vibration heating from micro-wave energy but it's complicated and really unnecessary if you just don't put non-pyrex glass in the microwave) 

 

also avoid putting cold spoons into liquids immediately after pulling the mug from the microwave, this can cause splash burns. Give the cup a few seconds outside the microwave before putting the spoon in so the mug and liquid normalize temperature. (microwaves can get liquid above the boiling point but until you agitate the liquid it won't appear to be boiling then boil all at once)

 

I finally found one ceramic mug on the office that's actually usable for microwave-use (it got the "microwave-safe" text). Perhaps I'd get my favorite coffee starting tomorrow.

 

Thanks for the spoon warning, duly noted.

45 minutes ago, Vishera said:

Ceramics on their own have no problems with micro-waves,

The problem is the paint on them,any metallic paint can cause sparks and is a fire hazard in a micro-wave.

And glass can shatter from the stress of the heat.

Aaaand such thing kind of scary indeed. Thanks for the paint-on-the-mug insight.

[Vishera]

6 minutes ago, dhannemon13 said:

Thanks for the spoon warning, duly noted.

Aaaand such thing kind of scary indeed. Thanks for the paint-on-the-mug insight.

Luckily most mugs are painted with materials that are safe for micro-wave use ,but we still have to be careful with the mugs we choose for the micro-wave.

[Falkentyne]

Helpful thread.  Thank you.