Are wooden bowls microwave safe?

Wooden bowls and wooden serveware in general are a longstanding trend in kitchens around the world. They don’t just look good, they give an elegant and fashionable touch to any kitchen. Especially our beautifully grained thin olive wood bowls which are entirely handmade and finished only with local extra virgin olive oil!

However the knowledge behind the correct care and handling is not as common as one would think.

So is it safe to microwave wooden bowls?

No, it is not safe to place any type of wood in the microwave as it may damage the bowl, overheat the food, and even start a kitchen fire.

In the microwave, wooden bowls will become quite hot. A wooden bowl will really become considerably hotter than most of these other plates and dishes, which you are usually accustomed to in the microwave. They actually only need a few seconds to reach incredibly hot contact temperatures.

There is a safety risk with this. You might easily burn yourself if your wood gets too hot in the microwave.

And while it is uncommon for wood to catch fire in a microwave, it is conceivable if the temperature is too high. The same could happen in the oven.

Keep your wooden bowls away from any area that receives extremely high or strong heat. You won't be able to handle this safely, and soon your bowl will be ruined.

This leads us to our next point, wood naturally contains water and

even though you might not be aware of it, the water in the bowl will be agitated when you heat it in the microwave or oven.

The water warms up and becomes active inside the wood, but when it cools down, the water dries up and frequently has a negative impact on the wood.

Cracking takes place at this point. In addition to cracks, the heating process could cause the wood to become brittle or deform.

Even though you might microwave your bowl once or twice and not notice any problems, it is actually damaging it. Your bowl will eventually start to warp or shatter; it might even fully break.

Due to the bowl's intense heat, you run the risk of not only burning yourself but also damaging your bowl. You can always use a microwave safe container to warm your food and then serve it in your beautiful

wooden serveware!