What just happened to my plate in the microwave?!

[MissIndecisive2023]

Just trying to pre cook my jacket potato in the microwave, popped it on a plate and put it in for 4 mins. When I took it out, this is what the plate looked like.

What on earth has happened???

I can’t tell from the picture but does the plate have a metallic glaze?

The glaze has cracked, because the clay that the plate is made of is not sufficiently robust to cope with the sudden heat expansions caused by a microwave.

you need an oven proof plate for microwaving, Pyrex or similar is probably best.

It already had a crack in it OP, probably invisible but enough to have damaged the integrity of it and to have let water into the porous ceramic, which then heats up in the microwave and causes all the cracks to form. Never put a slightly cracked or chipped item of ceramic in a microwave, but obviously sometimes the damage is not known about and invisible. This can be the result!

Ah so the brown is the clay from underneath the glaze?

It’s kinda beautiful…

Yes will use a better dish next time!

Looks like it's not microwavable. It should say it somewhere

It isn't a microwave safe plate. The glazing has cracked.

It does look pretty though. Maybe just use for display purposes going forward now though.

Or a fruit bowl (plate).

It doesn’t seem to say either way on the bottom. Maybe if it doesn’t say, it is a no!

I use the bowls every day in the microwave to make my porridge in! Oh dear!

Porridge makes a right old mess when it escapes in the microwave.....

Speaking from experience.

I resorted back to a pot tbh. Same time, less mess from cracked bowl or overflow, oh and you don't burn your hand.

What is it they say about forewarned OP. Those bowls are for cornflakes and the likes now 😃

You have to be careful with ikea - lots of their older stuff isn't microwaveable.

I did that to one of my plates and liked the effect so much that I kept it I don't use it but don't feel like throwing it away

Yes I am planning to keep this one. I like it!

Maybe there were already a lot of hairline cracks in the glaze, possibly not even visible to the naked eye, but enough for water or steam to make its way in.

Good job it didn't shatter really.

Most plates that are microwavable will say so on the bottom. This one evidently isn't!