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Original poster

Really wierd question about plates

22 replies

Laura032004 · 10/01/2006 17:29

I've just microwaved two jacket potatoes in the microwave for 10mins. We've got quite a high wattage microwave. When they came out, the plate had really wierd lines on it, in a sort of pattern. There was also a nasty smell.

Do you think that this was all of the 'badness' coming out of the plate from the tiny cracks that you can't see? Should the plates all be thrown away do you think? The plates are quite old now - we got them in 1999. IKEA's finest Quite disgusted in case it is nastiness that this might be in all of our plates. Could this be a side effect of dishwashing? Has anyone else ever had this? Are you not supposed to microwave plates?

OP posts:

Hausfrau · 10/01/2006 17:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Laura032004 · 10/01/2006 17:33

Why thankyou!

OP posts:

fruitful · 10/01/2006 17:35

Are they china? Or plastic?

Not that I have any idea what the answer is, but I'm sure when the microwaving plate expert logs on, they'll need to know!

Original poster

Laura032004 · 10/01/2006 17:38

I don't think they're china. Just cheap bog standard type plates. What are they made from?

Just did another two potatoes - same result, but not as much this time. Other one must have been particularly manky inside. We originally had about 10, so some have seen a lot more use than others.

Come out 'microwaving plate experts'!

OP posts:

katymac · 10/01/2006 17:39

Does it look like crazy paving?

if so it might be that the plates got too hot

the plates that haven't gone like this (but are the same sort of plate) will be fine

LIZS · 10/01/2006 17:44

There may be something printed underneath to say if suitable for microwave/dishwasher/freezer use. Plates do crack eventually as the glaze wears thinner, dishwashing may accelerate this, or they may get thermal shock from being heated or cooled too rapidly, hot dish placed on cold surface for example, but you usually get a clean crack all the way across. As a rough guide most earthenware (day to day type china and cookware) can go in but porcelain/bone china shouldn't .

Original poster

Laura032004 · 10/01/2006 17:52

Katymac - yes, it is a bit like crazy paving - it's a wierd swirly pattern. There is sort of brown sticky goo on the lines.

Lizs - nothing underneath.

DH (normal potato microwaver!) says that it's only the old plates that do this, the newer ones are fine. Think we might bin the old ones, and just stick with the newer (only two years old!) plates.

OP posts:

katymac · 10/01/2006 18:52

You shouldn't really put plates in the MW (at least not for long) - you should use ovenproof ones

jura · 10/01/2006 19:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Nixz · 10/01/2006 20:40

Laura - the same thing has happened to mine, ive had them for about 4 years. Anyway, one by one they are starting to ooze dodgy looking brown stuff from the cracks when in the microwave. I think that over the years the cracks have filled with gunk, nice to think weve been eating off gunky plates huh!!!! Anyway, they are really obvious and smelly and gungy now so they have all been binned and i am buying some more tomorrow. Uck

Nixz · 10/01/2006 20:40

Nixz · 10/01/2006 20:41

I got mine from woolowrths btw

Original poster

Laura032004 · 10/01/2006 21:58

I'm going to have to visit Lakeland for one of those special potato microwavers That'll be an expensive trip

jura - no, yours sound more expensive than ours We've just got the plain blue ones. Or should I say we had!

Well, those blue plates have now sadly been binned. Nixz - our newer set are Woolies ones, so perhaps they're doomed to go the same way! I wonder what it is inside them? It smelled fairly gross.

OP posts:

mawbroon · 10/01/2006 22:42

Hi Laura

I'm a bit sad when it comes to this stuff. I used to work in the china department of a large department store and did actually visit some of the potteries as I found it all very interesting.

It sounds like your plates are "crazed". This is where little cracks have appeared in the glaze which are very often not visible. This is often caused where the glaze and ceramic material expand or contract at different rates when heated or cooled. Unless the plates are noted as suitable for microwave/oven/dishwasher etc then they should not be used for these purposes as damage such as crazing can occur. These cracks however allow water and other stuff to seep into the ceramic material over time so the marks that you see are where water etc has seeped in through the crazing on the glaze and then becoming discoloured. The crazing can harbour bacteria, and it is recommended that you don't use any crazed ceramics for food purposes, but I reckon that is a ploy by the manufacturers to get you to buy more of their plates!!

Re microwaving tatties, I just shove mine straight on the micro turntable which, of course is a microwaveable plate itself!!

HTH

Original poster

Laura032004 · 11/01/2006 08:05

fruitful said a 'microwaving plate expert' would come out eventually, and she was right

I completely agree about using the turntable, but that would mean I'd have to wash it every time (which I have to admit that I don't at the moment)

So it was bacteria in the plates after all. Uuurrgghh! Well - the manufacturers won after all - I won't be using those plates again! I suppose it's my own fault really - my plates go in the dishwasher (which dh often puts on intensive wash at 90 degrees), in the oven to warm, in the microwave, in the fridge, and even on occasion in the freezer, so it's no wonder they've 'crazed'! Thanks for confirming that though

OP posts:

mawbroon · 11/01/2006 09:36

No probs Laura.

I find that after microwaving tatties straight on the turntable, there is no mess to have to clean up at all, unless one of the tatties has exploded. This shouldn't happen if you score the skins though.

LIZS · 11/01/2006 09:51

mawbroon who did you work for ? I worked in the Debenhams buying office for different home areas (including China) over several years ! Twas a long time ago now though.

mawbroon · 11/01/2006 10:40

I worked for John Lewis from 1997 until 2000. I left when they started the seven day opening as I didn't really fancy not getting two days off in a row every week!

LIZS · 11/01/2006 12:26

Don't blame you for leaving ! Thought they were one fo the more respectable retailers when it came to extra hours and bank holdays. We used to get stick cos Head Office worked a regular working week but the store staff didn't.

mawbroon · 11/01/2006 14:31

I must admit that they were probably as good as it gets for staff in retail, but I left to work in a bank where it was Monday to friday 9 - 5 which was pure luxury after working every Saturday for years!

I also wanted to add a little fascinating fact about crazing......

In the old days before the potters had developed glazes which would withstand boiling water, the milk was put first into the teacup and then the tea poured on top of the milk so that the tea in contact with the glaze was cooler. This avoided damage such as crazing. The thing about "milk in first" has still stuck to this day, but it is unnecessary with all these new fangled glazes.

Told you I was sad..

Original poster

Laura032004 · 11/01/2006 15:06

Aaahhhaa so that's where it comes from! I remember (at the grand age of 10) being quite told off by my grandma for making tea the 'wrong' way - I added the milk second. So, there was nothing wrong with doing it that way after all!

OP posts:

mawbroon · 11/01/2006 16:06

Aside from the damaged to the cups, there was also the issue that the milk in those days was not refrigerated and probably split and went horrible if poured into boiling hot tea.

Oh I'm such an anorack....

And did you know that Charles Darwin was Josiah Wedgwood's grandson?

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