13 Things You're Putting In The Microwave But Actually Never Should

Microwaves are the go-to appliance for many people when looking to cook or reheat food quickly. You might think you can toss anything that isn't metal into your microwave, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It's super convenient and versatile, but not all foods and containers do well in the appliance. Whether it's because some things become dangerous in the microwave or it changes the texture of particular foods in an unappealing way, there are quite a few things you should keep far away from this handy device.

I scoured food blogs, Reddit, health sites, and scientific publications to determine what doesn't belong in the microwave. My research led me to 13 things — and while this may seem like a lot, there are still nearly infinite number of foods and containers the microwave is more than ready to accommodate. If you want to make the most of your microwave moving forward — and avoid unpleasant textures and potentially dangerous mistakes along the way — keep reading to find out what I learned.

Popping a slice of leftover pizza in the microwave is something people do all the time, but it's actually the worst way to reheat a slice. There's no guesswork about it either. One taste of microwaved pizza and you instantly know that's how it was reheated. Why? Well, the crust becomes soft and soggy. Then, as it cools, the edges harden as well. Regrettably, microwaves simply don't crisp up pizza crust in a way that even slightly resembles its original glory — and so when microwaves are used for this purpose, the difference is immediately apparent. For many of us, crispy crust is one of the best parts about pizza (and believe me, I know the sauce and cheese are just as important), but ruining the texture is far from ideal.

Instead of sacrificing the crispiness of pizza crust in the microwave, you can always eat it cold. But if that's not your style: An air fryer is perfect for reheating pizza. It's my favorite method because it ensures pizza retains a crisp texture — and best of all, it gets the job done in a couple minutes. The oven or even a cast iron skillet on the stove also works. Considering how many excellent options there are for reheating pizza, why even bother with a microwave?

Admittedly, reheating creamy sauces like Alfredo and béchamel is somewhat tricky. The cheese and cream are finicky, so they need to be reheated slowly, on low heat. If not, the sauce splits, leaving you with a pool of oil. While it still tastes okay, there's no question a split sauce pales in comparison to a thick, rich creamy one. Will it heat the sauce? Yes. Will it still be creamy? No. For this reason, microwaving creamy sauces like béchamel and Alfredo is off the table.

To avoid splitting creamy sauces, it's best to heat them on the stove using low heat. You also want to stir it frequently and an extra dash of cream doesn't hurt. When done just right, you should be able to maintain a thick texture, almost like it was never reheated. Using a microwave to reheat creamy sauces can be done, but think of it as a last resort cooking method. To get any kind of decent result, make sure to set the power to low. In addition, only microwave it for 20-second intervals, stirring between each session. This slows down the cooking process and, ideally, prevents the sauce from splitting.

It may be tempting to throw part of a leftover sandwich in the microwave, but you shouldn't. Similar to pizza, bread quickly turns rubbery in the microwave. Plus, when it comes to sandwiches, the bread becomes scorching hot before the internal layers get a chance to heat up. So, all around, it's a bad idea. Regardless of what you're contemplating putting in the microwave — tortilla, bagel, croissant, or something else entirely — it is safe to say that any kind of bread should be kept out.

According to America's Test Kitchen, microwaves compromise the delicate distribution of starch in bread. As a result, deposits form throughout the bread, leading to chewy areas — at least while they are hot. After the chewy spots cool, they quickly become stiff. It doesn't take long either, about a minute is all that's needed for the texture to take a serious turn for the worse. Pockets of steam also develop in bread if it goes in the microwave. These pockets swell up and then collapse, leaving bread much denser and flatter than when fresh. You probably don't expect bread to come out of the microwave as good as new, but it's actually much worse than a slight downgrade. Do yourself a favor and don't do it. Heat leftover bread in the oven, air fryer, toaster, or even a frying pan and save your microwave for something else.

There are a few mistakes everyone makes when cooking eggs in the microwave, but cooking them whole in their shell is by far the worst. Due to the rapid speed at which microwaves heat a whole egg, steam quickly builds up inside the shell. The accumulation of steam happens so fast that the shell can't release enough to stay whole. As a result, the chances of it exploding are high. Not only does an exploded egg lead to a huge, sticky mess that's tricky to clean up, but it's also dangerous — because, you know, what if you open the door at the exact moment the egg explodes? I don't want to find out but I imagine the tiny pieces of shell are like flying daggers and the molten egg inside could easily burn you.

In addition to whole eggs in their shell, there's also the potential for egg yolks to explode in the microwave. This doesn't mean the microwave is entirely off limits for eggs. It just means you'll have to take precautions. For fried and poached eggs, you'll want to pierce the yolk with a fork before cooking. If you decide to throw caution to the wind and attempt hard-boiling an egg in the microwave, always pierce the shell with a needle first. You also want to ensure the egg is completely covered with water and put a lid on top to contain the mess if it explodes anyway.

Hot and cold foods come in Styrofoam takeout containers and they are safe for both. However, as far as sticking them in the microwave, the answer isn't so straightforward. Some Styrofoam containers are safe and others are not. To determine whether a particular Styrofoam container is microwave-safe, look for a small symbol with a stack of three wavy lines. If you find it, the container has been deemed safe for the appliance. If not, transfer your food to a dish or bowl before reheating it and you'll be glad you did.

You may be thinking, what's the big deal, especially since some Styrofoam containers are microwavable? Well, according to Medical News Today, containers without a microwave-safe label can leach chemicals into food if they are reheated in the appliance. If that isn't scary enough, they also note that some of these chemicals might increase the risk of certain cancers. Yikes! That's more than enough reason to never do it. After hearing this I wouldn't blame you if you didn't put any Styrofoam in the microwave, even the kind that has a label deeming it safe. Why risk it, right?

Whether you love spicy foods or not, you know spicy peppers should be handled with care. Otherwise, the oils on these peppers can transfer to your skin. If the pepper you're handling is extra spicy, it can burn your skin or your eyes if you accidentally touch them. As someone who has made this mistake multiple times, I can tell you it isn't fun — it's downright awful. In addition to careful handling, cooking spicy peppers (jalapeños, habaneros, etc.) in the microwave is a recipe for disaster.

The active ingredient that makes spicy peppers hot is capsaicin. When microwaved, the capsaicin in peppers is released. While the microwave is still running you are in the clear, but as soon as you open the door, the capsaicin-filled air comes out like a stingy bomb, burning your eyes and throat. Seriously, it could really mess you up because it's essentially like pepper-spraying yourself. As a commenter on Reddit said after making the unfortunate mistake of microwaving spicy peppers, "OMG it's like I just pepper sprayed my entire family ... When I opened up the microwave I almost died, not to mention all the people in the next room did too." I don't know about you, but I'll take their word for it. This isn't the kind of mistake I want to make and learn from. Actually, to be safe, you might want to keep super spicy sauces out of the microwave too.

Grapes are another food that doesn't just suffer texture-wise in the microwave but also becomes a serious hazard. Quite literally, sparks fly when grapes make their way into the microwave, effectively ruining the grapes, and often, the appliance too. There are many videos on YouTube showing people microwaving grapes and a fiery eruption, or plasma ensues. Um, terrifying and also super cool at the same time! Still, not something I necessarily want to try ... or eat.

Honestly, I'm not sure why you would want to microwave grapes anyway unless maybe they are one ingredient in a recipe, but the glowing reaction is enough to make me put grapes on my list of things never to put in the microwave, no further questions asked. Even so, I'm too curious not to know what causes this reaction. As reported by Science, a group of physicists tested how grapes behave in the microwave, and according to them, "When two grapes are close to each other in a microwave, the waves they absorb bounce back and forth in the tiny space between them, creating an increasingly powerful electromagnetic field." When the electromagnetic field becomes strong enough, it supercharges electrolytes and they burst out in the form of fiery plasma.

Many plastic to-go boxes and airtight containers may claim to be safe for the microwave, but actually, microwave-safe plastic is a myth. Even if you think you know better, at the very least you should never put single use plastics in the microwave.

Plastic is made with numerous chemicals, and when it gets heated in the microwave, it can leach out into your food in the form of nanoplastics and microplastics. Or, they may even leave behind harmful chemicals like BPA and phthalates. If that isn't scary enough, and believe me it is, these tiny particles are invisible so there's no way to prevent this from happening — except of course keeping them out of the microwave.

This doesn't mean plastic isn't safe for food storage, but it does mean you shouldn't put it in the microwave to reheat something. Safer bet: Toss your food on a plate or into a bowl and you're good to go.

There are several reasons you should think twice about nuking lunch meat or any processed meat for that matter. First, processed meats are treated with chemicals like sodium nitrite. While it is good for preserving color, flavor, and freshness — and helps keep meat bacteria-free — when they get zapped in the microwave or exposed to super high heat they become harmful N-nitroso compounds. According to Healthline, when ingested, these harmful compounds have been attributed to increasing your risk for bowel and stomach cancers. 

Another reason anything from bacon to hot dogs to sausages (and much more) shouldn't go in the microwave is their tendency to contain high levels of saturated fats. When heated, saturated fats turn into cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) and of course, they aren't good for you. Compared to other cooking methods, microwaving (and oven grilling) leads to the highest amount of COP production. So, choosing another cooking or reheating method for processed meats is your safest bet.

The USDA tells us that defrosting meat and poultry in the microwave is safe, but only if you fully cook it immediately after. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't think twice about doing so. First of all, microwaves are known for heating foods inconsistently, so try as you may, you're likely to wind up with unevenly thawed meat if you attempt to get the job done in the appliance. In addition, microwaving frozen meat increases the risk for it to linger in the "danger zone," which is anywhere between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. When meat sits within those parameters, bacteria has the ability to multiply rapidly. Obviously, you don't want bacteria on the menu, so it's best to avoid the danger zone and go straight from thawed to cooked.

Microwaving may seem like the easiest method for defrosting, but it's also the worst for foods like steak, poultry, and other meats. As noted, it can be done safely if you take a few precautions, but the microwave could also affect the color and texture of meat, and not in a good way. In particular, steak becomes tougher and drier when thawed in the microwave. So, are you willing to risk the quality, taste, and texture of your meat by defrosting it in the microwave? The choice is yours but that doesn't mean it's a great idea.

Steaming broccoli in the microwave is a time-saver, but that doesn't mean it's the optimal way to cook this delicious green vegetable. Sure, all you need is a microwave-safe dish with a lid, some water, and a couple minutes in the appliance to get freshly steamed florets on your plate. Even so, there's reason to believe you're selling yourself short in the nutrition department if you opt for this cooking method — especially if the broccoli is sitting in the water.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, cooking vegetables in water is a surefire way to rob them of nutrition. While cooking, nutrients seep out of vegetables and into the water, leaving them nutritionally inferior. They also note that "boiled broccoli loses glucosinolate, the sulfur-containing compound that may give the vegetable its cancer-fighting properties (as well as the taste that many find distinctive, and some find disgusting)." So, the taste and nutritional value are affected. Even so, they say steaming broccoli in the microwave is still better than boiling or frying it.

Unlike many of the other items on this list, microwaved broccoli isn't the worst. If you decide to cook your broccoli this way, try using only a small amount of water so it gets steamed, not boiled. If you can, elevate it a bit so it isn't sitting in the water.

Fried and breaded foods are another big no-no for the microwave, at least if you want them to be crispy. Unlike the oven or air fryer, microwaves simply don't crisp foods. They heat them, but that's where it ends. Actually, they won't even heat breaded and fried foods evenly, so you wind up with cold spots and scorching hot spots at the same time. The microwave may also alter the delicate balance of flavors in fried foods, leaving you with a bland version of what it once was. So, that's three marks against it.

Even if you are only reheating breaded or fried food, it will lose its crunch and come out of the appliance soft and mushy. A perfect example of this is french fries — they may go into the microwave golden and crispy, but when they come out they're limp and unappealing. The coating on breaded foods also loses all of its crunch. So, whether you're making or reheating breaded and fried foods, keep them away from the microwave.

Just like pizza crust and bread, pasta is a starchy food and it doesn't hold up well in the microwave. It dries out and develops hard spots, essentially ruining the soft, chewy texture. Plus, it tends to stick together so you wind up with a large undesirable clump of pasta. This is particularly true if you microwave naked pasta without any sauce. If noodles are completely coated in sauce, they'll do okay in the microwave as long as you stir them regularly. Some people also like to add a few drops of water or place a mug of water in the microwave along with it.

Rice behaves similarly to pasta in the microwave. It gets hard and develops indelible clumps if it isn't completely coated in some kind of sauce. However, there's another danger to reheating rice and it lies in a bacteria called Bacillus cereus. According to Medical News Today, rice develops this bacteria when it isn't cooled and stored properly. If ingested, it leads to food poisoning — so be careful. They recommend you make sure leftover rice reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid potentially getting sick. If you add some water, a light lid, and ensure it gets hot enough, you can microwave rice successfully but it is a touch risky.