# in search of unbreakable, microwave safe (really safe) dishes



## PancakeGoddess (Oct 8, 2004)

We just break SO many dishes.... But I can't stand heating up food in the microwave using a regular plastic dish. I just think it's too gross and too likely to spew crap into the food we eat.

So, can you recommend some bowls/plates we can use that are truly safe to microwave but won't break?


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## seraf (Feb 1, 2002)

I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but we use Corelle. It's glass, so I hope it's safe and it's chip resistant. We've only broken them on concrete, so they're pretty tough.

http://www.corelle.com

Seraf


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## Ellien C (Aug 19, 2004)

Have you tried heating things up on the stove? I've been doing that recently and it really doesn't take that much longer. Leftover pizza goes in the toaster oven and soups and stews go on the stove. Piece of meat - toaster oven. Leftover veggies - stove. It kind of eliminated the plastic microwave issue for me. We still have the micr (DH would never get rid of it at this point), but I'm using it less and less.


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## PancakeGoddess (Oct 8, 2004)

It's the 8 adn 11yo children who use the microwave most of all, and I think that's a lot safer than the stove, especially with the toddler roaming, tall enough to reach the stove.

But I do appreciate the reminder, at least for my own purposes


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## Ellien C (Aug 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PancakeGoddess*
It's the 8 adn 11yo children who use the microwave most of all, and I think that's a lot safer than the stove, especially with the toddler roaming, tall enough to reach the stove.

But I do appreciate the reminder, at least for my own purposes









oh - good point. I have a set of 1-cup glass containers from Pampered Chef that I've been using to store things. I think they'd work in the microwave.


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## Ann-Marita (Sep 20, 2003)

I second the recommendation of Corelle. They are tough and break-resistant, microwave safe, lightweight (so DD can handle a stack of them at a time when she unloads the dishwasher), and stack compactly (compared to the stonewear we had before).

Plus, they are fairly inexpensive.


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## carolm22117 (Nov 9, 2005)

I'll third the Corelle.
We had a set of plain beige Corelle dishes. I think we broke one dish from it and that was from a boy dropping a skateboard on it. We had a bowl out in the van for months (noone would bring it inside) and it kept getting dropped out of the van onto concrete and it never broke, didn't even chip!


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## PancakeGoddess (Oct 8, 2004)

The bottom line is, can my toddler pitch it off his tray onto our vinyl kitchen flooring - not totally hard but certainly not soft... ??

If so, that would totally work for us. Thanks everyone!


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## seraf (Feb 1, 2002)

Dedicated to the cause I am.

I just thrice threw a bowl off a highchair onto our linolium floor. I knew they stand up to our wood floor. And now I know that they stand up to the kitchen floor, too.

Seraf

Edited for spelling


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## Trishy (Oct 15, 2002)

Yeah my kids drop the Corelle all of the time too. So do I for that matter, I am a major klutz. I only have a few pieces that were given to me but I am planning on getting a whole set.


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## PancakeGoddess (Oct 8, 2004)

oh goodie. It's settled - thanks again everyone!


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

Corelle







. Time tested by my 3 kids. We have only broken once peice and thats because a table fell on it. It gets dropped into the sink by kids clearing the table, dropped on floors by kids being to helpful and carring too much. I use to break a lot of dishes back in the hand washing days, dishwashers







:

I have friends who lived in a garage while their house was being built. They had young kid s and found that Corelle doesnt do well with cement.


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## sohj (Jan 14, 2003)

Just a small voice in the corner suggesting that the microwave isn't used at all. I use a double boiler to re-heat nearly everything, up to and including single portions of pastry. I use one with a large upper pot, this one by Tramontina: http://www.125west.com/Tramontina_Ki..._cookware.html If you scroll down the page, you'll come to the double boilers. Yes, they are not cheap, but I've never thought microwave ovens were, either. Also, I can cook rice in the bottom (nice, heavy pots) while something re-heats in the top. Note what large capacity these are...2 quarts or 3.75 quarts! That's a lot of food. Then, I just serve in whatever serving plate I want to use.

More flexible, too. I've taken this and put it on a campfire. Can't do that with a microwave oven!


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I have two sets of Corelle dishes (one for meat and one for dairy.) Growing up we had Corelle as well, both before and after we got our first microwave oven.

Using them in the microwave weakens them- if you regularly "nuke" the dishes, then they probably WILL break when the toddler throws it onto the vinyl floor from the high chair (or slips out of your hands when you're unloading the dishwasher- ask me how I know this.







) Our pre-microwave set of Corelle dishes held up a lot better (though it still got chipped from normal use.)


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## messy mama (Jan 14, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sohj*
Just a small voice in the corner suggesting that the microwave isn't used at all. I use a double boiler to re-heat nearly everything, up to and including single portions of pastry. I use one with a large upper pot, this one by Tramontina: http://www.125west.com/Tramontina_Ki..._cookware.html If you scroll down the page, you'll come to the double boilers. Yes, they are not cheap, but I've never thought microwave ovens were, either. Also, I can cook rice in the bottom (nice, heavy pots) while something re-heats in the top. Note what large capacity these are...2 quarts or 3.75 quarts! That's a lot of food. Then, I just serve in whatever serving plate I want to use.

More flexible, too. I've taken this and put it on a campfire. Can't do that with a microwave oven!









That is such a good idea!! I reheat on the stove all the time. But for some things it never seemed practical. Why didn't I ever think to use my double boiler?!







Thanks so much for that awesome tip!!!! You just made my life a little bit easier.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

My only problem with using the stove is that it's a huge electricity hog. Maybe the range top isn't that bad. The oven, is horrible, I bake everything I can in the toaster oven (aren't wedding presents lovely?) because of the energy usage (bonus effect--the toaster oven shuts off automatically and I don't have to be right there)


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## littlest birds (Jul 18, 2004)

I have always been surprised by how many times our heavy pyrex gets dropped on the floor. None of it has EVER broken in a household with four children. They make little single-serving bowls (with plastic lids for storage in the refrigerator) that we often use as eating dishes, along with larger serving bowls. These are the ones that can go in the regular oven, too--I have even used their bowls for cake pans before. These are our main food storage, to reduce plastic for that purpose.


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