What kind of plastic can become toxic in the microwave or from hot coffee?

It is difficult to imagine life without the convenience that a microwave oven provides. Take at least heating up any dish in a couple of minutes. More experienced users have mastered cooking and are also satisfied. Baking, boiling, heating, stewing or steaming, grilling, defrosting - it is very difficult to list all the possibilities that this reliable assistant provides.

There are very few restrictions when using a microwave oven. The main one concerns the material from which the container that can be irradiated can be made. Sometimes a microwave icon on a dish can serve as a clue, and if there isn’t one, how do you know if it can be used? After all, using the wrong material will damage the equipment or adversely affect people’s health.

Protective plastic cover to protect against splashes and moisture loss

What dishes can be used in the microwave?

Examples of labeling for microwave ovens

The general prohibition for everything that is prohibited for a microwave oven is “No metal!” Metal or metallized coating, reinforcing mesh, handles, funnels, prints or micro-inclusions of metal will cause sparks to jump inside the chamber, the magnetron will start to spark, and the equipment will fail.

The following types of containers are suitable for all microwave oven modes:

Types of dishes for microwave ovens

• Glass. Almost all types of glass trays, pans, salad bowls or heat-resistant glass forms are suitable for any microwave oven mode. Thin-walled glass is suitable only for short-term heating of liquid. They transmit radiation, food looks aesthetically pleasing, you can monitor the cooking process, it’s easy to care for, plus it’s durable (if you don’t throw it or put it hot on a cold table). Manufacturers of household appliances recommend using round or oval glassware; heating plus cooking proceeds faster and more evenly.
• Silicone. Silicone products for the kitchen, which are quickly conquering the market, have reached microwave ovens. Now on the market you can find a huge range of baking dishes made of multi-colored food grade silicone. It allows you to cook without oil, it is easy to clean, it is not afraid of the dishwasher or high temperatures, it has a non-stick property and is quite durable. It is important to buy products from trusted manufacturers, only food grade silicone.

Sample of silicone product

Plastic. Trays, containers, pallets or cups made of polymers are often used by housewives. But a microwave oven requires special plastic - heat-resistant plus suitable for microwave exposure. Otherwise, the output will be a deformed piece of plastic. There are types of plastic that can only be heated in, that is, exposed to heat for a short time, but cooking, especially with fat, is not recommended. You can find out which type of polymer is suitable for a microwave oven by the markings on the walls or bottom.

Reception of plastic containers

• Clay. This includes ceramic, earthenware, porcelain or earthenware dishes - any that contain clay, without inclusions or metal decoration. Food heats up and cooks a little worse in it, since it does not transmit microwaves well. First, the walls warm up, and only then does the food, so you need to follow all safety rules when removing it from the oven. You need to carefully ensure that there are no cracks on the surface - due to the temperature difference, such a cracked cup or plate will simply burst during heating.
• Paper. Food packaged in paper bags, envelopes, plus plastic or film - all this is suitable for use in the microwave only for heating, but not for long, a couple of minutes. Otherwise, the film will begin to melt or even catch fire.

Food in packaging that can be heated in a microwave oven

• Fabric. It is convenient to heat flour and bakery products in linen or cotton napkins.

Containers that can be used in microwave ovens have special markings that allow you to understand their purpose.

Samples of symbols on dishes

Basic icons on a dishwasher: meaning and operating features

What housewife doesn’t dream of getting rid of the daily task of washing dishes with her own hands? Today this desire is easy to satisfy, because there are so many different household appliances on store shelves that can wash plates and cups for you. Therefore, let us further in this article discuss in detail the main icons on the dishwasher: their meaning and operating features.

Relevance of the acquisition

Humanity is constantly trying to make its life as comfortable as possible. Many research institutes carry out lengthy development and testing of new household appliances. Not long ago, such a useful invention as a dishwasher appeared on the domestic market. Look at the following photo depicting a similar Bosch technique.

This is a unit whose purpose is to clean various types of dishes from dirt. Moreover, such equipment is used both in everyday life and in public catering places. There are many symbols on its panel. The housewife just needs to place the dirty dishes inside the dishwasher and, by clicking on the necessary icons on the bosch dishwasher, turn on the required operating mode of the device. The machine will wash the dishes itself. At the same time, the presence of hot water supply in the house is not at all necessary. After the time specified by the washing program, the unit will finish its work.

Thus, Bosch technology allows a person to free himself from part of the daily housework. That's why she's so popular.

Advantages of units

Note that this device has a number of very important advantages:

• Numerous studies have shown that the presence of a Bosch dishwasher in the house leads to a reduction in water supply costs by several times;
• Ariston units, as well as other brands, are characterized by low energy intensity;
• affordable price;
• a wide variety of models with different capacity, power and functions. The possibilities of such household appliances are really very wide. Modern options have a number of important features and clear icons;
• variety of operating modes;
• Bosch equipment has a simple control method. The housewife just needs to learn the main icons on the dishwasher panel and their designation.

Most Popular

Look at the following photo showing the buttons on the dishwasher panel. Be that as it may, the most important of them on any model (be it Ariston or Bosch) remains the dishwasher icon. Pressing it allows you to activate the unit. However, you must first load dishes and cutlery stained with food into it, add detergent and select the current washing mode.

Plastic that can be used in microwave ovens

Plastic marking

If it can be frozen or exposed to low temperatures, then there will be an image of snowflakes. The more snowflakes, the lower the temperature the material can withstand.

Marking on plastic

Plastic, its types and designations

If plastic products have a triangle of arrows with the number 6 inside and the abbreviation PS, this means that the polymer is polystyrene, which means it cannot be heated, poured hot, or used in a microwave oven!

If the designation is the number 5 plus PP, then this is the mass of polypropylene. Such containers can be used in a microwave oven, but without the use of alcohol, which as a result of a chemical reaction will release formaldehyde and phenol, which, if ingested, can lead to blindness.

The pictogram on the plastic in the form of a glass and fork means that the product tolerates high temperatures well and is intended for food products. It allows you to heat or hold food products. If such a sign is crossed out, then this indicates the opposite - non-food plastic.

Special dishes for a microwave oven have a symbol on them in the form of a microwave oven and a plate inside it.

All other types of plastics release toxic substances when heated and can be hazardous to health, especially if they are exposed to heat or microwaves.

What do the signs on a Bosch dishwasher mean?

After purchasing a new dishwasher, it takes some time to master the capabilities of the equipment. The icons on a Bosch dishwasher indicate specific functions. How to control the device and decipher the signs and symbols on the display and control panel - in our article.

Understanding icons on buttons

Dishwashers from Bosch are the most purchased in our country. The manufacturer sells a large number of models with different interfaces. However, their symbols are typical, let’s look at the most common ones:

• “pan on a stand” – means intensive washing of greasy stains, carried out at a temperature of 70°C for 115 minutes. In this case, the water consumption during operation of the device is 21 liters.
• “mug with plate”, also known as standard mode, average temperature – 45-65°C, duration – 140 minutes with a consumption of 19 liters, universal washing of ordinary dishes, not suitable for fragile products.
• “ECO” – after a short rinse, washing is performed at 50°C, operating time is 140 minutes with an average water consumption of 14 liters.
• “Wine glass on a stand with arrows from left to right” – express wash at 45°C for half an hour without pre-soaking and rinsing. Liquid consumption is about 10 liters.
• “turned on shower” - a preparatory wash to get rid of food particles and prepare dishes for thorough cleaning, does not take more than 20 minutes, consumption - 4 liters.

• “glass” – a mode for cleaning fragile glassware at low temperatures of no more than 40°C, takes 75 minutes and consumes about 15 liters of water;
• “1/2” – the technical device is half loaded for operation; this function is convenient to use if there are not enough dirty dishes to fill the full load;
• “pan in the oven” – intensive washing with maximum pressure at the bottom of the device;
• “+” h “-” – option for adjusting the program start time.

Important! The Bosch dishwasher's baby milk bottle icons clean at maximum temperatures to sanitize your baby's dishes.

What do the indicators say?

Bright luminous icons are designed to simplify the work with household appliances and understand the processes occurring inside. Let's look at what most indicators mean. They are intended to display information about the running program of work. The illuminated symbols on the control panel have the following meaning:

• “brush” means the program has started and the washing process is in progress;
• “tap” – water is supplied to the device;
• “wavy arrows” – shows the amount of salt in the ion exchanger;
• “sun or snow” – the presence of rinse aid in the device.
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In addition, Bosch dishwashers may also have time indicators, hygiene indicators and an additional drying function. When a red beam hits the floor from the machine, it means that the dishes are being washed. After the end of the program it goes out. Models built into furniture have a control panel on the side.

Important! If the “+” symbol lights up, it is possible to adjust the temperature from 65 to 75 degrees; when “-” lights up, you can reduce it to 35-45°C.

The light is blinking

If the dishwasher suddenly starts flashing, it means the program has gone wrong for some reason. You need to restart your device or turn it off. In addition, it is better to determine the malfunction in the device as quickly as possible. When the “tap” symbol or the word “end” is lit on the display, water supply is not possible due to a certain problem. Here are some of the reasons for this phenomenon.

1. The dishwasher circuit board is broken.
2. The shut-off valve was closed.
3. The Aquastop function has been launched.

Ban theme or metal utensils

You need to be very careful that no knife or fork gets into the microwave, that there is no pattern on the plates with metal additives, otherwise an electric charge will accumulate, then the oven will fail - the magnetron will deteriorate, without which there will be no microwave waves, and the replacement of which costs half the cost device.

Prohibited utensils for microwave oven:

• Any types of metal utensils. All metals do not allow microwaves to pass through, they accumulate an electric charge, that is, the food does not heat up, but the metal walls heat up, sparks occur, and the equipment fails.
• Containers made of any material with designs using paints that include metal. This is clearly noticeable when it heats up and sparks. It’s tedious to immediately turn off the stove and take out the metal threat.
• Natural crystal. Uneven walls and inclusions of metal microparticles will lead to the fact that under the influence of microwaves, crystal products turn into small fragments.
• Dishes made of foil. It would seem that everyone understands that metal foil is strictly forbidden to be used in microwave ovens, but people mistakenly heat grilled chicken in foil, breakfast or semi-finished products, baked foods, which causes irreversible damage to the magnetron.
• Waxed paper containers, packaging. Semi-finished products, various ready-made industrially produced dishes, all of this can be heated if the packaging contains such recommendations from the manufacturer, but only once.
• Pottery without glaze. Thick clay walls heat up unevenly and may crack in the microwave. And they also keep the food cold, even if the plate itself is too hot to touch.
• Thin-walled glass. Such products cannot withstand heat and most often burst when heated for too long.
• Containers of any type with microcracks. When the container plus its contents heats up, uneven expansion occurs, so most likely the item that bursts will break into pieces.
• Wooden crafts. Usually they either dry out or are charred in microwave ovens.
• Plastic, film. It is permissible to use only those types of polymer materials that have the appropriate markings, otherwise the products will become deformed or will release toxic substances into the food. Of the huge amount of food and non-food plastic, only polypropylene can be irradiated with microwaves without harm to health; it is also marked with the number 5 or PP.

Indicators on the dishwasher - why they light up and what to do about it

An unexpected shutdown or refusal to turn on the dishwasher at first causes slight horror - it’s broken, you’ll have to fix it.

However, you should not immediately be upset if the indicator on the dishwasher is on, everything can end in a slight fright.

Indicators have the same properties on all dishwashers:

• The most common request is that the salt indicator is on in the dishwasher . Usually it signals that the salt has run out (zigzag arrow) and the compartment needs to be refilled. Sometimes the salt indicator may light up even if it is present - in this case, you need to stir the contents of the compartment and close the lid well.
• The rinse aid indicator (snowflake) lights up - the container is empty, you need to pour rinse aid into the compartment.

If you use tablets or 3in1 liquid detergent, you need to press the button with the same name on the body of the machine - the indicators will stop lighting, and the machine will be able to work in a more correct cycle.

Next, let's look at why the indicator lights (buttons) light up in Bosch, Hansa, Ariston and Electrolux dishwashers.

Tips for choosing microwave cookware

In order for the purchased utensils to be suitable for any microwave cooking modes, it is better to immediately take a universal one or not get confused when choosing such modes as convection, grill or combined when there is exposure to high temperatures.

Tips for choosing cookware:

1. It is better to take heat-resistant products (it should withstand more than 220°C, optimally up to 300°C).
2. The walls of the products must transmit microwaves without interference - that is, not be too thick, not have any inclusions or coating with metal.
3. It must be intact; air bubbles inside the material or defects are also not allowed.
4. Heating test - the selected container is filled with water, heated for a minute until it boils. The ideal dish will be moderately hot with boiled nutria water.

A microwave oven opens up endless possibilities for an imaginative housewife. Many modes, a programming function, and at the finish - almost any dish with the preservation of nutrients in a minimum time.