GLAD Ovenware is Oven Scare!

[Jeekinz]

Originally Posted by jpmcgrew

IMHO one should not cook or heat anything in plastic even if its meant for oven or microwave. Even those frozen meals should be turned out on a plate before microwaving.Plastic is only good for food storage.I dont even trust those steam in the bag frozen vegetables or the bags they sell to steam in.Its still plastic.

You mean the ones you microwave?




Isn't the inside of the microwave made from plastic?

[jpmcgrew]

Originally Posted by Jeekinz

You mean the ones you microwave?




Isn't the inside of the microwave made from plastic?

Yes but its not touching your food leeching chemicals into it.

[Corey123]

Then your only other alternative is to use glass containers in the microwave.

[jpmcgrew]

Originally Posted by Corey123

Then your only other alternative is to use glass containers in the microwave.

Glass or ceramics that are microwave safe meaning it wont blow up the glass its really no harder to just heat in glass.

[GrillingFool]

theoretically, there are probably chemicals leeching from the oven interior into
the atmosphere of the microwave, mixing with that steam and covering all
the surfaces.... including your food.

egads.

[Corey123]

It's just radiation, and it isn't supposed to be leaking from the oven's interor - hence the fine mesh metal screen in the doors's window and the seal around the door itself.

You can get a microwave leak detector if they still make them.

All the microwave oven does is, it creates radiation, which rapidly rubs the molecues in the food to produce the heat which cooks or reheats the food. Once the oven stops, the cooking stops, so there is no radiation in the food once this happens.

There was a supposed report back in the late '70s concerning the use of microwave ovens. People once feared that the ovens were leaking microwave energy, but that was proven to be false.

I've still yet to see or hear of ANYONE being injured or exposed to microwave energy in any way.

[ChefJune]

Originally Posted by CookingFan

Hi All,
Just wanted to let you know about my terrible experience using GLAD OVENWARE. This is plastic bakeware that supposedly goes in the oven. Well I put mine in the oven and followed the directions exactly. Then the Ovenware melted all over my oven. What a mess! It took me four hours of scraping with a spoon to get it out. I called the company & they said it was quite common to have this "melting" and they couldn't give a good explanation. By the way, my dinner was also ruined -- the plastic contaminated my food. DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT!

"Calling the company" or sending an email, is often not enough. You need to find out the name of the Chairman of their Board, and send him a letter. I hope you took pictures of the mess, but even if you didn't, I would still write.

I'm sure you will get much more than a "Sh!t Happens!" response.

[aburas]

Why do they even make Glad Ovenware...Why wouldn't someone just use a regular baking pan?

[Corey123]

Probably to help save time in the kitchen during cleanup.

But throwing them away after they're used serves no purpose, as that's wasted money. So maybe they ARE reusable.

[Michael in FtW]

Originally Posted by aburas

Why do they even make Glad Ovenware...Why wouldn't someone just use a regular baking pan?

When I make casserole type things like enchiladas, lasagna, stuffed shells or moussaka, etc. I always make a triple batch - one for me and my step-mom to share and one for both of my sons. Using glass or metal baking dishes causes logistical problems - getting them back before I can make something else, and storage space. I got some disposable aluminum catering pans from the restaurant supply once - and the acid in the sauces ate little tiny holes all over the pans overnight, even the condensation that formed on the top which was not in direct contact with the food had holes! So - I tried the Glad stuff and there was no problem - and I could afford to have 3-4 sets on hand in case the boys didn't remember to bring back the pan from the previous batch when they came over to get a new batch of something.

As far as melting when used in the oven - we've never had a problem ... but we follow the directions. And, the boys generally reheat them in the microwave.

If you take something to a "pot luck" dinner - you don't have to worry if the pan doesn't make it home, and you don't have to worry about breakage.

Originally Posted by GrillingFool

theoretically, there are probably chemicals leeching from the oven interior into the atmosphere of the microwave, mixing with that steam and covering all the surfaces.... including your food.

Interesting theory ... but I don't know of any scientific foundation to support it - that's not how a microwave oven works. The microwaves are very short (about 12.24 cm) electromagnetic (radio) waves that are at a frequency (about 2,450 MHz = 2,450,000,000 cycles per second) that is the frequency that causes water molecules to "vibrate" - or probably more accurately to "spin" since water is polar and the RF is an alternating field - the polar water tries to realign magnetically with the electromagnetic wave - and at 2,450,000,000 times per second that causes friction, and friction causes heat - and the heat generated from the friction is what cooks the food.

Now, if the frequency of the wave only affects polar water - what would be leaching from the interior of the microwave oven since nothing else within the oven is at a resonate frequency? Your body is bombarded by electromagnetic waves 24/7 - television, radio, computer, wireless phone, cell phone, electric wires coming into your house, etc. all generate electromagnetic "radio" waves. You're actually more likely to suffer brain damage from talking on your cell phone than heating something in a microwave oven.