What types of glass lunch boxes cannot be used?
Don’t think that all glass lunch boxes on the market are safe to use. In fact, there are many glass lunch boxes that cannot be heated in a microwave or oven. If heated, they not only release toxic ingredients but also have the risk of exploding.
Let me share with you which glass lunch boxes cannot be used, so you should be careful when buying them.
1. Soda-lime glass:
I believe you have all seen on the Internet that when you put the lunch box in the microwave to heat it, the lunch box explodes. In fact, this is very simple because the glass lunch box cannot withstand high temperatures and can be made of soda-lime glass.
The type of glass that can usually be heated in a microwave or oven is tempered glass and high borosilicate glass. These two types of glass can withstand high temperatures, but glass made from other materials is only suitable for refrigeration and is not suitable for direct heating in the oven.
This type of soda-lime glass will explode at high temperatures if heated directly in a microwave.
Therefore, when buying a lunch box, you must check whether the glass lunch box is made of soda-lime glass or not.
2. Crystal glass:
There is also a type of glass on the market called crystal glass. This type of glass cannot be put directly into a microwave or oven because it cannot withstand high temperatures.
Be careful when buying a glass lunch box: They can explode when you heat food in a microwave – Photo 3.
You can usually use it to store food, if it is kept in the refrigerator or at room temperature, it will be fine. However, if put in an oven or microwave, the glass material will break.
This type of glass is often used as a cup for water, a storage box. If you choose a lunch box, you cannot choose this material.
3. Lead glass:
When choosing a lunch box, you should also avoid the type made of lead glass.
Be careful when buying glass lunch boxes: They can explode when you heat food in the microwave – Photo 5.
Lead glass materials can make the glass look more transparent and textured, but the lead component is extremely harmful to the body. If heated, the lead will penetrate the food and can cause many diseases.
So whether it is a lunch box or other glass materials, do not choose leaded glass, it is really harmful.
What issues should you pay attention to when heating food?
1. Temperature difference:
We often wrap our food in a lunch box and put it in the refrigerator for fear of spoilage.
The glass temperature of the lunch box taken out of the refrigerator is relatively low. If you heat the lunch box directly in the microwave, the temperature will increase suddenly, which will also affect the stability of the glass box. This is one of the reasons why the lunch box is easy to break.
The best way is to take the lunch box out of the refrigerator and not heat it directly, it is best to leave it at room temperature for about half an hour, you do not have to worry about the lunch box breaking when heating.
2. Open the lunch box lid:
The lunch boxes we buy today all have air vents on the lid. When heating food, it is best to open the air vent.
If the air vent is not opened, the lunch box will be in a sealed state, the glass may break after continuous heating.
During the heating process, the moisture in the food will evaporate to form steam, if the lid is closed too tightly, the steam cannot escape and the pressure inside will increase.
In addition to opening the vent of the lunch box, you can also directly remove the lid, which will have a better heating effect and avoid the lunch box exploding.
3. Regularly check the lunch box:
Although glass lunch boxes can be heated in the microwave, many lunch boxes that have been used for a long time may have small cracks on the glass surface after being heated for a long time.
These small cracks are basically invisible to our naked eyes. However, during the heating process at high temperatures, the cracks on the glass surface will become larger and larger, causing the lunch box to break.
Therefore, when you often use the lunch box, it is best to check the lunch box regularly. If the lunch box has small cracks, it should not be reheated.
In general, glass products are very popular in our lives, but when buying this item, especially a lunch box, you must pay attention to these issues and do not buy the wrong one!