Can You Use A Microwave Oven If The Glass Plate Is Broken?

Can You Use a Microwave If The Glass Plate Is Broken?

can you use a microwave if the glass plate is broken

In short, yes. You can still use a microwave if the glass plate breaks. While the plate assists in microwave cooking and is a standard part of residential microwaves, its absence will not prevent the food from cooking.

What Is The Purpose of the Glass Tray in a Microwave?

After reading this answer, you may be thinking, if you can still use a microwave without the plate, what is its purpose in the first place? The glass plate serves as a surface for your dish to sit on while microwaving. As the plate rotates, your food avoids uneven heating.

What Do You Do When You Break a Microwave Plate?

what do you do when you break a microwave plate

Any time you break glass, the first thing to do is make sure there are no glass pieces in and around the area where food is or where someone can step on it. Tempered glass shouldn’t break in shards but large chunks. However, it is still wise to look for any tiny pieces that may have broken off.

From here, it’s time to start looking for a new glass plate. Luckily, these plates are fairly inexpensive to replace. Your glass plate of choice will depend on the size and make of your microwave oven. Below are a few good choices and all are under $20.

How to Make a Temporary Replacement Plate for the Microwave

While you wait for your new glass plate, there are a few options for what you can do to still use your microwave in the meantime. The most convenient option is to use a microwave-safe plate and place it upside down over the turntable. You’ll want the plate to be big enough so that it doesn’t touch the turntable when rested over it.

From here, you can place your food on top of the bottom of the plate to cook. You will need to manually rotate your microwaved food a few times for it to cook properly. This can be easily done by pausing the microwave and turning the position of the food. You can do this as many times as necessary, depending on the length of cooking time.

Can You Use a Microwave If the Front Glass Is Broken?

can you use a microwave if the front glass is broken

To answer this one in short, no, most likely it’s not safe. The microwave door plays an essential role in cooking your food and keeps you safe as well as there’s a perforated metal mesh cover you may have noticed behind the glass. If that’s broken it’s possible for microwave radiation, which is normally not able to leave the interior, to escape through the front glass panel.

While it’s not likely you’ll suffer any microwave radiation-related injuries, the FDA still suggests not to use the microwave at all if the door is at all broken. Microwaves which can cause burns or even nerve damage when human tissue is exposed to them.

Is It Safe to Eat Food from a Microwave that Does Not Rotate?

is it safe to eat food from a microwave that does not rotate

Absolutely! It’s perfectly safe to eat from a microwave that doesn’t rotate or has jammed and cannot rotate. The rotation of the glass plate is to help cook the food evenly and plays no significant part in food safety.

As you make sure your food is still thoroughly cooked you’ll be fine.

Why Do Most Commercial Microwaves Lack Glass Plates?

why do most commercial microwaves lack glass plates

Most commercial microwaves are not made with turntables at all. This fact may pose the question, then how do they evenly cook the food?

The answer to this is that commercial microwaves work differently than residential microwaves.

A commercial microwave uses a stirrer system to evenly cook food rather than a turntable mechanism. This stirrer system evenly distributes heat throughout the microwave eliminating the need for a turntable.

This is necessary due to the high quantities of food used in commercial microwaves. The glass plates that a microwave would need to accommodate this much food would be too large to rotate.

What Causes a Glass Plate to Not Rotate?

what causes a glass plate to not rotate

There can be a few reasons why the glass plate is not rotating. Most commonly, if your food or dish is too large, it will cause the plate to stop turning as it cooks. In this case, you can just manually rotate the dish.

It is also common for your plate to stop rotating if it is not properly sitting on top of the turntables.

If you have exhausted both of these options and the plate is still not rotating, it could be a mechanical problem, and you will want to contact the manufacturer or consider getting it replaced by the retailer.

James Marshall

About the author

James is a business management professional and consultant with a former background in maintenance, repair, and hands-on projects. He enjoys DIY tasks and maintenance around the home as well as part-time writing. Read more »