Use the “two Minute Rule” When Microwaving With a Paper Towel
The inside of your microwave will quickly go from sparkling clean to a dirty mess if you don’t cover your food while it’s cooking. Many people choose to cover their food with a paper towel to prevent stains and splatters.
In most cases, it’s perfectly safe as long as you follow the guidelines, including using microwave-safe paper towels and limiting the cooking time. If you didn’t know this guide existed, you’re not alone. Here’s what you need to know about microwaving with paper towels, including the two-minute rule.
Can paper towels catch fire in the microwave?
Anyone who’s accidentally microwaved food in a metal container and then seen sparks fly or a takeout package catch fire has probably only made this mistake once. (Yes, technically there are certain ways to safely heat aluminum foil in the microwave , but we won’t go into that today.)
According to manufacturers such as Whirlpool and General Electric , as well as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), paper towels can also catch fire in the microwave. When this happens, it’s usually due to either a long cooking time, using the wrong type of paper towel, or both.
How to Safely Reheat Food in the Microwave Using Paper Towels
There are certain precautions you can take that will significantly reduce the risk of fire when cooking food in the microwave using paper towels. These include:
Using the two minute rule
Microwave food, covered with a paper towel, in two-minute intervals rather than increasing the cooking time and then walking away. According to Whirlpool , this allows “both food and paper to be checked more frequently” and reduces the risk of fire.
Use only microwave-safe paper towels.
Most paper towels are safe to use in the microwave, but General Electric recommends reading their packaging before using to make sure yours falls into this category.
Generally speaking, plain white paper towels, not recycled, are generally the safest. That’s why:
- The dyes used in patterned paper towels may contain chemicals that can ignite when heated in the microwave, so the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends choosing plain white and microwave-safe dyes.
- Recycled paper towels may contain tiny metal particles. “When a microwave oven is operating, the interaction between microwaves and metal can cause sparks and even flames,” explains the National Institutes of Health manual .
- Paper towels containing nylon or nylon threads can also ignite, GE notes .
Use paper towels in a single layer.
Cover food with a single layer of paper towels; folding or stacking them may increase the risk of fire.
Do not use other types of paper
According to the USDA , you can’t simply replace one paper product with another when using the microwave. This includes brown paper bags or packaging and newspapers, all of which should be avoided.