What’s an American dinner without a piece of Frankoma pottery to set/preside the dinner table? It has always remained the top choice for those who want affordable American pottery.
I’m sure those hectic dinner preps have made you ask yourself, “can I put my frankoma pottery in the microwave?”
The short answer is, yes you can microwave your frankoma pottery but only for a short period, in simpler words, you can use your frankoma pottery in the microwave for reheating not for microwave cooking. But your frankoma pottery should not be very old and unchipped.
Read below on how to determine whether your frankoma pottery is microwave safe.
How can I determine the age of my frankoma pottery?
Determining Frankoma pottery’s age is ridiculously simple. Turn your Frankoma piece upside down, if the clay is of a tan color then it was created pre-1955 using Ada clay mined near the town of Ada in southern Oklahoma. If the clay used on the bottom is red in color, then it was created post-1955 using the local Sapulpa red clay.
Is Frankoma Pottery lead-free?
In the year 2000, the use of lead was banned in pottery, so any frankoma pottery pieces produced post-2000 would have incorporated varying amounts of lead. Any pieces produced after 2000 would be fit with regulations hence lead-free.
In a series of questions posed to the Frankoma pottery staff, it was revealed that Frankoma pottery was made food-safe and could be used in foodservice.
Although the staff did caution customers against using pottery with bright colored glazes or chipped or cracked pottery and advised that such pottery if possible should be removed from foodservice entirely.
Is Frankoma Pottery Dishwasher Safe?
Yes, Frankoma pottery is dishwasher safe.
But before you put your frankoma pottery pieces in a dishwasher, inspect them thoroughly for any cracks and fractures or if your frankoma pottery piece is chipped from anywhere. Once it has passed the test, it can be used in a dishwasher.
How do I know if my pottery is microwave safe?
Not every dish is made equal, it is important to check if your dish is microwave-safe or not before putting it in the microwave. If you put the wrong and incompatible dish in your microwave it can not only ruin your dinner and dinnerware but can also cause physical damage to you and your microwave like scalding or burning.
Follow the steps below to see if your dish is microwave-safe or not:
- Inspect the dish
Check for a microwave-safe marking the dish you want to use by turning it upside down, if a microwave-safe marking is there then it can be used in a microwave if not continue to step 2.
- Set to Max Power
Tune your microwave to its highest power setting, this is usually the default setting for most microwaves, but if you want to manually check you should consult the owner’s manual for the button, this button is usually labeled as “Power”, “Power Level”.
- Add Water
Add one cup of water to a glass cup or a glass bowl and place the glass bowl inside the microwave along with the dish in question. For larger dishes, you may place the glass cup or bowl inside the dish but do not pour water into the dish.
- Start the timer
Set the timer to 1 minute after placing both the dish and the water container inside the microwave. Once the timer is over check the temperature of your dish and water. If the dish is hot, then your dish is not microwave-safe, if the dish is cool but the glass water container is hot, then your dish is microwave-safe. If you placed the water container on or in the dish, then the area of the dish around the glass container is expected to be hot but check if the rest of the dish is cold, if yes then the dish is microwave-safe.
5. Wear Gloves
Wear an oven glove when handling the dish after microwaving to prevent scalding.
6. Put a piece of Tape
Once you’ve determined whether the dish in question is microwaveable or not, we recommend putting a little piece of doctor’s tape or masking tape and mark it so you can identify the dish later with ease.
General tips for handling pottery in the microwave:
- If there is a glaze on the inner surface of your dish, then it is not safe for food usage, lead is used to make these glazes and lead can be harmful to the human body.
- Decorations or glazes on the outer or non-food surface of your dish are safer to use. The only proper way to determine whether your dish has leachable amounts of lead is to use a home test kit.
- Plain white dishes generally contain little to no lead hence are food safe.
- Make sure any dish or crockery you buy has decorations beneath the surface of the glaze. You can check this by running your fingers across the outer surface, if you feel that the decorations are raised or rough, then these can wear away exposing you to a higher dose of lead.
- Try not to buy imported dishes or crockery, especially if they are from South America or have bright colorful designs. Unlike the United States, not many other countries regulate the amount of lead used in a dish which can cause serious health concerns.
- Do not put any foil-lined dish in your microwave, this will cause a fire inside your microwave and can cause serious injuries.
Conclusion
Frankoma pottery has intrigued pottery lovers with its unique glaze colors and shapes. Even though the company had gone in deep waters several times in its life, it managed to successfully navigate its way out through the troubled waters and continue to produce this unique piece of American identity.
We hope that the information above was helpful to you and made your dinner experience with your Frankoma pottery pieces a lot more enjoyable, in our opinion dinner prep should be just as joyful as the dinner itself.
