A microwave oven is an inevitable part of our kitchen. The major benefit of using an oven is its ability to cook foods faster than a gas or electric stove. When you buy a microwave oven, you will be advised to avoid putting certain materials inside the oven. Every microwave oven works in the same way and you cannot put cheap plastics, metals, Styrofoam, etc. inside it. But what about masking tape?
Masking tape is made out of paper or polyester and adhesive which seems to be fine with the microwave oven. But can it withstand inside the appliance? Let us find out whether it is safe to use masking tape inside an oven and get to know how an oven works.
Can Masking Tape Go in the Oven?
You cannot use masking tape inside an oven since the adhesive on the tape will start to melt. The adhesive has some water content which is heated up by microwave radiation and starts to evaporate. Even if you keep the tape for a few seconds, the glue will start to melt away from the tape. This will mess up your oven and may ruin the entire appliance.
You need to understand the working of a microwave oven so that it will be easier for you to grasp why you cannot use the tape inside it.
How does a Microwave Oven Work?
A microwave oven is made up of a magnetron which is placed inside a metal box. The magnetron is a device that generates microwave radiation. Yes, a microwave is similar to radio waves and it is electromagnetic radiation.
Similar to radio waves, microwaves can penetrate through certain objects and can transfer the energy with which it is vibrating.
Let us assume you have kept a bowl of water inside the microwave and started the appliance. The magnetron will fire up and starts shooting microwave radiation all over the insides of the oven. The oven is covered with metal which doesn’t allow the microwave particles to penetrate. Rather, it will simply bounce them off.
When these particles reach the bowl of water, they can easily penetrate them and start to resonate along with the water molecules. This vibration will create heat with which the water will start to boil.
Since a lot of radiation is bounced off and penetrates the water bowl, boiling will start sooner than any other mode of heating.
This is the case with any type of food. All food items will have some amount of water present in them. The microwaves will start to excite the water molecules in the food which in turn heats the whole food.
So, when the masking tape is put inside the oven, the water present in the glue will start to excite and may even burn the paper to which it is applied.
Therefore, you can never use masking tape inside an oven in any instance. Anything with water molecules can be heated up with a microwave.
What about Scotch Tapes and Duct Tapes?
You cannot use any type of tape inside an oven whether it is a scotch tape, duct tape, masking tape, etc. All these tapes have adhesives that easily melt when put under microwave radiations and can make a mess inside your oven cabinet.
After the heat is removed, it might become very difficult to clean the melted adhesive off from the oven and you may have to throw away your appliance.
Although duct tape will have thick layers of polymer, the glue will first melt away. Similarly, the scotch tape will also produce the same effect and cause a big mess.
Therefore, it is advisable to stay away from all these experiments where you want to use tape inside a microwave oven or even a baking oven that has a heating element.
Conclusion
Understanding the working of any appliance will enable you to use it without getting into any danger. Since kitchen appliances deal with electricity or heat, you have to be very careful in using them.
Especially with appliances like microwave ovens, you need to be aware of what to use them with and what not to use in them. It will help you prevent many dangers that can come from them.
It is always safe to use a microwave oven for heating foods and liquids that are placed in a safe container. Don’t use any metal or other prohibited items like masking tapes to prevent the appliance and yourself.
