Can You Use A Dutch Oven In A Microwave?

Dutch ovens are a truly special cooking pot to have in your culinary arsenal. These are the "it" pots when it comes to kitchen gear. Plenty of celebrity chefs like Martha Stewart, Ree Drummond, and Rachael Ray, have their own brand of pots and pans that includes a Dutch oven (via The Kitchn). And if you purchase one of these pots, you could have it for a lifetime, according to Southern Living, that is, if you take care of it properly. But why do you need one? Dutch ovens are key to making a fair number of meals that would not taste the same baked in anything else.

Per All Recipes, these heavy pots with thicker walls than your regular pots allow for a slow cook, producing delicious stews and succulent meats. Some of the best ways to use your Dutch oven include making pot roasts and soups, braising beef, roasting chicken, and even making bread. But the real beauty of a Dutch oven is the fact that you can use it on your stove top or in your oven. And while these pots are designed for the slow and low method of cooking, at some point, you may have wondered whether or not you can use your Dutch oven in your microwave. We've got the answer.

While you may be in a hurry to get dinner on the table, you should resist the temptation to put your Dutch oven in the microwave. Southern Living shares that this is a big no-no. Why? Because Dutch ovens are made of metal. As General Electric explains, microwaves cannot find a clear path through metal, and therefore, whatever you might be trying to make in the microwave in a metal container is not going to cook.

The Wasserstrom blog reveals that Dutch ovens first entered cooking history in the 17th century when they made their debut in the Netherlands. Those first pots were made of copper and brass. Today, according to Good House Keeping, Dutch Ovens are often made of cast iron and coated with enamel, making them impractical for use in a microwave. 

But a microwave's inability to cook food in a cast iron pan is only part of the problem when it comes to Dutch ovens and microwaves. General Electric goes on further to say that metal in microwaves results in "arcing," which Clover Electric notes will result in a fire. However, there is an exception. General Electric suggests if you have a convection microwave and you switch it to the convection setting, you can use your Dutch oven in this appliance. But would you want to?