Microwaves leave cold spots: cover, stir halfway, then let it stand three minutes
Yogurt tubs aren't safe containers, and leftovers need to reach 74°C (165°F).
A microwave heats fast but unevenly. One side of the plate can be bubbling while a cold patch in the middle stays cool enough for bacteria to survive. The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service boils the fix down to a few habits.
1. Use the right container
- Fine: anything labelled microwave-safe, heatproof glass, glass-ceramic, oven cooking bags, white unprinted paper plates, towels and napkins, and parchment or wax paper.
- Not fine: margarine, cheese and yogurt tubs, foam cups, plates and trays, brown paper bags, newspaper, metal pans, china with metallic trim, takeaway boxes with metal handles, and anything wrapped in foil. Throw out any container that warps or melts.
Not sure about an unlabelled dish? Microwave it on high for one minute next to a cup of water in a glass measuring jug. If the dish itself gets warm, don’t use it.
2. Cover and spread out
Cover the food with a lid or microwave-safe wrap that doesn’t touch it, and leave a vent for steam. Spread the food evenly and add a little liquid if needed. With large cuts of meat, take the bone out where you can, because bone shields the meat around it from the heat.
3. Stir or turn halfway through
Stir, rotate or flip the food midway, even if your oven has a turntable. When a recipe gives a range of times, start with the shortest and add more as needed.
4. Let it stand, then check
Leave the food for at least three minutes after the timer goes, while the heat keeps spreading. Then check with a food thermometer in the thickest part, away from fat and bone:
- Reheated leftovers: 74°C (165°F), steaming hot.
- All poultry: 74°C (165°F).
- Minced meat, eggs and egg dishes: 71°C (160°F).
- Steaks, chops, roasts and fish: 63°C (145°F), with meat rested for three minutes.
Don’t
- Part-cook food to finish another day. If you start something in the microwave to finish on the grill or in the oven, move it straight across.
- Cook a whole stuffed chicken in the microwave.
- Leave an ordinary thermometer in the food while the microwave runs.
Photo: a cheese pizza after microwaving, melted on one half and barely touched on the other, by Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, “Cooking with Microwave Ovens”, checked 21 October 2026.
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