Pans are randomly used for cooking because they are user-friendly and easy to cook. There are various frying pans available in the market. Some of them are used in high heat, some of them are used in the oven.
You may notice some pans handles are covered with plastic to protect you from heat. So, it will be a little confusing for many users whether they can use their plastic handle pans in the oven or not.
So in this article, we will discuss whether you can put a plastic handle pan in an oven, so read the article attentively.
Can Plastic Handle Pans Go into The Oven?
Yes, thermosetting plastic can go into the oven because it can withstand heat to an extent. Plastic handles can withstand heat up to 572°F for only a few minutes. If you intend to leave it in the oven for more than 15 minutes, this will not work. Rather, the long-term temperature limit of plastic is 284°F. So, if you have to leave your frying pan with a plastic handle in the oven for a long time, set the temperature below 284°F.
What Is Used as the Handle of Frying Pans?
There are numerous brands of frying pans on the market and they come with different types of handles. You may come across handles made of rubber, stainless steel, cast iron, or plastic. All of them have their advantages and disadvantages.
Rubber handles are not oven-safe. Rubber will melt in no time. However, rubber does not conduct heat. So it will remain cool to the touch. It means when you’re cooking on a stovetop, you can hold the rubber handle and stir your food while being cooked.
Stainless steel and cast iron handles are oven-safe but they’ll get very hot in the oven. They could scorch you. When you place a pan with a metal handle in your oven, never try to touch the pan or its handle with ordinary hands when bringing it out of the oven.
The best option is a handle made of the thermosetting plastic. It never gets too hot because it is an insulator. Also, you can place it in the oven because it can withstand heat to an extent. However, it has its downside too. When thermosetting plastic gets heated, it will begin to give off certain toxic gases that are harmful to humans. Having food close by makes it even more dangerous.
Why Do Pan Handles Not Get Hot?
First of all, let’s get something straight. It’s only plastic handles that do not get hot. Stainless steel and cast iron handles usually get as hot as the pan themselves. Now, let’s talk about why plastic handles don’t get hot. It is because plastic is an insulator. It does not conduct heat. That’s why plastic handles don’t get hot.
Why Do Cooking Pans Have Plastic Handles?
These days, many pans come with handles made of the thermosetting plastic. It has two reasons. Plastic handles do not conduct heat and will never get hot or burn your hand. Plastic handles will remain cool even after several hours of cooking. The second reason is that they can withstand high heat, which makes them oven-safe.
What Plastic Is Used for Pan Handles?
It is a thermosetting plastic. This type of plastic can withstand high temperatures. They won’t get deformed when heated. Also, the plastic does not get hot because it is an insulator. It does not conduct heat.
What Temperature Does Plastic Pan Handle Melt?
As tough as thermosetting plastic is, it has its limit. The plastic can withstand heat up to 572°F for only a very short time. It will begin to melt if the cooking goes beyond 10 -15 minutes. The plastic will also melt when the heat is above 284°F, and the cooking continues for a very long time. To be safe, don’t exceed 284°F when cooking with a pan that has a plastic handle.
Things you have to know before putting a pan in the oven
If you have a pan with a plastic handle and decide to put it in the oven, you should focus on some points: which dish you want to make, the time duration, and finally the temperature.
The plastic quality used to make the handle of the pan is most important. Generally, cheaper plastic starts to melt at 100 degrees celsius.
General rules of cooking avoid putting plastic handled pan in an oven. Melting plastics are not safe for health, and they may produce toxic chemicals in your food. So you should avoid putting cheap plastic handled pan in your oven.
Moreover, you can put many pans with plastic handles in an oven at a high temperature for a limited time. You can find it in the user manual. If you do not have a user manual, then don’t worry. In this article, we discuss every fact.
Most of the plastic can tolerate 100 degrees celsius. So this is the safe temperature to put your pan with a plastic handle in the microwave oven. Otherwise, you can bake things at a lower temperature than the melting point of the handles.
Tricks to Stop Your Pan’s Plastic Handles from Melting
If you have an old pan and don’t have any choice, if you feel you have to bake something urgently, you can use some tricks to help you out. These tricks will stop melting your plastic handle in the oven.
You can use wet paper towels. Warp the towel in the plastic handle of the pan and then wrap it via an aluminum foil sheet. Then the plastic handle of the pan will be safe from heat, and they don’t melt yet.
Read the instruction before Buying a New Pan
If you decide to buy a pan for baking purposes, it is wise to research which one is perfect.
The impact of melted plastic on human health
We all know plastic is made with various types of toxic chemicals, and they are dangerous for health. For example, if we put a plastic handled pan on the oven and it starts to melt, then many toxic chemicals spread on your food which is very dangerous for health.
So we should be careful to put a plastic handled pan in an oven for a long time because it is unsafe.
Final word
You can put a plastic handled pan in the oven at a low temperature for a short time. However, you can’t put it on for a long time or do not use it for baking because every plastic handle has a melting point, so if you put it in an oven, you have to be careful.
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