Is Sistema safe to microwave? Before asking that, let’s also discuss what Sistema is and which of their products are truly microwave-safe. This New Zealand food container brand makes it easy to tell which ones are microwave-safe or not, actually.
From lunchboxes to drink bottles, Sistema® makes quite a variety of useful dinnerware products aside from your usual chinaware, plates, dishes, and pottery. They mostly focus on recyclable plastic storage containers that have microwave-safe properties.
These ones have markings on them to easily pick them out. Everywhere Sistema products get used, people will find a purpose for them to suit their lifestyle.
Is Sistema Microwave-Safe?
Yes. Sistema specifically has dedicated microwaveable products marked clearly for microwaving so you won’t have to second-guess which ones should be microwaved or which ones should not be microwaved. Such containers have the FDA-approved microwave-safe symbol on them.
It involves a dish or microwave oven icon with squiggly or wavy lines above or around it. This signifies that the container is safe to microwave and BPA-free (or it exudes safe levels of the plasticizer when microwaveed so that it’s not harmful to your body).
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You can find this engraving or mark at the bottom of the container. You can also see it on the box or packaging where the product came in.
Are Unmarked Sistema Products Microwaveable?
No, and you shouldn’t try to microwave them. It’s not like with ceramic dishes where the unmarked ones might still be microwaveable as long as you do the hot cup of water test on them. The Sistema circular clear containers use recyclable plastic that are microwave radiation transparent.
They allow the microwaves to pass through them without reacting to them or emitting unsafe levels of BPA. From there, they can insulate or keep the heat of the dishes or meals being microwaved so as to evenly distribute the heat.
Remember that Sistema products lacking that microwave-safe symbol should never be used with microwaves or risk the consequences.
How Do You Use a Sistema Container?
Sistema has compact round shapes instead of rectangular shapes for its plastic containers. They can serve as leak-resistant semi-liquid containers for meals like stews and the like. It’s mostly used for dry storage though, like with cup noodles and the like.
Their uniquely rounded design requires you to fill the container and close the easy-locking clasps or clips of your Sistema for meal safekeeping. You can place them in a cool, dry place or your refrigerator depending on what you’re keeping inside of it.
Just don’t forget to unclasp its lid when reheating if not transfer outright the food to a microwave-safe ceramic bowl in case you wish to err on the side of caution. You can safely use it with the dishwasher (top rack) or the microwave (remove the lid) or the refrigerator and freezer.
Follow the Instructions When Microwaving Sistema
As a responsible Sistema owner, you should follow its recommended use only. For example, don’t use the food container as a cooking pot or dinnerware dishes on the stovetop. Only get the clearly marked microwave-safe containers inside the microwave and avoid using plates with metal embellishments.
The storage directions should also keep your food from getting spoiled or exploding from inside your microwave. The lid should be removed when you’re microwaving in order to release the steam and avoid building heat pressure from inside the container, resulting in a food bomb.
Furthermore, these warnings and instructions typically come from consumer knowledge through the years of practical usage of the containers. It’s through their experience that you get to use a Sistema product optimally.
What Are Sistema Containers Made of?
The microwaveable Sistema food containers use a percentage of recycled plastic, particularly the brand Sistema® Renew™, which is a range of reusable lunch products.
The plastic used ensures leach-free and BPA-free microwave reheating without chemical contamination of the food as long as it’s marked microwave-safe. The Food and Drug Administration of the U.S. considers the product safe for food contact.
They’ve passed all of the New Zealand and U.S. FDA food safety tests based on food contact regulations, which includes heating care of microwaves. Not so much oven-heating, that’s a different type of device and uses conductive heat instead of microwave-induced water boiling.
Where is Sistema Made or Manufactured?
The Sistema brand was built way back when in a small New Zealand town, inside the garage of an ambitious New Zealander. Great things start from small beginnings indeed. Sistema grew from such a humble origin to a global empire composed of 700 employees all over the globe.
Their goal? They wish to make beautiful and well-designed lifestyle products, including food storage and dinnerware offerings. They then ship such products internationally, with the U.S. being among their key consumers for those who wish for Tupperware or Rubbermaid alternatives.
Which is the Least Toxic Plastic?
High-density polyethylene (HDPE). It’s BPA-free and it’s unlikely to contaminate its contents. It’s used for toiletries, butter tubs, juice bottles, detergent, and milk jugs.
They have an opaque color and have properties such as low leaching risk and amazing safety as opposed to polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET bottles like those used in water bottles have a clear plastic that has real leaching issues and aren’t as BPA-free when heated or burned.
PET vs. HDPE vs. Sistema Recycled Plastic
Such PET bottles can ruin the water contained within them when they expire at a certain age. The plastic used by Sistema are recycled, leading to a food-safe clear plastic that you can microwave without it emitting BPA.
As for Sisteam’s drinkware, it uses ultraviolet-radiation-resistant plastic containers that are also food grade as well as metallized bags for its antibacterial properties. Long story short, the FDA approves the microwave-safeness of Sistema’s plastic and you can microwave it freely.
The only catch or caveat? If you were to somehow crack or damage the microwaveable Sistema container, you should cease microwaving it because it has become compromised and its damage will only get worse with extra reheating.
What You Need to Know
Sistema makes lifestyle products, so naturally some of them can be microwaved. Dining and dinnerware makes up a large part of people’s lives, after all. Having the convenience of microwaving your dinner at a moment’s notice improves your quality of life in its own way.
Sistema was built on a single man’s dream inside his garage in a small town in New Zealand, culminating to a new brand of lifestyle products and food storage containers to challenge industry leaders like Rubbermaid Brilliance and Tupperware.
References:
- “FAQ: Are Sistema containers safe?“, TheInfiniteKitchen.com, November 22, 2021
- “Frequently Asked Questions Sistema“, SistemaPlastics.com, Retrieved January 27, 2022
