Are coffee mugs oven safe?

Are coffee mugs oven safe? - Modern room with kitchenware and counter with coffee cup near chairs and curtains with cabinet and oven

Is a coffee mug oven safe? I'd like to make French Onion soup au gratin in a mug. My concern is the mug shattering while the food is being served.

I currently bake the french onion soup at 450°F, but I'm curious about broiling as well.



Best Answer

Hello Justin,

First of all, a question like this should be answered by an expert in materials science, and I’m not. Bear that in mind when you read the following.

Generally, you should not take it for granted that coffee mugs are oven safe. Quite simply, some are and some are not.

However, high quality coffee mugs produced for the catering industry; especially the white ones with no decor, are normally oven safe. Nevertheless, I will not give you any guarantee.

Basically, coffee mugs cannot be regarded as oven safe, unless the manufacturer have stated so with a stamp underneath or otherwise have published some kind of guarantee, and the manufacturer is a respected and well-known entity within the industry.

Why coffee mugs aren’t always oven safe

A coffee mug isn’t always what it seems. Coffee mugs come in many varieties, are made from different materials, differ in decoration, and so on.

Moreover, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and other hot drinks commonly served in mugs, are seldom; read never, served at temperatures above 100 ºC / 212 ºF. However, due to competition, special on sale items, and so on, coffee mugs of low quality might not be able to withstand temperatures much higher than this. The reason is simply that manufacturers, or the manufacturers’ customers, want to save a few pennies to gain a market advantage. There might also be a consumer demand for cheap low quality coffee mugs.

Materials

Most coffee mugs are made from some kind of ceramic. Others are made from wood, plastic, clay, pewter, steel, and a long list of other materials. Obviously, some of these materials will never be reckoned as oven safe. To keep it simple, I’ll stick to ceramic for the reminding part of this answer, although other materials might be oven safe.

Ceramics commonly found in a kitchen environment include Earthenware, Stoneware, Porcelain, and Bone china. Of these Earthenware and Bone china are seldom, read never, reckoned as oven safe, although this isn’t completely true as far as Bone china is concerned. Nevertheless, only a complete idiot would use a Bone china mug to make French Onion soup au gratin, cup cakes or any other kind of food.

That leaves us with Stoneware and Porcelain. Both Stoneware and porcelain are normally oven safe, unless decor elements have been added after the finale glaze is applied and the coffee mug is baked in a furnace.

One final remark needs to be added about coffee mugs made out of thin porcelain. Although these mugs might very well withstand the heat, it’s advisable to ensure that they are not exposed to any other kind of force while hot, e.g. handled without care.

Further information about Coffee Mugs, and links to other resources, can be found at Wikipedia: Coffee Mug.




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Quick Answer about "Are coffee mugs oven safe?"

Ceramic coffee mugs can go in the oven, as well as glass and bone china. Metal, stainless steel, and silicone mugs are oven-safe. Polypropylene and plastic mugs are microwaveable but not safe in a conventional oven. Look for the manufacturer's label to see if its product is oven-safe.

Can I put my coffee mug in the oven?

Metal: A pure metal cup, like a camping mug, should be safe to put in the oven. Make sure there are no plastic elements on the cup; nonstick finishes will also react poorly to heat. Plastic or acrylic : All plastic mugs will melt if put in the oven. A mug with a plastic handle or grip will have the same problem.

How can you tell if a cup is oven safe?

Flip the mug upside down and look for an \u201coven-safe\u201d symbol, usually an image of an oven with or without vertical wavy lines, at the bottom of the mug. Alternatively, check whether the packaging specifies that the mug is oven-safe. The manufacturer may also indicate the highest temperature that the mug can withstand.

Can I bake a ceramic mug in the oven?

Your coffee mug might explode when subjected to steam. While many coffee mugs exhibit ceramic construction, ceramics are safe for oven use. However, they will easily explode when exposed to steam, especially if the mug was poorly built. More often, mugs are glazed to prevent the mug from absorbing water during heating.

Can you put porcelain in the oven?

Generally speaking, yes, it is safe to use porcelain cookware or bakeware inside the oven. Porcelain bakeware can withstand high heat up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. You can bake anything using porcelain cookware like meat, casserole dish, or gratin.



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More answers regarding are coffee mugs oven safe?

Answer 2

I saw this done in a video by working class foodies, and I did this myself last night. So from experimentation it seems ok.

Answer 3

You could serve the soup in a mug. Toast bread and grill cheese on top before floating the bread on the soup.

If you want the cheese to melt into the soup sprinkle a little grated cheese on top of the liquid before floating the hot cheesy bread on.

Serving the soup in a mug that has been in the oven is risky, people will automatically reach for the very hot handle to steady the vessel, gently warm the mugs to prevent chilling of the soup on serving before filling as I described.

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