Airplane food is no longer a joke and a laughing stock. Any traveler who has had a meal or two onboard a plane will know how delicious it can be.
From the perfectly cooked meals to the warm, satisfying cuppa, flight attendants serve us food that is a step up from fast-food joints. But have you ever wondered how they heat the meals? Do airplanes have microwaves for that?
Well, keep in mind that airlines aren’t designed to include microwave ovens. As a result, it’s best to avoid expecting to heat your meal onboard.
However, some people say they’ve got some planes that endorse a microwave in it. This may be true — we’ve also seen some airplane galleys and kitchens with a microwave on board.
Whether today’s airplanes feature microwave ovens or not, there’s been talk about old commercial planes including it.
Back in the 20th century, there were a number of commercial airlines which allowed ovens onboard. To justify the points even better, let’s get a quick look through into the case,
Do Commercial Planes Have Microwaves
Commercial planes were intended to use for commercial purposes. There were passengers flying for days in those planes with enough preserved food storage to spend on. And the sad truth is, they weren’t allowed to endorse microwaves either. Some airlines had a heating device developed to avoid any possible accidents.
And till today, no planes are allowed to include microwaves but only convection ovens. Microwave frequencies can be a leading safety issue in that case.
Because even though microwaves feature no potential harmful substance, there is quite a bit of discrepancy operating such ovens from above the sky than from a warm-filled house seated on the ground.
According to a popular online community of electromagnetic radiation experts, microwaves create radio waves that are harmful to human tissue cells.
If used in a stagnant environment, it might result in severe burns and food poisoning. In particular, planes are relatively stagnant since they cannot expel air from the inside. So, microwaves indeed have some associated food safety issues onboard.
Do Airplanes Cook Foods On Ovens
Aircraft ovens do not really appreciate the entire cooking process on board. Instead, you can expect them to heat half-cooked food that comes from an already organized kitchen from their airports.
Flight attendants take the half-cooked meals and put them in a convection oven that efficiently completes the rest of the job within a few minutes.
Convection ovens are designed to use hot air rather than an electric heating device to cook up your meal. You can easily prepare your hot water within a couple of minutes.
And to cook or reheat a meal, it only requires you to shove in the tray inside and wait for 20 minutes. Make sure to organize your food in batches before putting it inside so it can serve back a properly cooked hot meal.
Airline meals are already great as they are, but sometimes a little heating makes them even better. That’s why, before serving in-flight meals to customers, airlines arrange for the meals to be prepped for heating.
The food is heated slowly so that it doesn’t overcook, with the heat-sealed within the packaging until served. This provides customers with warm and tasty meals even during longer flights.
How To Pack A Microwave For Flight
Microwaves are easier to carry by airplane; nonetheless, you cannot use them on board. Many passengers pack such heavy-large elements in their package every year.
And the only hassle that they need to go through is a check-in. As a microwave exceeds the baggage limit, you cannot get it inside the flight unless you have an assessment.
It is best to pack a microwave as it comes from the store – box packaging. It’s a good idea to wrap up the microwave in bubble paper before packing it in a check-in box. Try to wrap each part individually to keep them separate and secure.
You can manage a well-sized backpack to fit in your microwave for sure, but it would create some extra hassle during the check-in process. So, why not bring in a separate package box and make it run on the x-ray trailer much more efficiently?
Frequently Asked Questions
You might wonder about some other relevant questions regarding airplanes carrying an oven or not. Well, we have come across some popular ones. So, we decided to share it with you with the purpose of clearing out your confusion.
Can flight attendants warm up food?
Indeed, they can. As mentioned above, airplanes do have an endorsed convection oven to warm up airline meals. So, it becomes easier for the cabin crew to reheat the solid food items. They can even prepare hot water for you in case you are in need of it sometime.
Do they have kitchens on planes?
No, airplanes are not equipped with a kitchen as that might lead to no-way-living dangers anytime onboard. It’s pretty apparent to consider such things as threats in such a stagnant zone.
However, cabin crew can reheat your meals once in a while during the flight time. But for properly cooked meals to be prepared, it has to be going in a ground prior kitchen of the airlines much earlier than take-off timing.
Is airplane food microwaved?
Meals on board flights aren’t microwaved; rather, the meat is pre-cooked, and the plates are heated. The process keeps the food healthy and fresh.
Instead of serving reheated meals — the kind one might find at an office catered lunch. For example — airlines prepare real food that’s never been frozen, using ingredients bought locally or imported from abroad.
Closing Thoughts
In-flight microwaves are dangerous. If a pilot accidentally leaves a microwave on during a flight, the potential for disaster is enormous.
If the oven malfunctions, it might lead to a fire in the cockpit or an explosion. And that’s not even considering possible health risks associated with refueling on microwaved food.
To avoid a messy explosion and all the trouble that comes with it, make sure you get yourself a good meal before going on board. While other travelers struggle with the airline for food or go hungry, you’ll be sipping your hot soup or enjoying your hot pasta.
