As Yeti cups are so popular, it’s no surprise that lots of questions are asked about how to use them most effectively.
From queries such as, ‘Can I put my Yeti cup in the freezer?’ through to the topic of this article: ‘Are Yeti cups microwave safe?’
Let’s break down some of the information surrounding microwaving your Yeti cup.
Can You Microwave a Yeti?
To cut straight to the chase – no, it is not safe to microwave a Yeti. Yeti drinkware is made from stainless steel, so please don’t place Yeti Rambler drinkware in the microwave.
On Yeti’s Rambler FAQ page, the warning label that is on Yeti cups is shown, and it clearly states:
“Microwaves and metal don’t play well together. Do NOT place any Ramblers in the microwave; fire, or injury, can occur.”
That’s a definitive answer direct from Yeti – no, you can’t microwave a Yeti cup!
See also:
- Yeti Wine Tumbler Review: Our Verdict on This Cool Cup
- Yeti Tundra Haul Review
- Yeti Rambler Colors Explained
- Yeti Cooler Sizes: Full List of Drinkware and Coolers
Why You Can’t Microwave a Yeti Cup
A Yeti cup is made of stainless steel. Like all metals, stainless steel can conduct electricity, which makes them a very bad mix with microwaves.
Without going into loads of scientific detail, microwaves basically work by sending bolts of energy through an object which speeds up the vibration of the molecules inside them.
As the molecules continue to vibrate at faster speeds, friction is produced, which is converted to heat, which then increases the temperature of the items inside.
The problem with microwaving your Yeti Rambler is that the stainless steel they are made from does not allow the bolts of energy to pass through it. Instead, the metal absorbs the energy until the molecular structure can’t contain the excess energy, and it is released as sparks, heat, and sound.
These sparks and heat can cause fires, burns, and many other nasty injuries.
Putting anything metal in a microwave will have this effect, so this isn’t an effect specific to Yeti cups – it has been well known for a long time that metal can’t safely be put in the microwave, and Yeti cups are no exception to this.
What Happens If You Microwave a Yeti?
As previously mentioned, being made of stainless steel – Yeti mugs will not allow the bolts of energy produced by the microwave to pass through it. This then leads to sparks and heat.
This heat could potentially cause flames and, ultimately, a fire to start in your microwave.
As a lesser consequence, any liquid that you are trying to warm up will likely still be lukewarm at best, anyway.
This makes complete sense if you think about it. If the stainless steel cup absorbs the microwave energy and prevents it from passing through its molecules, then none of the energy ever reaches the liquid inside the cup so the temperature remains almost the same.
This means you are risking starting a fire in your house to heat up a drink using a method that won’t result in a hot drink anyway.
In even more simple terms – even if you get lucky and no sparks are produced by microwaving your Yeti cup, you will still end up with a cold drink and a few minutes of wasted time.
To summarize, putting Yeti cups in the microwave is a waste of time at best and a massive fire risk at worst.
Can You Put a Yeti in the Oven?
This is also another no!
What you should bear in mind with Yeti cups is that they do a great job on their own of keeping your cold drinks ice cold and your hot drinks extremely hot.
Trying to heat up any liquid in your Yeti Rambler is counter-productive as your Yeti cup can keep the liquid inside it warm without needing assistance from a microwave or oven.
Another thing to think about is that the maximum temperature most Yeti cups can withstand is 185F (85C). An oven can obviously get quite a bit hotter than this, so putting your Yeti drinkware in the oven can result in damage to it in the form of warping or melting.
See also:
- Yeti Gallon Jug Review: A Great Option
- Yeti Tundra 45 Cooler Review
- Yeti Tundra Haul Reviewed
- Yeti Hopper Flip 8 Reviewed: Our Verdict
- Tumbler Challenge: Yeti vs RTIC
- Tumbler Challenge: Yeti vs Corkcicle
- Tumbler Challenge: Yeti vs Hydroflask
What to Do Instead of Microwaving a Yeti
Yeti drinkware doesn’t need any help keeping your drinks hot. If you make a cup of coffee and pour it straight into your Yeti cup and put the lid on. Your coffee can stay hot for several hours with no other action needed.
If you have left your coffee inside your Yeti all day and it’s lost some heat, you can simply remove it from the Yeti and put it in a microwave-safe container. Microwave it in this before pouring it back into your Yeti mug to keep it hot for several more hours.
It really is as simple as that – put your hot drink straight into your Yeti mug, and you will not have to worry about it getting cold for most of the day.
Mugs and Tumblers That Are Microwave-Safe
If you are keen to regularly microwave your drinks, then Yeti mugs might not be the best choice for you.
Better options might be a standard ceramic mug or maybe even a BPA-free plastic mug.
Both of these options are microwave-safe, so you can enjoy your hot beverages straight out of the microwave without any of the risks associated with putting stainless steel in there.
The Bosmarlin Ceramic Coffee Mug is microwave-safe and will be a good choice for some hot, freshly microwaved coffee.
The W&P Porter Ceramic Mug is another alternative to Yeti drinkware if you want your hot beverages direct from the microwave.
