Can You Microwave Pop Tarts And Toaster Strudels?
Who else thinks that breakfast foods are the absolute best? And we don’t just mean your traditional foods like bacon, eggs, biscuits, toast, hash browns, or pancakes!
We’re talking things like cinnamon rolls, pop tarts, toaster strudels, and even breakfast bars. They’re all delicious!
When you want something sweet and fast for breakfast, you can easily grab something like a pop tart or a toaster strudel.
These are meant to be simple and convenient. However, if you’re looking to heat these breakfast pastries up in a quick manner, that might be a bit more of a complicated conversation.
Can you microwave pop tarts and toaster strudels? Pop tarts are easy to microwave and some of them even have microwave instructions on the packaging. Toaster strudels can be microwaved but you have to be very careful in doing so. They are designed to be cooked in the toaster but a microwave will work in a pinch if you use caution.
In this guide, we will share with you just how you can microwave a pop tart or a toaster strudel.
These foods are very different when it comes to what to do and how to do it so we will have separate instructions for each one and share all of the tips, tricks, and warnings that you need to be aware of as well.
Stick with us to learn how to microwave pop tarts and toaster strudels!
Pop Tarts
Since pop tarts and toaster strudels are pretty different when it comes to how they need to be heated, we are separating them in this guide.
Let’s talk about just what a pop tart is first. These little pastries are made with a breading and typically have a small amount of some sort of flavored filling inside.
Many of those flavors are fruity but some of them are creative like s’mores, brown sugar and cinnamon, chocolate fudge, and more.
You can find a lot of different flavors, particularly with the Pop-Tart name brand. Most of the generic brands just carry the most common flavors but they might have some extra choices too.
Most of the time, you buy pop tarts in a box from the grocery store. The box will have them packaged up in foil packets in pairs of two.
We have to agree that the toaster is really where pop tarts are meant to be heated but the nice thing about these is that they can easily be heated in the microwave.
In fact, some of them come with microwave heating instructions to make it that much easier for you when needed.
How To Heat Pop Tarts in the Microwave
Heating a pop tart in the microwave is very fast and very easy. You can eat it that way if you prefer it warm and soft. You should also know that you can heat your pop tart in the toaster or even just eat it at room temperature.
It does not HAVE to be cooked in order to be consumed. Some people even like them chilled or frozen!
Here are the steps to heating a pop tart in the microwave if that is how you decide to prepare it.
- Remove the foil packet. This is very important. The foil could start a fire when microwaved.
- Place the pop tarts on a paper towel or a microwave-safe plate of some sort.
- Microwave for 3 seconds. Yes, you read that right—3 seconds!
- Remove from the microwave and test. You can add an additional 2-3 seconds if necessary.
The 3-second recommendation actually comes from a package of microwavable pop tarts itself. The challenge with microwaving a pop tart is that you could easily burn the filling if you are not careful.
The filling gets very hot pretty quickly so a quick few seconds is really all you need to get your pop tart warm and ready to eat without burning anything or ruining the pop tart.
If you’re concerned about 3 seconds, you can always go with 5. We definitely wouldn’t recommend more than that though until you’ve tested it after that time frame.
Microwaved Pop Tarts Vs Toasted
When you compare the microwave to the toaster, you will most definitely end up with a different result. The microwave will result in a soft pop tart.
The toaster won’t make it hard but it does toast it so it won’t be soft like the microwave. If you aren’t careful, you might even get a soggy pop tart in the microwave but this shouldn’t be an issue.
Pop tart filling is far more likely to burn in the microwave. When you toast it, the toasting primarily happens on the outside, although heat does make it inside.
It’s a slow toasting process so the filling doesn’t get excessive heat and likely won’t burn.
However, in the microwave, cooking for even a couple of seconds too long could lead to filling that burns. This means your filling will taste burnt and it won’t be nearly as good!
No matter which way you decide to cook your pop tart, always remember to remove the wrapper first!
Toaster Strudels
Toaster strudels are a similar concept to pop tarts but they are made differently and even stored and bought differently.
Where pop tarts are sold as a dry good, toaster strudels are sold as a frozen good. They are purchased frozen and meant to be kept frozen until such time that you heat them for serving.
You will notice the name toaster strudel specifically and that is because these really were designed to be cooked in the toaster.
You can cook them in the microwave but you must monitor it, be very cautious, and know that it won’t turn out quite the same as a toaster.
Toaster strudels are another pastry with filling. This pastry is bready and made with a flaky bread crust. It also has a jelly-type filling but it has more filling than a pop tart.
Toaster strudels can come in a lot of different flavors too. It seems they even have toaster strudel options now that have things like eggs and bacon inside.
There are instructions on the box for prepared toaster strudels. The recommendation is to use a toaster but we’re going to talk about the microwave too.
They typically come in a pack of 8 strudels inside of a box and plastic wrapping. Most of them also come with a frosting that you can add after cooking.
How To Microwave A Toaster Strudel
We want to reiterate that the microwave is not highly-recommended here but it definitely is still an option. Follow these steps to help guide you through microwaving a toaster strudel.
- Remove 1-2 toaster strudels from the packaging in the freezer.
- Place your toaster strudel onto a microwave-safe plate.
- Microwave the strudel on high for 15 seconds.
- Remove the plate and flip each strudel over on the plate.
- Microwave for an additional 15 seconds on high.
- Check your toaster strudel to see if it is warm enough.
- Cook longer in additional 5-10 second increments until your strudel is warmed to your liking.
- When it’s warmed sufficiently, add your icing to the toaster strudel and enjoy!
The challenge with a toaster strudel is that it comes to you frozen and you are going to cook it from a frozen state. This is where it gets tricky. You have to heat it without making it soggy or burning the filling that is inside of the strudel.
This is a flaky pastry so it is far more likely to get soggy in the microwave and you also may have to combat uneven cooking or not getting warm enough in the center but getting burnt or soggy on the edges.
The toaster is a much better option here or even the oven to be honest. However, the microwave will work when you need it to. Remember to keep an eye on it and try not to cook it for too long to get the best results possible.
If you take a look at the box, the instructions always recommend using either a toaster or an oven.
Microwaved Toaster Strudel Vs. Toasted
As with any type of food, there will be noticeable differences when you use the microwave instead of the toaster for these delightful breakfast treats.
Here’s the thing. A microwave and a toaster cook very differently overall. Your toaster is made to toast things, which means it’s going to heat the insides but gives the outsides a nice, crisp, and toasted finish.
The microwave, on the other hand, is just made to warm things and it will not toast them in the process. So, when you microwave a toaster strudel as opposed to toasting it, it stands to reason your results will be different as well.
When you toast the toaster strudel, it is sometimes hard to toast it just right to get the inside warm and heated like it should be without burning any of the outside pastry.
This is because it is frozen so the heating process for the filling does take extra work.
On the other hand, popping it in the microwave takes less than a minute from start to finish.
The microwave is going to make it soft, gooey, and warm. It might feel or seem slightly soggy to some people but this will mostly be a matter of preference.
The primary difference between the two is that the toaster both heats and toasts simultaneously. The microwave just heats it through but will not provide a toasting effect so this is where the differences will be most noticed in the end.
Some people also believe that microwaving a toaster strudel could be a fire hazard since it is frozen.
However, if you are watching it and monitoring it and following these instructions, that really should not be a problem for your toaster strudel.
Remember that the recommended method is the toaster but you can get great results in the microwave too.
Related Questions
We hope that you find this guide to microwaving pop tarts and toaster strudels to be a helpful and informative resource. Both can be microwaved but there are certain things you should be aware of for safety and getting the best results.
Don’t forget to remove the foil packets from pop tarts before trying to microwave them. Take note that neither of these items takes very long in the microwave so be careful not to cook them too long!
Check out these questions and answers below for some additional information that could be useful.
Is microwaving pop tarts bad?
No, it’s not bad at all! Of course, there are some things to know before you try to microwave a pop tart. For example, never leave it in the foil wrapping as this is a major fire hazard.
The other thing to know is that it only needs a few seconds. The recommendation or heating a pop tart in the microwave is only 3 seconds time. The filling gets very hot during the microwave process.
Do you have to heat a pop tart?
You sure don’t! The nice thing about pop tarts is that they are incredibly versatile and they don’t have to be heated at all.
You can heat them, you can eat them at room temperature, or you can even chill them and eat them from the fridge or freezer if you want to!
Can you microwave a toaster strudel and then toast it?
Yes, you can. In fact, you will find that some people prefer to heat them this way because microwaving them for a few seconds will thaw them out a bit so they can toast more effectively without burning your edges.
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