Originally Posted by Margie
I have never made the rice bags(heated in microwave) used to keep foods hot to take along .
Do you just use cotton fabric and fill with dry rice?
I am wondering if you could make them to fit under dishes when you serve buffet style so the food will stay hot?
Has anyone made them?? If so, how long do you heat them up in microwave??
Lots of questions here :)
Yes, you can use cotton fabric.
If you are using them in place of a personal heating pad, cotton flannel is much nicer.
I actually do them in a muslin liner bag that is sectioned to keep the rice in place. Then I make a cover out of prettier stuff, similar to a pillow sham. With overlapping edges near the end of one side. This makes it so that you can wash the cover if it gets dirty.
For keeping casseroles, rolls, etc, warm, I have made a number of them by making patterns from the bottoms and tops of my casserole dishes. You don't have to section these if you don't want to. I do put covers on these because of spills. I also make a rectangular one that has velcro on the ends to wrap around the casserole dish. My sister made a bag with pockets to put her rice bags in to surround her casserole dish.
When heating them, start out with 30 seconds. Each microwave is soooooooooo different, and yes, the rice will catch on fire, as will the fabric. Yes, the voice of experience. On average it takes 1-2 minutes, depending on the size of the bag and the quantity of rice. Make sure to not overfill.