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Cookware and containers symbols

10 cookware and containers symbols, each with what it looks like and what it actually requires.

Symbol Looks like Means
Microwave safe A microwave oven outline with wavy lines inside it, or two or three stacked wavy lines on their own, sometimes over a dish. The maker states the material is suitable for heating food in a microwave.
Do not microwave The microwave or wavy-lines symbol with a cross through it. Do not heat this container in a microwave.
Dishwasher safe A square box with plates or glasses inside and water droplets or diagonal spray lines falling on them. A variant shows the items on the top shelf only. The item survives a normal dishwasher cycle. Some versions specify the top rack only.
Not dishwasher safe — hand wash only The dishwasher symbol crossed out, or a hand over a bowl of water. Wash this by hand.
Oven safe A simple oven outline, often with a temperature figure such as 220 °C, or two horizontal lines representing the oven's elements. The item can go in a conventional oven, up to the stated temperature if one is given.
Not oven safe The oven outline with a cross through it. Do not put this in a conventional oven.
Freezer safe A snowflake, sometimes inside a square or above a temperature such as −18 °C. The container can be used in a freezer without cracking or failing.
Induction compatible Four or five horizontal loops stacked like a flattened coil, sometimes drawn as a zigzag spiral, on the base of the pan. The pan has a ferromagnetic base and will work on an induction hob.
BPA free The letters BPA inside a crossed-out circle, or the words "BPA free" in a badge. There is no standard artwork. The item contains no bisphenol A. It is a marketing claim, not a certification.
Do not use metal utensils A fork or spatula with a cross through it, moulded into the base or printed on the handle of a non-stick pan. Use wood, silicone or nylon tools with this surface.