# Hot Pocket w/ no crisping sleeve **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2016, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718 "2016-07-12T13:34:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/1 "2016-07-12T13:34:38Z")
Got a pair of Hot Pockets I wanna cook up for breakfast. Unfortunately, one of them is missing the cardboard “crisping sleeve” that you’re supposed to microwave them with. Must’ve got left out in the manufacturing process. Is it worth trying to cook the rogue Pocket _sans_ sleeve, or should I wait and return them to the store for a refund? Need answer kinda fast. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/2 "2016-07-12T13:40:29Z")
Skip it, it’s not like the flavor will improve. 😃 [Jim Gaffigan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-i9GXbptog) NSFHPL (Not Safe For Hot Pocket Lovers) ETA: Reuse the sleeve on the second HP. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/3 "2016-07-12T13:56:18Z")
Do you have a normal, non-microwave oven or toaster oven around? You can heat them the old-fashioned, slow way. Or just use the microwave and accept that one will be more soggy than the other. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/4 "2016-07-12T14:06:27Z")
BTW that sleeve is what’s known as a “susceptor.” It’s my rudimentary understanding that they work by basically just getting really hot. That may or may not be a hint for a solution to your problem. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/5 "2016-07-12T14:23:46Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Got a pair of Hot Pockets I wanna cook up for breakfast. Unfortunately, one of them is missing the cardboard “crisping sleeve” that you’re supposed to microwave them with. Must’ve got left out in the manufacturing process. > > Is it worth trying to cook the rogue Pocket _sans_ sleeve, or should I wait and return them to the store for a refund? Need answer kinda fast. Can you cook one pocket in the sleeve, and then reuse the sleeve on the second pocket? ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/6 "2016-07-12T14:29:38Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Can you cook one pocket in the sleeve, and then reuse the sleeve on the second pocket? Anarchist! Next would be human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria! ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/7 "2016-07-12T14:35:59Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > ETA: Reuse the sleeve on the second HP. Obvious solution is obvious. :smack: I do own a toaster oven. Most frozen dinners warn not to cook their meals in a toaster oven, but surprisingly, Hot Pockets don’t have that warning. Never noticed that before. In any case, it’s a moot point because 28 minutes is waaaayy too long to wait for a freakin’ Hot Pocket. > [@DCnDC](#): > > BTW that sleeve is what’s known as a “susceptor.” It’s my rudimentary understanding that they work by basically just getting really hot. Isn’t the foil lining on the inside designed to focus the microwave radiation more intensely on the crust? That was always my understanding of how it works. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/8 "2016-07-12T14:39:31Z")
In my experience with frozen pizzas, the crisping sleeve (crisping tray, in the case of microwave pizza) gets soggy after being used. It’s basically paperboard, after all. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/9 "2016-07-12T14:43:35Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Skip it, it’s not like the flavor will improve. 😃 > > [Jim Gaffigan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-i9GXbptog) > NSFHPL > (Not Safe For Hot Pocket Lovers) > > ETA: Reuse the sleeve on the second HP. I was coming in to post that classic bit. Diarrhea pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/10 "2016-07-12T14:49:20Z")
I think some varieties of Hot Pocket come without the crisping sleeve. Either that, or it’s often left out accidentally, because I know I’ve gotten them that way. Anyway, you should be able to go ahead and nuke it without the sleeve. Think of it as an experiment: what difference, if any, can you tell between the Pocket that was heated with a sleeve vs. the one without. Be sure to report back! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/11 "2016-07-12T14:56:32Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Isn’t the foil lining on the inside designed to focus the microwave radiation more intensely on the crust? That was always my understanding of how it works. Not exactly. The material absorbs microwaves and convert that energy to heat. When there is an air gap between the material and the food, the susceptor radiates infrared. Unlike the microwaves, this infrared radiation does not penetrate food very well, so most of the heating effect is applied to the outside, thus you get browning. I’m sure that’s not entirely right and certainly someone more familiar with the science will arrive shortly to clarify and correct everything I’ve explained wrong. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/12 "2016-07-12T14:58:24Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I think some varieties of Hot Pocket come without the crisping sleeve. Either that, or it’s often left out accidentally, because I know I’ve gotten them that way. They were called Soft Pockets, I think. Haven’t seem them in decades. Not that I miss them… > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Think of it as an experiment: what difference, if any, can you tell between the Pocket that was heated with a sleeve vs. the one without. Be sure to report back! Well, too late for this one (lime chicken, yum!) but next time I get a defective batch, I promise to try this…for SCIENCE!!! ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/13 "2016-07-12T18:57:24Z")
I nukd mine for 1-2 minutes, then throw them in the toaster oven for 5. Much better than the crisping sleave and resonably quick. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/14 "2016-07-12T19:01:54Z")
Today I learned that a dismaying number\* of Dopers eat Hot Pockets. \*= any number greater than 0 ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/15 "2016-07-12T21:58:06Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > Today I learned that a dismaying number\* of Dopers eat Hot Pockets. > > \*= any number greater than 0 They were the bee’s knees when I was 18 and having to “cook” for myself. Now, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/16 "2016-07-12T23:21:12Z")
I really like HP breakfast (sausage and egg). I haven’t had a non breakfast HP in years. Brian ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/17 "2016-07-13T09:30:52Z")
I think the pepperoni and cheese ones are okay in a crunch. I ate quite a few Hot Pockets while I was in college. Mmmmm, meals of Hot Pockets and Ruby Red grapefruit juice. Now I can’t have Ruby Red because of my medications. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/18 "2016-07-13T13:24:22Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > I do own a toaster oven. Most frozen dinners warn not to cook their meals in a toaster oven, but surprisingly, Hot Pockets don’t have that warning. Never noticed that before. In any case, it’s a moot point because 28 minutes is waaaayy too long to wait for a freakin’ Hot Pocket. You could heat it ~80% in the microwave, and then toast it in your toaster oven for ~5 minutes. That’s my standard method with frozen burritos, leftover pizza, or anything else that is sad and disgusting when soggy. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/19 "2016-07-13T13:32:32Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Not exactly. The material absorbs microwaves and convert that energy to heat. When there is an air gap between the material and the food, the susceptor radiates infrared. Unlike the microwaves, this infrared radiation does not penetrate food very well, so most of the heating effect is applied to the outside, thus you get browning. > > I’m sure that’s not entirely right and certainly someone more familiar with the science will arrive shortly to clarify and correct everything I’ve explained wrong. it’s usually just a metal film. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-pocket-w-no-crisping-sleeve/759718/20 "2016-07-13T13:52:27Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Got a pair of Hot Pockets I wanna cook up for breakfast. Unfortunately, one of them is missing the cardboard “crisping sleeve” that you’re supposed to microwave them with. Must’ve got left out in the manufacturing process. > > Is it worth trying to cook the rogue Pocket _sans_ sleeve, or should I wait and return them to the store for a refund? Need answer kinda fast. I NEVER use those sleeves. I don’t know why the company includes them. I nuke two Hot Pockets at a time-- 70-85 seconds per side, depending on the kind. It’s really very simple.