Metal in Microwave???

[clarabelle]

We are contemplating a kitchen re-do. Today we were browsing in the appliance store and saw a microwave with a metal rack in it. So you can reheat multiple dishes.
I always thought metal in the microwave was a huge no-no??
So what can you put in the microwave?

 

[Lil_Tink]

Dont put metal in, that is a special one I think..


And also dont put plastic in for 10 min on high...

 

[KelNottAt]

My 13-yo microwave has a metal rack in it. But I don't think that means you can put any type of metal in the micro.

I remember once I accidentally put in a dish with some sort of tiny metal band or loop or grommet or something on it. It was so small I didn't even realize it was part of the dish design (it just appeared to be regular stoneware). Anyway, within one second that little bit of metal started sparking like Illuminations. Convinced me that the rack must be made out of something special.

 

[clarabelle]

OK I wondered what the deal was.
Thanks

 

[clarabelle]

And also dont put plastic in for 10 min on high...

Lil Tink's plastic Dish
RIP

 

[kristen821]

Dont put metal in, that is a special one I think..


And also dont put plastic in for 10 min on high...

Oh you learned that the hard way too!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Well I know you can't put dry towels with tortillas wrapped inside for longer than 4 minutes.....

 

[Kycha]

Okay, I just learned this from Oprah yesterday. You can put thick metal in the microwave. It is the thin types of metals(aluminum foil) that cause sparks or fire. But you will be okay with the metal rack.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

OMG, and you shouldn't put a Red Baron French Bread in there for 10 minutes either....

 

[georgina]

Most meat defrosting instructions say to put aluminum foil on the ends. A small amount of foil is OK.

 

[KarenAylwood]

I learned the hard way that when you want to soften margarine... take it out of it's foil wrapper first.

I was standing at the microwave, saw a mini fireball and POOF, RIP microwave.

But for some reason I'm guessing that if something is SOLD with a metal rack in it, it will be ok

 

[Sparx]

Don't put pickles in the microwave and forget about them. They blow up and catch on fire.

I actually didn't make this masterpiece, my best friend did. She loves pickles, but she likes them warm crazy2: )so she puts it in the microwave and just turns the dial, prepared to watch it and open it when she thinks it is warm enough.

the phone rang and she forgot about it. About five minutes later she hears a sonic boom come from the kitchen. As do I. (I called her )

what happened next can only be explained scientifically. The pickle had water/juice in it and on it. When that water reached boiling point, it did what all liquid will do. It expanded. very much so. the pickle went "boom" and then somehow. (we've still not figured this one out) it caught on fire.

so now there is a splatted pickle all over the inside of the microwave and it was burning. some how she managed to clean up the mess and put out the pickle without burning the house down. Much to my amusement.

 

[Equidae]

The pickle had water/juice in it and on it. When that water reached boiling point, it did what all liquid will do. It expanded. very much so. the pickle went "boom" and then somehow. (we've still not figured this one out) it caught on fire.

Too funny!! My guess would be that the microwave excited the molecules of the pickle enough that the friction caused a spark and the acid in the pickle (that vinegar that pickles a cucumber) ignited.

My best friend loves to 'experiment' with things. We're scientists (well, she's in med school now ) so maybe it's second nature. Anyway, she bought an old microwave at a garage sale and set it up on her parent's back porch one night. We, ahem SHE, microwaved grapes (they sorta bubble and spin), CDs (they spark more than aluminum), light bulbs (what a show!) and a couple other things (with a fire extinguisher right by -- it was a controlled environment). I still don't know WHY she did it, but it was a riot. Don't try this at home though! We got lucky that nothing caught fire!

 

[mum4jenn]

It also could have been a combination microwave/convection oven. We used to have one and it had a metal rack in it.We had it for about 10 years before it died.

 

[gradtchr]

Equidae-I have a friend who tried something very simillar and kept trying until the microwave did go boom! They did it in the garage though........Thankfully nobody was hurt in the final explosion but man it made for good laughs for months!

 

[tigercat]

My dad who was an electrical engineered didn't cook at all. One time my dm was in the hospital and he was home by himself. He first tried to cook an egg. He put an egg in the oven and turned in on for 10 min. That took my ds days to clean up. She thought it would never get clean before my dm came home. The next time he thought he'd stay away from eggs so decided he would make some soup. In the can.......unopened............... After that he never tried anything at all, just ate out or we prepared his food.
tigercat

 

[Equidae]

Equidae-I have a friend who tried something very simillar and kept trying until the microwave did go boom! They did it in the garage though........Thankfully nobody was hurt in the final explosion but man it made for good laughs for months!

Oh Beth, that's too funny!!

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Ya know..I read somewhere that Barbie is the most abused doll of all time. Favorite torture methods include microwaving. Now, I have never microwaved a Barbie doll, but I'm considering buying an older microwave at the local thrift store as well as a couple of used Barbies just to see what happens.

Our new microwave came with a rack in it, but if you make popcorn, PLEASE take the rack out! We found out the hard way that if you don't, the bag expands so that it's pretty tight against the rack and the popcorn burns.

TOV

 

[luvthatduke]

For some reason while reading these,
Robin Williams' old standup routine played in my head:
"Let's put Mr. Hamster in the microwave - look, a little balloon!"

The one thing I learned from the lady I used to Nanny for is
to never, ever heat your leg wax without watching it closely!
Amazingly, after the fire and the damage to the interior of the MWave,
the oven still worked!
It was just a little wavy...

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Speaking of things in the microwave...

TOV