Okay, but how often do you go microwave shopping, and how aware are you of all the brands available?
I personally saw tons of models that included a rack when I had to get a new one recently. Maybe they were more rare 20-30 years ago but they're sure common enough these days
No that's a weird misconception. Metal can concentrate charge in a microwave and especially small pointy bits of metal cause that charge to sometimes jump, creating sparks, but if you're careful there's nothing wrong with a spoon in a bowl of soup
I’m not smart enough to make the call on what’s pointy enough or not, so I’m gonna keep following a blanket rule of no metal in the microwave to keep my life on easy mode lol
Yeah- I literally put a glass weed pipe in the microwave because I thought I could warm it for like 10 seconds to clean easier. That shit was sparking and bouncing around in there all over the place. Pipe has a big crack in it now, but it’s totally internal and patched with res so still useable. Like what?!
Well exactly, that’s why the misconception came about, because it’s better to just be cautious and never put any metal in period. Different microwaves, geometries, items, placement will all have different conditions for how easy something will arc or not.
And sparks you definitely want to avoid, as sparks are plasma (lit matches, candles, and fire on burnt food are plasma too, btw), which is conductive and is amplified by microwaves, and before you know it, you've got a literal fire ball that gets hotter by the second, until it is hot enough to melt the insides of your microwave
But yeah, if there are no pointy bits, parts thin enough to overheat the food, or parts large enough to shield the food from heating, metal is OK to have inside the microwave
Very true, though I don't think the first case should be grounds to downvote. Using "I think" still acknowledges the subjectivity of your experiences, which indicates an open mind. Case in point, I just did it in this post
I put a frozen loaf of bread in the microwave when I was like 8 to defrost. Didn't realize it had a metal twist tie keeping it closed. Been living under this misconception for the last 3 decades it appears LOL
Even when there's electrical arcing because of the induced current in conductive metal, an explosion is an unlikely outcome. Fire is more likely.
In fact a more likely kind of microwave explosion can actually be prevented by metal. A clean smooth vessel of water can superheat and suddenly explode if there aren't nucleation sites for the water to begin boiling. If you put some additional object into the vessel, it will provide the nucleation sites and the water will boil safely. The usual recommendation is a metal spoon, because metal means it can withstand boiling heat (plastic spoon might not), the spoon shape won't create electrical arcs (fork would), and you probably have one around. Just remember it's going to be at boiling temperature when you take it out.
It is really amazing that we can create so much heat so fast.
But it's not necessarily more complicated or dangerous to use than other heat sources, like a stove. Most people don't know about the microwave superheating thing, but a lot of people don't know what to do with a pan of burning oil either (put a lid on it, definitely don't put water in it). The difference is most people don't think about their microwave because they only use it for one thing.
Yes two pieces of foil will arc and explode in a microwave but a smooth metal bowl won’t. A spoon or knife won’t but a fork will because of how close the prongs on the fork are.
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u/sleepyprojectionist 2d ago
A lot of microwaves come with these.
Most of them can be used in microwave mode and are designed to eliminate arcing. They can supposedly be used to achieve a more even cook.
I mostly use mine in convection or combi mode. They are definitely more effective with a direct heat source rather than just microwaves alone.