A microwave is a piece of cooking equipment that almost every household has. However, not everybody realizes the harm that can come from putting certain products in it.
To protect and remind you about these, We made a list of things that do not belong in a microwave.
9. Fruit
Certain fruits, like apples or bananas, will just lose a bit of their taste and texture if you put them in the microwave. Grapes, however, will explode, and dried fruits like raisins and prunes will smoke up your kitchen.
8. Take-out boxes
Convenient as they are, take-out containers can catch fire in a microwave. Or, if you are using the white ones with metal handles, they will spark and may damage your microwave permanently.
7. Aluminum foil
Any metal, foil, or metallic edging on a plate will nuke your microwave. No metals allowed! Thin metals, like foil, generate even more danger than thick ones: in the latter case, like when you put a frying pan with thick walls into your microwave, your food just won’t ever heat — the metal reflects microwaves, and they simply don’t get to what’s inside. However, thin metal gets overwhelmed by electric currents generated inside the microwave, and heats up very quickly, making the danger of fire a very real thing.
6. Plastic
95% of heated plastics will release chemical fumes. While some of them are marked “microwave safe,” try to avoid any plastic containers or styrofoam containers as they will release harmful chemicals.
5. Eggs
If you don’t know by now, the rapid heat will produce a lot of steam underneath the shell. Since it won’t have any release, it will explode. It won’t necessarily destroy your microwave, but the clean-up will be a hassle. If you are determined to hard-boil eggs in a microwave, poke a little hole on top so the steam can escape from the egg.
4. Travel mugs
True, several mugs can work in a microwave, but only those marked “microwave safe.” At best, they will protect the contents from heating up since they are constructed to prevent temperature change. At worst, they can really nuke your microwave because most of these mugs have a stainless steel component.
3. Frozen meat
Frozen meat, even at a temperature suggested for defrosting, will cook unevenly. The insides will be frozen while the edge is already cooked.
2. Old mugs and plates
That old but beloved china does not belong in a microwave. According to the Smithsonian, certain mugs and plates produced before the 1960s can give off radiation and might be glazed with lead and other heavy metals.
1. Brown paper bags
Nothing looks as harmless as a paper bag, yet they are not only unsanitary but can emit toxic fumes. Under intense heat, they will ignite.
