Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with microwave

(Dim)something strange is going on.

emelenjr — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:13:27 -0800

This is a should I eat it?* question of sorts. Exactly how is my Chinese take-out place attempting to kill me? Every time I order dumplings from the Chinese place up the street, I like to warm up the little plastic cup of sauce that comes with the order. I take the lid off, and stick the cup in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

Invariably, about 10 seconds into it, there's a zzzzzzzzap noise and occasionally a flash. I usually (stupidly?) let the microwave keep cooking until I hear a second zap, and then I take out the warmed sauce.

I know there's nothing metallic in the cup—no metal rim, for example. So what's in the sauce that could be causing the arcing? No other food does this in my microwave.

*I'm eating it.

How dangerous are the fumes from a microwave fire?

Iridic — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:31:05 -0800

How dangerous are the fumes from a microwave fire? About ten minutes ago, someone tried heating up an aluminum travel mug in the microwave in our small, windowless office. I yanked the plug out once I noticed the a strange guttering sound and saw flames playing about the mug.

The fire died out once it consumed the available oxygen, and the person responsible contritely cleaned out the charred bits of plastic from the box and sprayed it with Febreze. Well and good.

But though we have the door cracked and a couple of fans going now, there's still a burnt tang in the air. Consulting Wikipedia, I got this: "When dielectric breakdown occurs in air, some ozone and nitrogen oxides are formed, both of which are unhealthy in large quantities."

What's "large quantities," exactly? Could our little dormitory-class microwave have produced that much before I pulled the plug? Any reason at all for worry here?

help me fix my microwave!

jak68 — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:50:08 -0800

where can I find a missing part for my microwave? Short version of this story:
--leased out house for summer
--tenant cooked something in microwave that caused a fire (!). This is one of those large heavy microwaves that sits over the stove and is integrated with the stove.
--microwave still works so i dont want to throw it out. It needs a good cleaning though.
--however this plastic cover over the internal vent (ie, inside the microwave) melted and fell off (see pics below).

so the question is: is there any way I could find that plastic part for the microwave? where would I look? Is there somewhere where one can find spare parts for microwaves? DO I have any chance of finding it? Any info or experience you have that can help me would be much appreciated!

pic 1
pic 2
pic 3

Need a very small (less than 9 inches height) stainless steel microwave oven.

zavulon — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:09:02 -0800

Need a very small (<=9 inches height) stainless steel microwave oven. Just moved to a new apartment, where there's about 9 inches of spaces in between top of the fridge and a cabinet. Given that it's Manhattan, I need to use every inch of space I have, and a microwave would fit there perfectly.

However, I'm having trouble finding one, and can't really search online by height. Any ideas?

Oh and I would also prefer for it to be stainless steel, as the rest of the kitchen is.

Are holes on the inside of a microwave door a problem?

DakotaPaul — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:43:58 -0800

The inside of my microwave door has small holes melted in it. Is it still safe? Something melted holes in the inside of our microwave door. The largest hole is about 3mm. Here's a photo (2MB). It doesn't appear that the screen inside the door has been affected, and I haven't seen any condensation or anything inside the door. There are no holes one the outside of the door. Is the microwave still safe to use?

Can I put these plates in the microwave, and are they full of lead?

The Card Cheat — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:31:54 -0800

My wife and I were recently given a set of '70s-era plates, bowls, etc. named Mikasa Checkmates (the "Butternut" line, as pictured here). I'm wondering if anyone could tell me if a) they're microwave-safe (on the bottom it reads "Oven To Table To Dishwasher") and b) if they're full of lead (as this site claims).

Microwave mysteries

cuddles.mcsnuggy — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:23:08 -0800

Sometimes I use the microwave for a few seconds to soften hard-frozen ice cream (for spoonability), or to soften a cold stick of butter (for spreadability). In these cases why does the center of the food heat first but the edges stay cooler; but when I microwave leftovers or soup in a dish for lunch, the edges of the food get hot first and middle stays cool? Just something I've always wondered. And does this qualify as a food or a science question?

How to get my microwave oven to heat again

Sia Stewart — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:17:09 -0800

Why did my microwave oven stop heating after I tried to use it to heat water in a clear pyrex measuring cup? And how can I get it to work again? I've had the not-heating problem before, and it has gone away. I can't remember whether I did something to make it work again. This time, I tried unplugging the oven and plugging it in again -- no dice. Everything works except for the heating up part.

Is it worth the trouble to vent our range hood outside?

odinsdream — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:55:50 -0800

Is it worth the trouble to vent our range hood outside? We are replacing our old range hood with an above-range convection microwave which can either vent outside or back into the room. Is there a good reason I should go to the trouble to vent it outside?

There is a pathway above the cabinets and it's a short distance to an outside wall, which I'd have to cut a hole in from the outside. I cannot easily reach the exterior wall from inside. I'd have to do most of the cutting work from the outside and fish the vent pipe over to the hole.

What benefits would I gain from venting outside?

Best with a microwave

krisjohn — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:32:04 -0800

I'm looking for a recommendation for a microwave cookbook. I want it to be about what the microwave is best at, not just how to hack normal stuff to work in the microwave. Perhaps a book on how to do things that are only possible with a microwave.

I want to eat well!

big open mouth — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:33:00 -0800

In search of awesome recipes that use microwaves, a stovetop and a toaster oven. So, my apartment doesn't have a functional oven and only one stovetop, but I love to cook. I miss baking cupcakes and cookies during these still-chilly nights. I'm tired of peanut butter sandwiches and I want to learn how to make yummy food with the appliances I have.

I'm thinking stir fry's, indian food, good pasta dishes, etc etc. Anybody got any advice? It's much appreciated. And Happy Valentine's Day!

Rice To Meet You

spamguy — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:46:38 -0800

How do I make white rice for one person (me)? There are seemingly no recipes on the Internet for microwaving white rice in individual portions. Any experimentation on my end has resulted in failure. I either end up with rice soup or a solid disc of dry rice.

Bonus points for using olive oil instead of butter.

If you have any single-portion brown rice recipes, feel free to supply those too. Once I work through my white rice cache I'm going to switch to brown.

Microwave vs motion detector

ClarissaWAM — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:50:53 -0800

Why would my mum's (inside) microwave set off her (outside) motion detector? My mum had a light with motion detector installed in her back yard a while back. For practical reasons [easy access to electricity at security-light-level] this was installed within a foot or so of her microwave . Obviously with a wall in between (microwave inside, motion detector outside).

But now, whenever she uses the microwave, the light comes on [only during darkness, i.e. when the motion detector is on]. So basically it interprets this as "motion". [after the microwave is done, the light remains on for the customary 30secs]

What could be the reason for this?
(NB I'm not so much looking for "how can we fix this" - she's had a switch installed to disable the light while she uses the microwave. tho if there's sth really obvious please do share)

Thanks!

Help me figure out how to microwave an egg

Coventry — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:10:57 -0800

If I cook an egg in the microwave it explodes, often with spectacular and messy force. If I microwave one fully immersed in water, will the same thing happen, or will the water absorb all the microwaves, so that the egg will effectively be boiled? One of the prior answers dredged up by Ask Metafilter's automation suggested cracking the egg before microwaving it, but I've had eggs explode even when I've cracked and beaten them.

I'm staying in a hotel room with a microwave, and I'm trying to figure out how to make my usual breakfast. In the past I've had eggs explode with such force that a fair portion was blown through the grill and into the microwave chassis, and I'd prefer to avoid that here. Plus, I don't have any convenient containers for controlling the potential blast.

how long would you have to microwave a person before they'd die?

BuddhaInABucket — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:14:10 -0800

Suppose you had a microwave oven large enough to fit a person into it. How long would you have to microwave someone before they'd die? Just curious, not planning on eating anyone.

I need my ventilation to suck

jclovebrew — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:28:25 -0800

Do over-the-oven microwaves with exhaust inherently suck? (no pun intended) I moved into a house that has one of these and this is my first experience with one. It is connected to a duct and vents to the outside. The problem is that it hardly moves any air at all. Last night I cooked a beef fillet and the kitchen area filled with smoke. I like cooking and roasting coffee often, so this is a problem that I need to address ASAP. From some cursory googling, many people seem to think the microwave exhausts are inherently crappy - that is, they will never move as much air as a proper hood. Is this really true? What are your experiences?

I have no problem replacing the whole thing with a proper hood then just doing a counter-top microwave, but if I can get away with an over-the-oven version that works effectively, I'd prefer that due to the space savings.

How to pop popcorn safely

acoutu — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:02:46 -0800

What's the safest way to make popcorn -- air popper or microwave popper? My microwave popcorn popper just fell on the floor and broke. I'd replace it, but I've grown increasingly skeptical of microwaving a plastic container to make popcorn. The alternative seems to be a hot air popper, but I suspect that also results in heating of plastic. What's the safest way to make popcorn, without ending up with all sorts of plastic leaching? Popcorn is very important to me.

Note: The Silicone Zone popper is reputed to be safer, but it is too tall for my 9" high built-in microwave. And I don't want to pop my corn in oil, since that's not exactly healthy either. I also wonder if microwaving popcorn in a paper bag results in any weird melting of glue and thus some sort of adhesive leaching. It seems I can't win.

Thanks.

Wireless/microwaves disrupt pacemakers/aircraft how?

spock — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:26:11 -0800

Pilots and medical personnel: Exactly why are cell phones and wireless devices prohibited at takeoff/landings and in ICUs (etc.). Are there known consequences on certain equipment? And why, precisely, are microwaves bad for pacemaker wearers? I'm interested in knowing exactly what mechanisms are/could be affected, how and why. This question was spurred by the pacemaker remote hacking thread.

The Microwave of Death !?!?

dancestoblue — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:04:03 -0800

Is cooking (or re-heating) my food with a microwave destroying the food, sucking out nutrients that would not be removed by heating on the stove top in a stainless pan? I've heard this here and there, dated an Earth Mother South Austin Woman who was/likely is certain that I may as well put nuclear waste products AND rat poison in my food, pretty much heard the same about twenty minutes ago from a woman working in the vitamin/supplements department at Whole Foods, yet another Austin Earth Mother type; just the fact that I said the word 'microwave' caused her to get a big frowny face, looked like she had gas or something. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I like to toss broccoli with just a shade of water into the microwave for a couple of minutes, or re-heat my rice and beans or soup or whatever. Related: Does cooking vegetables in a pressure cooker rob them of needed nutrients? I just Googled and found widely varying opinions, and all of them certain of their validity: Either "Microwaves Are Death !!!" (insert heavy, unhappy music here, music that starts on its own upon opening the page) or "Hey, what the heck, those folks are nuts; microwave cooking is the best thing since sliced bread."

So I'm coming here to get the bottom line.

If you are of the "Microwaves Are Death" community, do you now or have you ever owned Birkenstock sandals, or were you considering purchasing some this afternoon?

If you are of the "Microwaves Are Just Swell" camp, are you smoking a cigarette as you read this, and/or maybe sucking down a MacDonalds Quadruple Bacon Burger of Death supersized with fries and a diet coke?

All kidding aside, I trust this community. Give me the news, gang.

Thanx!

Microwave vs. Computer, and the Microwave is winning.

sol — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 06:43:08 -0800

The kitchen computer has a little trackpad/keyboard combo that sits atop of the microwave. When the microwave turns on, the trackpad stops working. Looking for suggestions on shielding, putting a filter in line with the cable, grounding, anything to help me cook and mouse at the same time. This has been going on for a while but last night, after some extended nuking of some delicious lasagna, the computer warned me that a USB device was not functioning properly and was disabled, forcing a restart of the whole thing to get the keyboard working again.

So what to do? I know about basic electronics from fixing guitars and such, but not the RF/Magnetic interference voodoo. I'm fully prepared to crack this thing open, get into ferrite beads, soldering, grounding wires, etc. if it will help. Yes, the problem goes away if I move the keyboard a few inches away from the microwave, but the way my kitchen is set up this is really the best spot for things.

How to get rid of (not cover) a burnt plastic smell in my microwave?

Kololo — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:40:35 -0800

How do I get rid of a really strong burnt-plastic smell from the inside of my microwave? I recently put a plastic container that had a blatantly inaccurate 'microwave safe' symbol into the microwave. And it turned into a molten, burnt, mound of Brown Rice N' Plastic. It filled my apartment with smoke and smell, and while open windows and fans have resolved that problem in the apartment, the horrible smell is still incredibly intense inside the microwave itself.

How can i get rid of the smell? I don't want to just cover it, I want it to be GONE!

How do you get by when simmering and sauteing aren't options?

pedantic — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:14:03 -0800

I have a microwave and a toaster oven and no range. What are your fresh, healthy recipes using the aforementioned things? I'm on-site 4-8 weeks in Phoenix for a project and staying in a condo (more like a separate guest room in a house). At home, I cook goodness. I want this goodness (read: no tv dinners), but without a range, I'm new to using a microwave and toaster oven for the primary mode of cooking.

Please share your single serving yum.

Is the chipped lining in my old microwave dangerous?

mygothlaundry — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:15:51 -0800

Is my microwave still safe? The paint or lining or whatever has gotten chipped over the years and bare metal is showing through in four or five places, mostly on the bottom of the oven. My (Samsung; inexpensive) microwave is about 4 years old and still working fine. Today, though, when I was cleaning it I noticed that there are four or five places on the bottom where the paint or the lining or whatever the white stuff is inside microwaves has chipped away, exposing bare metal. The biggest chip is about 1/4 inch long. It's still working fine and I don't have a clue when any of the chipping started, btw. It could have been going on for a long time; I confess I don't clean it as often as I should and rarely look at it carefully.

Is this going to spark or start a fire? Is it going to release noxious gases that will infect our food and kill us? Or anything else freaky and bad that I can't think of offhand? I really don't want to buy a new microwave unless I have to. It's heavily used - I have a teenage son who eats more or less constantly.

My microwave tried to kill me

TorontoSandy — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:31:53 -0800

Why did my microwave "explode"? Due to an unfortunate incident with microwave popcorn, I filled a small corning ware bowl with half water and half vinegar and set it to microwave for 3 minutes. After the cycle was done, I wiped the inside of the microwave clean, then tested the temperature of the vinegar / water mix with my finger. It was quite warm, but not hot. Perhaps 5 minutes had elapsed from the first microwave cycle. I set it for another 3 minutes then fortunately walked away. Two minutes later, I heard a big bang. The microwave door had been blown open and the bowl was in pieces across the kitchen. The filter at the bottom of the microwave had also been blown off (over-stove type of microwave with air filter in bottom). So, what happened. A build-up of steam? Flawed corning ware?

[insert funny microwave disaster reference here]

JimN2TAW — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:09:12 -0800

My son tried to heat up a metal pot in my ex-wife's Frigidaire microwave. Needless to say, there were sparks and pops and they turned it off right away. Now, there are some scorched-looking spots on the microwave. Is it likely or unlikely that the microwave is still in working order? Are microwaves built to handle the odd arcing incident without being destroyed? Extra credit: Those popular single-serving soup containers have a metal ring around the top of the plastic container, yet they can be microwaved. Why these containers, but not a metal cooking pot.