Did you know?

[m_cobweb]

Apparently you can microwave food in foil-lined containers if you cover the entire thing with a paper towel first.

Sometimes I think I'm luckier than I deserve.

Comments

[vulture23.livejournal.com]

... sometimes.

The problem with metal in microwaves is that, under certain conditions, it can act like an antenna. If the antenna gets adjusted to "tune in" to the right frequency, then ZAP! I suspect that the paper towel didn't make much difference, and you just got lucky.

(Note that not all metal is risky in microwaves. I remember a microwave-safe "browning dish", the bottom of which contained a ceramic-encased metal plate that would heat up. This metal plate was presumably carefully constructed to not respond too strongly to those particular frequencies...)

[sistawendy.livejournal.com]

Uh, I hope the foil doesn't arc and set the paper towel on fire.

[jayslippy.livejournal.com]

It's a myth that you can't put metal into a microwave. Yeah, it may spark a little, but that's harmless. The real danger is that you might burn yourself on the hot metal. There is an extremely remote chance that a significant amount of metal in your microwave could reflect too many microwaves back into the machine and damage the magnetron, but that wouldn't do anything except make your microwave not work quite as well.

[m-cobweb.livejournal.com]

There was a microwave in my freshman dorm that looked as though its ceiling had melted--plastic stalactites hanging down. I always assumed that had been caused by someone trying to microwave metal.

I did set a Cup O'Noodles on fire in a dorm microwave once after a New Order concert--it had a foil-lined paper lid that I didn't notice. I don't think they make any of those with foil-lined anything now. ;-P