Putting metal in a microwave oven

[Jerry.Tan]

Microwave ovens always say to NOT put metal in them. So I got some of these small cup things from Chef Boyardee which are supposed to be a quick pasta snack. If you have not seen them, they are a plastic container with an aluminum top, covered with a yellow plastic lid with 4 holes.

You remove the plastic lid, pull open the "pull top" aluminum, put the plastic lid back on, and microwave it. This leaves an aluminum rim around the top of the cup, with the plastic lid over it.

I did as instructed, and it sounded like there was a war battle inside my MW oven. That container actually jumps around and sounds like it's sparking, but that plastic lid covers the metal rim. Somehow this seems unsafe for the MW oven. (as far as doing damage to it). The food does get hot quickly though.

I'd think the company that makes these things should know what they are doing, but I'm concerned about doing damage to my MW oven. Actually I probably wont have to worry about it anymore, because the food is pretty dull and tasteless, despite being a quick and easy snack.

[Ralph Mowery]

If the company making the food says to use it, use it. The first microwave I got about 30 years ago came with a cook book. In it was several examples of using foil. One was for a ham and to put it around the edges. Another was to put it around turkey legs.

[gfretwell]

When my grandkids are here we go through a dozen of those "Mac n Cheese" gut bombs and I have never seen a problem.

[larrymoencurly]

About 20 years ago, I read a message from a Tappan microwave oven engineer who holds the patent on the oven temperature probe that stick into the food. He said metal is OK in a modern microwave oven, but with older ovens there was a chance that the metal would make the magnatron tube overheat and melt its glass envelope, but modern tubes instead have a ceramic envelope that are immune to this.

Another reason I know metal is safe in a microwave: we have combination convection/microwave ovens that came with metal turntables and metal grills designed to be used for both convection cooking and microwave cooking. Those grills have ceramic insulators on their legs to prevent arcing between the grill and the metal turntable or stainless steel oven interior. Arcing is the main hazard of using metal in a microwave because it can start fires.

[micky]

I tried that, but I couldn't catch the turkey.

[micky]

I just heard this afternoon on the radio about some place being evacuated for a bomb, that turned out to be mac and cheese in a microwave. I don't remember where.

[micky]

I'm sure it was a modern microwave. maybe 12 years old now, and my brother put a metal rack in it that looked almost identical to the proper rack. The MW blew its fuse and I think one of the posts that held the rack partially melted. (The rack was used as a shelf.)

[gfretwell]

... if you don't take the top off, it is a bomb, about like a raw egg.

[gregz]

I never examined my tray. It's much about wavelengths and size. I used to watch the lightning form with metalized foil on hoho's.

Greg