# Exploding food **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486 "2012-12-19T02:52:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/1 "2012-12-19T02:52:21Z")
Sorry, no video. šŸ™‚ I cannot figure out why some foods are more explosion-prone in the microwave than others, and (more important to me) how to prevent it. The two worst offenders Iā€™ve zapped lately were clam chowder (Campbellā€™s Chunky) and canned beef chunks in broth. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/2 "2012-12-19T03:12:25Z")
Maybe open the cans first. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/3 "2012-12-19T03:45:46Z")
(snicker) Iā€™m not QUITE enough of a ditz to nuke metal cans. šŸ™‚ Both these foods (and probably others that arenā€™t coming to mind right now) will do this whether covered or not (and will blow covers off unless theyā€™re sealed tightly enough to risk a vacuum seal if the contents of the container cool enough). ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/4 "2012-12-19T04:13:20Z")
Peas have a tendency to explode in the microwave. Were there any in the soup? ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/5 "2012-12-19T04:16:35Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > Sorry, no video. šŸ™‚ > . Fixed [Slow Motion Stuff Exploding in the Microwave](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSe0NWzJDWE) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/6 "2012-12-19T04:17:43Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > (snicker) Iā€™m not QUITE enough of a ditz to nuke metal cans. šŸ™‚ > > Both these foods (and probably others that arenā€™t coming to mind right now) will do this whether covered or not (and will blow covers off unless theyā€™re sealed tightly enough to risk a vacuum seal if the contents of the container cool enough). I tease. I tease. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/7 "2012-12-19T04:21:00Z")
I figured that, **Ivory**. šŸ˜ƒ No peas, and in fact I havenā€™t had peas explode at me (I only get frozen, I hate canned). ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/8 "2012-12-19T04:25:04Z")
Clam chowder is pretty viscous and will hold pockets of heated air/steam. Was the beef broth also thick and viscous? If the steam canā€™t escape easily itā€™ll build up pressure until, well, kaboom! ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/9 "2012-12-19T04:26:03Z")
No, the broth wasnā€™t thick. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/10 "2012-12-19T04:29:20Z")
Some Healthy Choice meals include an ā€œapple-and-goopā€ dessert that will jump over its enclosure, even without being covered. Through a lot of trial and error, Iā€™ve discovered that you have to cook it longer, at a lower temperature. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/11 "2012-12-19T05:15:02Z")
when liquid gets trapped and turns to vapor it can explosively splatter. thick dry oatmeal can leave interesting volcano structures. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/12 "2012-12-19T05:15:27Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Some Healthy Choice meals include an ā€œapple-and-goopā€ dessert that will jump over its enclosure, even without being covered. Through a lot of trial and error, Iā€™ve discovered that you have to cook it longer, at a lower temperature. I think that is true of a lot of things. I think the higher power/more efficient microwaves are too good at heating now. Butter is one that I have noticed. It used to be be 25 seconds in the microwave to mushify. But 25 seconds now will leave me with a molten hot mess- and Iā€™m lucky if it doesnā€™t pop with pressure from the inside during the heating. So I recommend that you just heat everything like **panache45** , longer/slower with less heat/energy to prevent the popping explosions. [For the record, I tried to rewrite that last sentence 3 times, but it was just unavoidableā€¦;)] ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/13 "2012-12-19T07:46:16Z")
[Fuck the duck until exploded](http://adult.engrish.com/2010/08/13/bam-foods-ready/). (Yes, it is food, and SFW.) ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/14 "2012-12-19T23:06:23Z")
We do have a pretty high-power microwave (1250 watt, IIRC). Iā€™d have been quite content with a more standard one, but DH went all Tim Taylor when we were shopping. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eugene_of_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/15 "2012-12-20T03:36:10Z")
Pork and beans will explode good enough to cause a mess. The best is boiled egg though. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/16 "2012-12-20T03:37:43Z")
Itā€™s not just new microwaves; I have an ancient Amana RadarRange that is older than I am and makes things like those described here explode (I always put a lid on stuff in bowls, so it really isnā€™t a problem, usually it is thicker stuff or stuff with sealed parts like beans, but stuff put on plates can explode too). ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/17 "2012-12-20T05:17:32Z")
Popping corn is, like, ridiculously explosive in the microwave. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/18 "2012-12-20T07:24:36Z")
Loves the smell of Burned Popcorn in the morning. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/19 "2012-12-20T07:33:02Z")
My only experience is when I tried to heat a hard boiled egg that came from the fridge. It turned into a cottony material after the explosion. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-food/644486/20 "2012-12-20T15:25:01Z")
Stir! I try and stir things 2-3 times during itā€™s cooking time, makes for less burning/freezing spots and has the added bonus of reducing explosions.