Never boil an egg in the microwave :-)

Lol, that has happened to me too. I don't think you need a new microwave, I think there is a part you can change inside, the part that connects the power to the actual microwave but i forgot what it's called now...

Originally Posted by strange_wings

btw, no whole (pierced) potatoes, either.

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what?? I didn't know that and I always put the potatoes in the microwave if I'm making a salad because it's faster than boiling ....lol! I learn something new every day. Nothing has ever happened so far though..

I bake and boil potatoes in the microwave occasionally too

I'm sorry - I don't mean to laugh - but I can't help it!

We cook potatoes in the microwave all the time!

As to eggs... never boiled eggs to decorate. We always tap a small hole in the ends, blow out the insides (use the eggs for something), wash them out, let them dry, then decorate them. We had boxes and boxes of beads and ribbon and stuff... and we'd color the eggs and glue stuff on 'em.... if the eggs aren't entirely covered with beads or ribbon or whatever, the color does fade over the years, but my mom still has (most) of the eggs we decorated over the years. She bought a "tree" that has wooden pegs sticking out all over it, and hangs the eggs (we always glued on some kind of tie so they can hang) the eggs on the tree at Easter.

...as to cooking faux pas.... one of the best meals Gary made was when he was making chicken soup, totally forgot about it - and though there was a burnt layer at the bottom, it had completely cooked down and caramelized... carrots, celery, chicken and onion were indistinguishable. I don't know what he added to it, but it was the most amazing chicken dish ever!

It was a stainless pot, so we just soaked it and used an S.O.S. pad on it.

S.O.S. pads = steel wool. Though you can get finer grade steel wool at a hardware store than you can as the SOS pads. I can't use any steel wool myself since I don't wear gloves when washing dishes. I suggest you do with steel wool because the water can make your hands soft enough for the steel wool to poke through the skin and leave you with some splinters.

As for the potatoes, you're supposed to poke a few holes just in case. I meant to type (unpierced).

Originally Posted by strange_wings

As for the potatoes, you're supposed to poke a few holes just in case. I meant to type (unpierced).

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Just don't leave them too long though...

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend cooked a potato in the microwave for 12 minutes... and it exploded on fire. There was smoke all over the apartment and weeks later the microwave still smells like burnt potato.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

S.O.S. pads = steel wool. Though you can get finer grade steel wool at a hardware store than you can as the SOS pads. I can't use any steel wool myself since I don't wear gloves when washing dishes. I suggest you do with steel wool because the water can make your hands soft enough for the steel wool to poke through the skin and leave you with some splinters.

As for the potatoes, you're supposed to poke a few holes just in case. I meant to type (unpierced).

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Thank you! I could not come up with the name - steel wool! That's it!

Originally Posted by marie-p

Just don't leave them too long though...

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend cooked a potato in the microwave for 12 minutes... and it exploded on fire. There was smoke all over the apartment and weeks later the microwave still smells like burnt potato.

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!! That's the main worry. Potatoes cook quickly enough by oven and stove top, and much more safely.

You could try microwaving a cup of baking soda - repeat as needed. You could even try wiping it out with lemon juice (or a half a lemon). Make sure to wipe it out again with clean water. If it's still smelly, try putting a small tray of charcoal in there - the type that goes in filters, not the type for cooking. Leave that in whenever the microwave is not in use and see if it can take care of the smell. Just don't forget and accidentally microwave the charcoal.

Originally Posted by GoldyCat

BTW does anybody know how to get a charcoal layer (formerly tomato soup) off a stainless steel pan?

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Barkeeper's Friend: http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/

My younger sister's boyfriend made dinner for her one night and COMPLETELY burned one of her brand new pans. Bless her, she couldn't be mad at him because he was being such a sweet guy, but she was kinda mad that he wrecked her pan. My SIL took it and cleaned it with the Barkeeper's Friend. Worked like a charm. I've never used it personally, but my mom and my SIL absolutely SWEAR by it.

Originally Posted by Mystik Spiral

Barkeeper's Friend: http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/

My younger sister's boyfriend made dinner for her one night and COMPLETELY burned one of her brand new pans. Bless her, she couldn't be mad at him because he was being such a sweet guy, but she was kinda mad that he wrecked her pan. My SIL took it and cleaned it with the Barkeeper's Friend. Worked like a charm. I've never used it personally, but my mom and my SIL absolutely SWEAR by it.

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Great stuff for cleaning burnt pans (and I know from experience ).

When I was in school, someone put a muffin tin into the microwave. The top had totally melted down onto the pan. And that person never did fess up to it. I still can picture the mess it made and reminds me not to put metal into the microwave.

I do potatoes in the microwave, but I only set it for small increments of time like 3-5 minutes and watch them closely.

Thanks for the laugh

I read your first post to my husband, and had tears in my eyes by the time I got to the end of it. It's not that long of a post!!!

So we're sitting here browsing on our computers, when he turns to me out of the blue and says "Ten minutes???? TEN minutes?!?!?"

Originally Posted by Mystik Spiral

Barkeeper's Friend: http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/

My younger sister's boyfriend made dinner for her one night and COMPLETELY burned one of her brand new pans. Bless her, she couldn't be mad at him because he was being such a sweet guy, but she was kinda mad that he wrecked her pan. My SIL took it and cleaned it with the Barkeeper's Friend. Worked like a charm. I've never used it personally, but my mom and my SIL absolutely SWEAR by it.

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I'm going to have to see if I can find this. I've already tried everything else, including the steel wool.

Ya wanna talk about a real stink? Try melting cheese for 20 minutes instead of 20 seconds! I could still smell that one every time I opened the microwave for a month afterward.

We definetely need a new microwave, the plastic has blown at the top leaving the metal, it was only a cheap one thank goodness.

I found this on you tube, this is similar to what happened to me


x

You can't bake a potato either in the microwave without piercing it first. I know that. Yes, I do.
That was ugly. Just plain ugly. I think you have to pierce sausage and hotdogs, too, but I'm not sure.

Oh and have you heard about superheated liquids? It happens in the microwave and it can be downright dangerous. You don't think the water (or other liquid) is hot enough because it hasn't bubbled yet. So you take the container out of the microwave and set it on your desk at work. Then you plop a tea bag (or spoon) into the container. The water literally explodes, creating a huge mess. I had liquid all over my desk; my calendar was soaked, everything was soaked. Needless to say, I was scared poopless for a couple seconds.

Yes, potatoes should be pierced, I have never done sausages in the microwave but I imagine they should be pierced too

I have heard of superheated water but never experienced it, I always stir half way through the time I think it will take anyway

Originally Posted by GoldyCat

BTW does anybody know how to get a charcoal layer (formerly tomato soup) off a stainless steel pan?

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Like people have said, you can just scour a stainless pan. I've found for really baked on things (like lasagne with issues, or pies that leak over thier shell a onto the pan ) soaking it with a tiny bit of liquid laundry soap helps lift the baked-on bits.

Originally Posted by Ms. Freya

Like people have said, you can just scour a stainless pan. I've found for really baked on things (like lasagne with issues, or pies that leak over thier shell a onto the pan

) soaking it with a tiny bit of liquid laundry soap helps lift the baked-on bits.

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We're talking about approximately 4 cups of tomato soup that cooked down to about 1/4" of solid black. I chipped a lot of it out, then tried SOS pads, plain steel wool, boiling water with a little dish detergent in it, boiling water with vinegar in it. Nothing has gotten that final thin layer off. I haven't tried laundry soap, but I don't use the liquid so would have to go buy some. I'm also going to try the Barkeeper's Helper that somebody suggested. Other than that I'll just keep using a pan with a black bottom in it. Too bad it's one of my best pans.

Try lemon juice? That cleaner is supposed to be effective because it contains citric acid.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that