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pantsgolem
2009-01-29 12:54 am UTC (link)

Oh, durr, sorry. Here's what that comment says:

Okay, so -

Butter is a dairy item, full of water, essential fatty acids, vitamins. Heating (!) such a concoction destroys the fatty acids by braking up the chains, evaporates the water and kills the vitamins. Thus, you're not getting the creamy consistency when you whip butter as you'd do when you soften butter ~~naturally~~.

Fine.

Then, ladies and gentlemen, she suggests PUTTING A METAL BOWL IN YOUR MICROWAVE to test and see just how hot stuff may get in there. Yeah...

Somewhere along the lines, she confused MELTING THE SHIT OUT OF THE BUTTER with slightly softening it.

BRB checking just how hot a metal bowl can get in the microwave.

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	kadath 2009-01-29 12:57 am UTC (link)
	Thanks, but is sf_drama open membership? If not, it's not kosher to be reproducing the comment. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	pantsgolem 2009-01-29 01:00 am UTC (link)
	It is. stupid_free is the one that's moderated. Also, I'm working on a fuller translation at the moment. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	kadath 2009-01-29 01:02 am UTC (link)
	Okay, cool. (Reply to this)(Parent)

kadath
2009-01-29 01:34 am UTC (link)

Then, ladies and gentlemen, she suggests PUTTING A METAL BOWL IN YOUR MICROWAVE to test and see just how hot stuff may get in there. Yeah...

Oh, by the way, you can put a metal bowl in the microwave safely, as long as it's perfectly smooth. There won't be a plasma discharge unless there are two sharp edges or points between which the arc can form. So, the tines of a fork will arc, or gilt decorations on plates, but smooth bowl won't.

Of course, an empty metal bowl won't get hot in a microwave oven, either, since metal reflects microwaves, but I don't see why we should let science interfere with our half-assed culinary advice.

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	caffeine_fairy 2009-01-29 01:13 pm UTC (link)
	Interesting, thanks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

kadath
2009-01-29 04:55 pm UTC (link)

To be clear, I don't recommend microwave cooking even with smooth metal; since it reflects the radiation, only the top of whatever you put in will warm up.

This was actually the principle behind the short-lived microwaveable hot fudge sundaes--the ice cream was in a metal-lined cup, while the fudge was suspended over it in a microwave-transparent plastic dome. You'd nuke it for 15 seconds or something and the fudge would melt all over the ice cream, which stayed cold because the metal reflected the microwaves. They apparently never made it out of test markets because people couldn't get their heads around microwaving ice cream.

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my thoughts on microwaving ice cream -

snarkhunter, 2009-01-29 09:03 pm UTC

Re: my thoughts on microwaving ice cream -

kadath, 2009-01-29 09:45 pm UTC

	sionja 2009-01-29 01:52 pm UTC (link)
	gilt decorations on plates This was interesting to find out when I was little. And by interesting, I mean the sudden burst of loud popping coming from the microwave startled the shit out of me. Also, when I warmed up an Arby's sandwich in the microwave in the wrapper. The fire was pretty? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

issendai
2009-01-29 05:19 pm UTC (link)

First thing we put in the microwave when we got one in 1980-something: a mixing bowl with gilt decorations. The arcs were lovely.

This knowledge mysteriously did not help me some 15 years later when I nuked a box of Chinese takeout, complete with metal handle, and melted off the roof of my grandma's microwave. My uncle paid for the repairs--I think he thought I was covering for his daughter, who was staying over, because *I* couldn't possibly be so dimwitted as to put metal in a microwave.

*coughs*