Southern Indiana Woman is Reminded of the Dangers of Microwaving Foil

I usually overthink everything, but this was a day when I clearly underthought everything. Let's just say that microwaves and foil do not play well together. Not even for two seconds!

Aren't Leftovers the Best?

My son Chase loves breadsticks from the Olive Garden, and we recently had some of them left over. The yummy sticks come in a stay-fresh bag that seems pretty sturdy. That's because the inside is lined with aluminum foil. I just kind of assumed that the packaging was microwave-safe, because why take the breadsticks out of the bag to reheat them?

One of the most important rules to remember is to never put metal, especially aluminum foil, inside a microwave. Even though I knew this, I still thought it would be ok to reheat them for 20 seconds.

 The Science of Foil vs Microwave

You would think that with all of the technology we have these days, someone could create a microwave that you can use foil in. When you place metal in a microwave, the electromagnetic waves bounce off the metal's surface, causing electric currents to flow. This can lead to a phenomenon known as arcing, wherein sparks of electricity can potentially ignite a fire or damage the microwave itself. No, I wasn't trying to disprove this or create my own science experiment, but you can see arching in my video below.

Watch What Happens When Foil is Microwaved for Two Seconds

Lessons Learned

To re-cap, never put any metal or foil of any type in the microwave. Also, just finish the breadsticks when you get them!

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