Why did my banana catch fire in the microwave?
Wow, that sounds like a silly question, but really! My wife froze bananas in the freezer with the peel still on. You can't peel them frozen. I put it in the microwave for one minute at 50% power. After 30 seconds the thin end of the peel (where a bunch connect to each other) was on fire, with a visible flame (about the size of a lighter). What on earth happened?
Best Answer
It's caused by the high amount of potassium in the banana. Microwaves react with metals, bouncing off and cause arcing. You can even create a cool light show by putting a raw peeled banana in the microwave. Don't worry, it won't explode, but it will make a mess, it's also harmless.
This can also happen in some frozen vegetables depending on the soil conditions they grew in. As noted in the linked article, other high concentrations of metals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc can be the responsible mineral.
Momentary brief sparking is harmless and won't harm your microwave, but the USDA recommends turning off your microwave if you see sparks nonetheless. If it does start a fire, unless it's a very small fire, do not open your microwave door. The safest thing is to turn off the microwave and let the fire burn itself out by consuming all the oxygen. Opening the door could create a dangerous backdraft induced fireball.
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Is it safe to put a banana in a microwave?
Place them on a microwave-safe plate because they might leak as they heat up. Microwave on high for 1 minute at a time until the bananas are completely soft to the touch (about 2-3 minutes). Let cool in the freezer for 10 minutes or so and they're ready for baking.Why did my food catch on fire in the microwave?
Overheated food or packaging is the main culprit According to Bob Schiffmann, a 50-year veteran of the microwave industry and president of the International Microwave Power Institute,1 microwave fires usually start for the same reason that oven or stovetop or grill fires do: \u201cIt's simply due to [the food] overheating.\u201dCan bananas catch on fire in the oven?
Here's one from a previous week: I was nuking a banana (makes 'em as sweet as fried), and a few seconds in, the stem end started to emit a flame! Never happened before. The oven immediately filled with smoke.Why is my food sparking in the microwave?
"Arcing," according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, usually happens with foods that contain high amounts of minerals, including iron, magnesium, and selenium. Since those minerals act like "tiny pieces of metal," microwaves bounce off them just like they would a fork, causing the sparking effect.More answers regarding why did my banana catch fire in the microwave?
Answer 2
This may also be related to the dielectric antenna effects that cause grapes to spark in a microwave :
I found that single grapes would eject steam out of the stem hole forming little rocket engines which often propelled the grapes about the oven. If the stem was left in the grape, so that the steam could not escape, the grape skin would quickly rupture in a small explosion as it was heated.
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There are two general classes of antennas, metallic conducting antennas and dielectric antennas that concentrate electromagnetic fields. The common antennas most people are familiar with are antennas made from conducting wires and rods such as the rabbit ears on indoor TV antennas or the multirod TV antennas on millions of roof tops. Dielectric antennas include various geometric solids including cylinders, spheres and plastic focusing lenses.
Answer 3
I keep my bananas in the frig and warm them up (one at a time) in the microwave. It is the stem which burns/smolders/smokes, in as little as 20 seconds. I don't know why, but I think it may have to do with the lack of water.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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