What E learned today.

[Don]

This morning my son E made his own oatmeal. When he woke me he said Daddy, there's smoke downstairs! I opened the living room door as I came through there to get to the kitchen. I found the kitchen full of thick smoke and the microwave had fire in it. I opened the back door and carried the microwave out to the carport wearing only the boxer-briefs I had been sleeping in.
After putting out the little fire and dressing and cleaning up the mess and setting up fans to blow out the smoke I sat down with E to talk about what we learned.
First, oatmeal needs water before cooking.
Second, oatmeal only needs 1 minute, not 3.
Third, we always stay and watch cooking food to prevent accidents.
And fourth, daddy runs fast in his underwear.

[Felicia]

So...has he learned that buttering the bread BEFORE you toast it does not work as well????

[devo_stevo]

Great story. I'm glad nothing bad happened. I had a similar experience with my daughter "Z". She was setting a timer for 20 minutes so that she knew how long she had been reading. The only thing was that she pushed the cook time button instead of the kitchen timer button on the microwave. Needless to say, there was no fire per say, but in the end, we also had no microwave.

The lesson she learned was that you don't turn on the microwave with nothing in it for 20 minutes.

Kids are great aren't they.

[DiscGo]

Is this a true story? That is funny.

[accadacca]

[Don]

Is this a true story? That is funny.

Oh yes, still stinks in the house and I think the microwave is junk; the interior is stained a nasty yellow/brown color and I doubt the stink will ever come out.
No sense in getting mad about it but he did learn some valuable lessons.

[blueeyes]

Is this a true story? That is funny.

Not only is Don's true but last summer when the kids where out for school. It was my day off and I was happy to sleep in. As I am lying in that half asleep state my nose caught wind of a foul smell. I sat up right in bed, then made a mad dash for the backyard. Sure enough black smoke coming from my neighbors kitchen and both the boy and little girl standing in the backyard. My neighbors little girl had done the same thing as E. Mom and Dad had gone to work and she decided to make breakfast for herself instead of asking her brother. What a horrid smell and it was in their house and mine. Funny now but oh man what a scare.

So just a warning to any of the rest of you with small kids that will start attempting to do for themselves. Make sure they know oatmeal needs water!

And NO METAL or FOIL. Spencer learned that one on our San Diego trip.

If you don't show them how you may be running outside in your underwear too!!!

[blueeyes]

Is this a true story? That is funny.

Oh yes, still stinks in the house and I think the microwave is junk; the interior is stained a nasty yellow/brown color and I doubt the stink will ever come out.
No sense in getting mad about it but he did learn some valuable lessons.

Yeah the smell is worse than burnt popcorn. My neighbors had to replace their microwave.

[Bugs]

Glad it didn't turn into a BIG fire! My daughter and I were just discussing metal in the microwave the other day. She's about E's age and is trying and doing all kinds of stuff these days.

Life is an adventure

[DiscGo]

Man, that is too funny. Thanks for sharing this Don. And it scares me a little to know that BlueEyes neighbors did the same thing. This sort of thing is much funnier when it is someone else's children.

[greyhair biker]

Not only does Don move fast in underwear but out of them as well
...other things that dont microwavw well...carrots...pickles...drinkmix containers with foil liners...turtles...moist towelettes with alcohol

[Don]

Yeah, the smell and smoke has ruined Josh's microwave but since I have one we are not going without oatmeal and popcorn.
Now that I think about it though; Josh's microwave probably still functions... I really want to know why you shouldn't put a pickle or a carrot in there. Not turtles though, that's just sad. Do the alcohol wipes catch fire too?

[cachehiker]

...other things that dont microwavw well...carrots...pickles...drinkmix containers with foil liners...turtles...moist towelettes with alcohol

And boiled eggs.

One exploded the moment a coworker removed it and set it down in the break room. There was egg yolk, egg whites, and egg shells everywhere.

[blueeyes]

...other things that dont microwavw well...carrots...pickles...drinkmix containers with foil liners...turtles...moist towelettes with alcohol

And boiled eggs.

One exploded the moment a coworker removed it and set it down in the break room. There was egg yolk, egg whites, and egg shells everywhere.

LMAO!!!! That is funny. Kinda gives a new meaning to "Egg on your face"

[greyhair biker]

Yeah, the smell and smoke has ruined Josh's microwave but since I have one we are not going without oatmeal and popcorn.
Now that I think about it though; Josh's microwave probably still functions... I really want to know why you shouldn't put a pickle or a carrot in there. Not turtles though, that's just sad. Do the alcohol wipes catch fire too?

haven't tried the pickle :



Why do pickles glow when you heat them in a microwave oven?



In conventional chemistry, demonstrations of glowing pickles are familiar to those involved with electrochemistry and science education. By placing a high voltage (typically 110 or 230 volts ac) across electrodes in either end of a pickled cucumber, it can be made to emit a yellowish glow, as the current passes through. The glow is only observed after the pickle has been significantly heated by the electrical current - typically a couple of minutes - which should give the reader some clue as to the mechanism. What is being observed asnot a luminescent glow, but a process of electrical arcing through pockets of vapour in the heated pickle.
In the microwave oven, a pickle is likewise subjected to an alternating electric field and currents are induced within it (as with metals ). Dielectric heating effects ensure that the pickle is rapidly heated and, in contrast to its electrically activated counterpart, the pickle begins glowing very soon after the demonstration is started. The microwave heating ensures that the pickle soon cooks, and if performed for extended periods creates a rather obnoxious stench.

A carrot...whole carrot uncut...or worse, two laid across one another, will ignite. cut carrots in water will not.

alcohol wipes...or any 'hazardous material' - will explode and/or ignite:
http://www.ehs.iupui.edu/ehs/labnote...microwave.html

...a turtle....you really have to ask?

raw eggs....scrambled and microwave for 30 seconds & they are done. otherwise they explode...bigtime.

[Scott Card]

...other things that dont microwavw well...carrots...pickles...drinkmix containers with foil liners...turtles...moist towelettes with alcohol

And boiled eggs.

One exploded the moment a coworker removed it and set it down in the break room. There was egg yolk, egg whites, and egg shells everywhere.

This happened to a friend of mine. It was extra funny because he is always trying to be cool. I think he was mad at me for laughing uncontrollably.

[cachehiker]

It was extra funny because he is always trying to be cool.

Aren't we all?

Kinda gives a new meaning to "Egg on your face"

Rest assured if you ever come up to ride Jardine Juniper, you'll see me do that the old fashioned way, on the stovetop.

My microwave rarely sees any use.

[Scott Card]

It was extra funny because he is always trying to be cool.

Aren't we all?

Not really. As I have stated before, I peaked in coolness in the 80's. My kids remind me often that what I am wearing is not cool and some of the "dad" things I do are not cool. So no, coolness is not a priority.