Hot Cheese and Exploding Eggs

don't let this happen to you!

In another installation of applied “Duh” science, today we will discuss the perils of microwave cooking.  So sit up and take note while you’re waiting for your Hot Pocket to finish cooking. 

Innumerable case reports exist in the medical literature about serious injuries caused by microwaved food.  The authors of a 2009 article from the journal Dental Update concluded:  “Microwave ovens heat food much quicker than a conventional oven, but they produce uneven heating within the food and extremely high temperatures can be reached.”  They then go on to describe two nasty cases of oral mucosal injury.

Microwave-heated food can damage not only the lining of the mouth, but also cause severe burns of the larynx and esophagus.  Many yummy microwaved treats have been implicated: milk, water, treacle tart, hot potatoes, and everyone’s favorite – cheese pie.  “NO,” you say, “Not cheese pie!”  Yes, my friends, cheese pie.

Researchers discovering that microwaved cheese can burn your mouth would seem to be akin to scientists holding a press conference to announce the groundbreaking discovery that trees are, in fact, made of wood.  But wait – your aero-digestive tract is not the only part of your body at risk.  There are numerous case reports – sadly, many of them in children – of micro waved eggs exploding and causing severe injuries to the eyes and face.   

So what are we to do?  Give up microwaving?  Cut the cheese?  Never!  But there are some precautions you should take to make sure that all of your microwaving experiences are as safe as they are tasty:

  • Give food (especially high fat, dense food like cheese) plenty of time to cool. 
  • Stir food thoroughly if you can.
  • If you cook eggs in the microwave, remove the shell and don’t leave the yolk whole.
  • Open the door carefully, and use only cookware labeled microwave-safe.
  • If you feed children, especially small children and infants, exercise extreme caution when reheating formula or breast milk in the microwave. Terrible, debilitating burns with significant scarring have occurred in babies and toddlers given infant formula and breast milk superheated in the microwave.

For more information regarding microwave safety, head on over to the USDA’s microwave fact sheet.

Victoria Rentel MD