Thread: Frozen Raspberries in the Microwave

OK...

This is really random, but earlier this week my boyfriend tried to thaw some frozen raspberries in the microwave for pancakes. They started to spark and the paper towel caught fire in the microwave.
Afterward, we laughed about how unpredictable that incident was...
But what properties in either raspberries, ice, or a microwave would cause this phenomenon?

There was no metal (like tin foil, a cup that has a metal "ring" painted near the top, etc.)? If there was no metal, then that incident indeed seems strange....

cheers

of course not...
we know that metal sparks in the microwave,
which made it particularly odd.

Just frozen raspberries and a paper towel.

Found this with google...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/garret/178775244

I discovered that, too.

Is there an explanation?

If you want to thaw frozen fruit in a microwave put a glass of water in there as well, otherwise all the power goes into the grape [or whatever] and this causes such intense electric fields leading to a breakdown, then a spark, and fire, Intense electric field plus flame = PLASMA! if you are careless you can even melt the steel wall of the oven....

Put a glass over the top to contain the plasma BUT this can explode when you open the door!

FOund it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ux8nSWmAz0

It's the video of the grape, "DON'T FRY THIS AT HOME!"

I am a chef,

About a month and a half ago I was melting butter in a microwave. the microwave we have in our kitchen is 2200 Watt.

We had run out of the butter blocks and all we had was butter portions in individual packs.

I took the top off the butter portion to melt it in the microwave (talk about using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!)

Anyway.......in it went, and i turned the microwave on to start doing other stuff in the kitchen, within a few seconds I turned around and noticed the microwave glowing from the inside, there was no sound that I would have expected from a "spark" - just what seemed to be a glowing plasma.

Leaving a trail of bodily fluids behind me I ran over to the emergency stop button and immediately shut off power to the kitchen.

It was then I noticed, upon looking at the butter portion that, although I had taken the top off, I had left a tiny tiny piece of foil on there.

I had saved the day I thought ! (or almost ended it)

That very same day (although irrelavent to the post I thougt it may make good reading so ill explain the rest of that day).......

I was working placing food under the hot-halogen lamps in the kitchen in the evening. Just as I was pouring sauce from a ladel onto one of the plates, the ladel came into contact with something underneath the lights. All I can remember was seeing sparks and a loud bang as I was thrown backwards, narrowly missing falling into the fryers set at 190 deg C !!

To make matters even WORSE, whatever it was that happened blew the main 100amp fuse to the building and as it was over xmas time, the resteraunt had to close for 3 days until someone from the electricity board could come and sort it out, and as the manager lived upstairs, he had no electric too.

Needless to say he was not a happy chappy !!

so how is this plasma generated?
is the plasma the same as fire?

Originally Posted by Megabrain

If you want to thaw frozen fruit in a microwave put a glass of water in there as well, otherwise all the power goes into the grape [or whatever] and this causes such intense electric fields leading to a breakdown, then a spark, and fire, Intense electric field plus flame = PLASMA! if you are careless you can even melt the steel wall of the oven....

Put a glass over the top to contain the plasma BUT this can explode when you open the door!

FOund it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ux8nSWmAz0

It's the video of the grape, "DON'T FRY THIS AT HOME!"

wow i gotta go and try it
*Goes and tries it*
AAAHHH MY HAIR IS BURNING
*comes back 10 minutes later and got no hair*
You really shouldnt try this at home it hurts

Dejawolf,

Yes a flame IS a plasma.

Plasma is the fourth state of matter: Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma.

When an exothermic reaction occurs, if the thermal energy released is sufficient, the air immeditaly around the reaction will change from a gas to a plasma. A plasma is merely a gas in such an energetic state that it is throwing off photons.

Originally Posted by leohopkins

Yes a flame IS a plasma.

Bollocks!

Plasma is ionised gas. Whereas a flame is a chemical reaction which produces heat and light. It is the same as the chemical reaction that causes rust.