Cooking For Engineers

[charley000]

Many years ago (approximately 1970), I had a first generation microwave oven. One day my wife asked me to make some popcorn. I told her that I didn't want to get out the popcorn maker, clean it when I was done, etc.

She told me to put some popcorn in a paper bag and throw it in the microwave. I said "What?" She told me that they had these paper bags of popcorn at work. You put them the microwave oven. Obviously, this was what we now call microwave popcorn. But back then, no one had heard of it and you couldn't buy it yet in the grocery stores.

I decided to give it a try. But instead of using a paper bag, I took a CorningWare casserole dish (you know, the old white corning ware ceramic with the cornflower pattern on it -- maybe you are too young.)

I put some popcorn in, put the glass top on and put it in the microwave. I turned it on for a few minutes and nothing happened. I turned it on a little more and heard a few pops, maybe 10. I turned it on a little longer but nothing happened but I could see a little smoke.

I decided to take a look but there was a little steam/smoke coming off the lid. I am so glad that I grabbed a pot holder to take the lid off because when I touched the glass lid, the pot holder instantly caught on fire! Yes, the glass was that hot. In fact, the glass had melted! I had a stalactite of glass inside.

Well, the energy had to go somewhere. Popcorn is terrible at absorbing the microwaves. That is why the microwave popcorn you buy has so much oil in it. It is the oil that gets hot and makes the popcorn pop.

Well, glass, while a poor energy absorber, was better than the popcorn! People think that the glass won't take any of the energy but it will.