Shea Simmons
If you’ve ever reheated leftovers or placed a frozen meal in the microwave, there’s a good chance part of it has been scalding hot while another remained freezing cold. Luckily, there’s a hack for that!
Isabella Avila posted the hack on TikTok, revealing that you’re actually supposed to place your food on the outer edge of the microwave’s plate rather than the center. The food itself will then rotate, allowing it all to heat evenly.
So, does this actually work? Well, according to Makenzie Bryson Jackson, food scientist and product development manager at Panaceutics, it does! There’s even a scientific reason your food heats unevenly, which explains why this hack works to counteract it.
When you place your food in the microwave, an effect called runaway heating can happen. Spots that get warm will continue to heat up more quickly, causing those sections to be incredibly hot, while the others remain cold. This is because the waves in your microwave bounce around inside until they make contact with something to transfer energy into.
When you place your food container on the outer edge of the microwave plate, it will rotate more and the waves will bounce off it more evenly. However, while this will help, Jackson says you won’t notice a radical change. The best way to ensure even heating is to stir midway through the heating process.
So, next time you’re zapping a Hot Pocket, try placing it on the edge of the rotating plate. And if it accidentally explodes, we’ve got a hack for that, too.
[Via Well + Good]
