Raspberry/microwave sparks!
I thought I had posted this before, but apparently not. Not sure if this will gain as much press as the 'mentos in the diet cola' ones...
Back in late 2004 we were buying and using frozen raspberries for various culinary delights, and we found that when we tried to defrost them in the microwave that it caused sparks, arcing and burnt raspberries! It didn't happen with the other frozen products like blackberries or blueberries, just with the raspberries.
I sent an email to the company and asked if they were aware of it, and did we win the strange facts about XXX company's products award? No such luck, unfortunately.
A director of the company did email back to me and said that they tested the frozen raspberries in several different microwave machines and they all sparked. The manufacturers of the microwaves said that it could be the size and shape of the ice crystals. They were able to coax sparks from some frozen blackberries, but the raspberries always sparked.
I liked the opening sentence from the frozen raspberry supplier, 'Your email has certainly 'sparked' a reaction here...' Ha ha!
So, what is unique about the ice crystals in frozen raspberries that causes them to arc and spark in a microwave? Could this be a question for Dr Karl?
P.S. Kids, don't try this at home - your parents will not be impressed with a scorched non-functioning microwave machine, and the smell of burnt raspberries in the kitchen!
Back in late 2004 we were buying and using frozen raspberries for various culinary delights, and we found that when we tried to defrost them in the microwave that it caused sparks, arcing and burnt raspberries! It didn't happen with the other frozen products like blackberries or blueberries, just with the raspberries.
I sent an email to the company and asked if they were aware of it, and did we win the strange facts about XXX company's products award? No such luck, unfortunately.
A director of the company did email back to me and said that they tested the frozen raspberries in several different microwave machines and they all sparked. The manufacturers of the microwaves said that it could be the size and shape of the ice crystals. They were able to coax sparks from some frozen blackberries, but the raspberries always sparked.
I liked the opening sentence from the frozen raspberry supplier, 'Your email has certainly 'sparked' a reaction here...' Ha ha!
So, what is unique about the ice crystals in frozen raspberries that causes them to arc and spark in a microwave? Could this be a question for Dr Karl?
P.S. Kids, don't try this at home - your parents will not be impressed with a scorched non-functioning microwave machine, and the smell of burnt raspberries in the kitchen!
posted by Rick's Rambles at 7:54 pm
14 Comments:
This happened to us to. It freaked out my wife, but now she feels a little better knowing it wasn't a faulty microwave!
Dangerous world that we live in, eh?
This happened to me with frozen blueberries! I was afraid it was a bag full of metallic berries. Glad it's not!
I found this blog while looking into why my peaches were sparking in the microwave. Thanks for posting it. I was ready to buy a new microwave.
I am so glad that I found your blog on Google search. I was wondering if my blackberries contained some kind of metallic contaminant, because I was really freaked out when my blackberries sparked and burned in my microwave.
I came across your blog while heating up some raspberries for cereal and a midnight snack.
The sparking is not unusual to just raspberries. The concept has to do with antennas and concentrating electromagnetic fields. The antenna most are familiar with is made of metal; indeed, several comments referenced this. However, there are also "dielectric antenna".
The sparking has to do with the being fluid-filled, shape, size, and distance to another berry. If dielectric spheres (the raspberries) one or more wavelengths in diameter (about the width of the raspberry) are placed next to each other (two berries beside each other) in the electric field (the microwave), the spheres concentrate the electric field lines along the longest axis (two berries wide). This quickly heats the berry, emits a jet of steam, and is ignited by the concentrated now high voltage electric field....which is essentially a short circuit between the two berries and what you see as a spark. The proper distance and time, you may get it to ignite into a plasma ball!!
So glad this information was on the Internet - we too thought the bag of berries had metal shavings or our microwave was malfunctioning. We'll just warm ours using tap water now!!!
Wow. Glad to find this. To add to the record I just nuked a little dessert with two side by side slices of strawberry (not frozen, from the fridge) and after 8 seconds, bzzzzzzz! Freaked me out! I also thought metallic content in the berries...
I saw the same phenomenon with blackberries a couple of times some years ago, but couldn't reproduce it last weekend. Finally, a proof that I'm not stupid and that I was not fantasising!
So i guess it must have been the distance between the berries! :)
Thank goodness for your blog!!!!!!!!! I was about to run out and buy a new microwave! And, call the company and rip them a new one for selling such crappy products! haha Our microwave is only 3 years old so I was seething! Good to know it's just the ice crystals!!!! Have you passed this onto Dr Karl??
this happens with my frozen blueberries often. I only use berries that I've frozen myself, and knew that nothing metallic was part of them... and always wondered if it was just me!
This should be broadcasted as a public warning on all channels, or at least be mentioned in the manual of all microwave ovens, cuz I almost did in my pants...
Thank you for posting this. I thought I was going nuts. My raspberries have done this the past 2 days so no more defrosting in microwave.
Add mulberries to the list of sparking fruits.
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