The microwave is a great invention.

Almost all of us have used it to reheat leftovers or to simply “cook” something up when we are too lazy to wait around the oven. However, a lot of us use the microwave daily without knowing that not everything we put in it might be a safe alternative.

So, in order to help you know what is safe and what is not, here are 10 things that you should not microwave no matter how desperate you are.

1. Eggs

Making hard boiled eggs in a microwave is not great. The microwave emits radio waves that channel heat directly to the food. This actually makes a lot of steam come out of the egg. So much steam that it makes the egg explode. The steam has no room to go, so it sort of creates its own room.

2. Styrofoam

You know how everyone always says not to put plastic in a microwave? Well, styrofoam containers are made from polystyrene foam, which is a type of plastic. If you put this in the microwave, the styrofoam will look different, almost as if it were melting. Even though it is not technically melting, it’s releasing toxic chemicals that will be harmful to the food inside the container as well as to you.

3. Nothing

When you run a microwave empty, the radio waves that it emits are absorbed by the microwave itself. Since there is nothing else inside of it, the microwave can’t handle receiving all the waves and could either self-destruct or even worse, start a fire.

4. Hot peppers

If you try to microwave hot peppers, you’ll be evaporating its capsaicin, which is known to be the chemical that makes peppers spicy. The moment you open the microwave door, that vapor will come out and burn your eyes and throat. So for your own good, please don’t try this.

5. Fruits

First of all, I have no idea who could ever crave a microwaved fruit. However, if by any reason this sounds appealing to you; don’t try it. Grapes, for instance, will explode and could even result in starting a fire. Another good example of why this is not a good idea: raisins. Raisins will not only smoke but could also break down your microwave by the amount of plasma it will emit.

6. Aluminum foil

Aluminum foil is a kind of metal, and like all metals, it can catch fire inside the microwave. To prevent this from happening, just take your leftovers out of the aluminum foil and use a microwave-safe container

7. Water

Unless the water has something else to defuse the amount of energy, like a tea bag, it will superheat. When it is superheated, the water is not actually boiled so it is likely that once you add something then, like a tea bag, it will cause an upward explosion.

8. Yogurt, sour cream, and butter containers

I know reusing these containers might be tempting, but they are really made to be more of a one-time use kind of thing. Since they are not made to survive in these conditions, exposing them to the microwaves will make the plastic material melt and release chemicals into your food.

9. Bread

This one will not ruin your microwave, but it will surely ruin the bread. Microwaving bread leaves it moist and chewy, to the point where no one really wants to try it. But don’t worry, if this happens to you, just put the bread in the oven for a few minutes and it will go back to its desired texture and appearance.

10. Sauce without a lid

If you are in a rush, just put a piece of paper towel on top of it at least. Microwaving any sauce without any type of lid will just end up causing a huge mess that no one really wants to clean up.

Now, we hope you know that even though the microwave can save you a lot of time, it could also be very dangerous. Save yourself the trouble and don’t create a mess, or worse, start a fire in your kitchen. Remember that most importantly, plastic and metal are the two things you should always remember not to microwave no matter how desperate you are.

(Culled from www.aol.com)