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Microwaves. They’re our best buddies when we need popcorn for movie night and when we feel too lazy to cook a nutritious meal (that greasy lasagna from our local gas station has really stolen our hearts). But for some people, microwaves are riddles wrapped in mysteries inside enigmas.
When you use your microwave properly, everything’s dandy. But if you mess up… well, the consequences can be catastrophic. Not to mention hilarious! Bored Panda has collected some of the funniest microwave fails by not-so-smart people to get your week off to a great start. So scroll down, upvote your fave stories, and remember—don’t put random crap in your microwave.
Knowledge is power. So we've also prepared a small list of tips about some of the less-obvious things that you shouldn’t put in your futuristic food-heating box.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My Mom Microwaved Some Birdseed To Disinfect It Before Putting It In A Beanbag And Accidentally Made Tiny Popcorn
RELATED:
#2
Yesterday This Guy Put Ghost Pepper Popcorn In Our Industrial Microwave At Work For Over 5 Minutes. The Office Was Filled With Black Smoke Burning People's Eyes
No-one could breathe. He basically maced the building. We were moved to the other end so we could keep working
#3
My Friend Opened Their Microwave And Couldn't Figure Out What This Was. It Was A Forgotten Slice Of Pizza
To start things off, you probably already knew this one, but you shouldn’t put aluminum foil inside a microwave because it burns and ignites. In fact, don’t heat up any kind of metal.
The same goes for paper bags which may release fumes and toxins and might catch on fire. (Note how most things that shouldn’t be in microwaves burst into flames). Keep in mind that popcorn bags have susceptors in them, so it’s safe to use them. Yay, movie nights aren’t canceled!
#4
He Forgot To Put Water In His Cup O Noodles
#5
I Have No Idea How This Happened. Cup Took Considerable Force To Get Back Down
#6
My Submission For Dumbest Way To Injure Yourself: I Burnt My Hand Taking Tomato Soup Out Of The Microwave. The Toast I Was Making Popped Up And It Scared Me
tilly kate 4 years ago
i always mentally prepare myself for the toast to pop, but i still jump every time
You should also never microwave plastic bags or styrofoam containers. You know, the ones that you get your take-away and leftover food in. They release harmful chemicals and you really don’t want to deal with the mess they leave behind.
Nor should you put wet clothes inside to ‘dry’ them out. It won’t work. Be smart—use a dryer. If you don’t have one, you’ll just have to hang up your clothes and wait for them to dry the old fashioned way.
#7
When I Was 3-Years-Old I Decided To Put My Dad's Brand New Cellphone In The Microwave
He didn’t understand what I meant by “phone hot, daddy! Phone hot! ” until he walked into the kitchen and saw it full of smoke. 17 years later, he still has it and refuses to let me live it down
#8
I Installed My Own Microwave Today And Saved $150 In Install Fees
#9
This Is What Happens When You Microwave Mcdonalds Fries For 30 Minutes (Instead Of 30 Seconds)
MrTree1779 4 years ago
Bury them in the desert so that an archaeologist can have fun figuring them out in 2000 years.
Yes, yes, we know—microwaves are for food. But some food items have no place inside the machine. For example, if you were to put, oh we don’t know, say a hard-boiled egg inside, it’s likely to explode. And not in a pleasant “oh look, Ma, I accidentally made delicious scrambled eggs without even trying” kind of way.
The same warning goes for hot peppers. You might like spicy food, but be sure to add those peppers after you take your meal out of the microwave. If they’re inside, they’ll heat up and will release something similar to a gust of pepper-spray when you open up the door. Great for warding off intruders if you’re starring in ‘Home Alone.’ Bad for lunch at the office.
#10
Wife: “Are You Sure That Jalapeño Dip Container Is Microwaveable?” Me, An Intellectual: “Of Course It Is.” Jalapeño Dip Container:
#11
My Daughter Took It Upon Herself To Microwave Some Syrup For Her Waffles... For 5 Minutes
#12
So Heard It Was Fine Putting Your Phone In The Microwave To Charge It. My Charger Broke Yesterday, My Battery Was Pretty Low So Thought I'd Give It A Go... This Happened
So, dear Pandas, which microwave fail was your fave one? Did you learn anything new about what not to heat up in microwaves? Do you have any microwave fails of your own to share with us? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
#13
Goodbye Everyone. It's Been Good Knowing You
#14
This Is What Happens When You Tell Your Kid To Make His Own Snack. So He Microwaves An Egg For 11 Minutes
MissPanda3 4 years ago
This happened when I told my younger brother to make snack for himself... SPOILER: he burnt the chip bag, he wanted warm chips
#15
What Happens If You Microwave A Spoon
#16
$5000 Canadian After Someone Using The Microwave To Disinfect It
#17
Left My Fork In The Microwave Today
#18
Just Going To Heat Up Some Coffee In The Microwave. Tried To Grab It. Tried To Pour It. What The. Well Damn
#19
My Friend's Husband Thought He Could Microwave His Shirt To Dry It Faster
#20
A Friend's Client Paid Him In Cash. He Put The Cash In The Microwave To Kill Traces Of Coronavirus
#21
A Guest Put It In The Hotel Microwave To Give It "A Quick Charge." Fire Alarm Followed
#22
Hope, This Helped
#23
Brownie Out Of A Cup - Level: Hiroshima
#24
If You Were Wondering What Happens When You Put Foil In The Microwave
#25
I Tried To Microwave A Sandwich And There Is A Big Difference Between 4 And 5 Minutes
#26
Life Pro Tip: Even If Your Boiled Egg Is A Bit Underdone, Don't Put It In The Microwave
#27
My Friend's Kids Decided To Microwave Crayola Markers
Eva the Ravenclaw Bookworm📚💖 4 years ago
Excuse me sir, I think your pet unicorn barfed in there
#28
So, Apparently You Shouldn't Microwave Spaghetti Squash
#29
Someone Brought These Bills To The Bank They Tried To Sanitize In A Microwave
#30
My Mom Set The Microwave For 75 Mins And Not 75 Secs
#31
Tomato Soup Disaster
#32
My Little Sister Accidentally Microwaved A Bagel For Ten Minutes
#33
Last Night’s Dinner Started Out With A Bang, But I Cleaned It Up Bought Another Squash And Tried Again
#34
Attempted One Of Those Microwave Mug Cakes. Looks, Uh, Less Than Appetizing
#35
Forgot To Add Water To My Microwave Mac N Cheese
#36
Why Would You Even Want To Heat Cheetos?
#37
Cooking Everyone Breakfast When The Glass From The Microwave Door Unexpectedly Fell Out
#38
My High Brain Learned That Bowls Get Hot In The Microwave
#39
Another Case Of Someone Microwaving Money To "Sanitize It"
I work at a bank. We are still open through the drive up. Someone literally microwaved their money to "Sanitize it" and sent it to us to deposit into their account....I can't. They said "I'm sure some of it isn't usable but whatever you can deposit into my account, please do."
Zoe's Mom 4 years ago
If the money is still more than half viable, then the bank should be able to take it. After they make the deposit, it is then sent to the government to be destroyed since they can't use them again. For destroyed coin, they write them off and throw them away unless it's a large amount. Those they can refuse. This is what was done years ago when I was a teller
Jessica Nametz 4 years ago
Yep, this person lucked out by having the scorch marks on one side, over 50% of the bill is still usable and therefore they will still get the credit for it.... I worked in a bank and someone brought in a $20 bill split completely in half and tried to get two bills out of it
Load More Replies...
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 4 years ago
Is this what goes through people's minds when they attempt to "sanitise" their money? i-am-so-sm...669109.png 
bill marsano 4 years ago
Too many of these a mere repetitions of the same mistake. You could do better by cutting this in half and showing only the dumbest/worst/most dramatic.
Diane Patrick 4 years ago
This is the type of person who will drag us into a cashless society.
Roland Kreslin 4 years ago
This people shouldn't be allowed to make any life decisions. And again... Murica
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What do you think ?
Hans 4 years ago
What really compells me is that most of the people shown here obviouisly have not the faintest idea that the basic principle of heating is vastly different between a microwave oven and ovens that work with convection or induction.
Monday 4 years ago
Bold of you to assume that these people know how a regular oven works
Load More Replies...
Candice Ravel 4 years ago
This s**t is one reason the human race is doomed. Not the only reason, but definitely top 5.
Henry Cheves 4 years ago
When you are running low on nuclear reactor power, microwave batteries. DO NOT TRY AT HOME IT IS A JOKE!
Jaded Queen 4 years ago
I don't know how stupid u have to be to use microwave , for simple things. Not to mention completely not required things. Idiots
Violet 4 years ago
When I was a kid, microwaves just started to show up here in Poland and my uncle got one from the USA and in the manuals, it was literally written not to microwave cats to dry them.
John Doe AKA "READ MY DAMN COMMENT OR REPLY BEFORE YOU DISLIKE!" 4 years ago
Rules are written to protect people from idiots and said idiots from themselves.
Load More Replies...
Katrin P. 4 years ago
Do American Microwaves really have no setting for Watts? I heard this so often.
Evil Little Thing 4 years ago
There's usually a power setting, but the metric by which it is measured is not specified because most Americans don't know how energy works. I mean... look at how many people microwave their phones.
Load More Replies...
Rose the Cook 4 years ago
Microwaves like most appliances come with a manual telling how to use it safely. Can't these people read?
Catlady6000 4 years ago
Are you...are you actually saying we should read the instructions?!? You heathen!
Load More Replies...
Ayli Nickerson 4 years ago
The other day I but my drink in the microwave for a min and heard a load bang... I have a new microwave know.
Stannous Flouride 4 years ago
I was a restaurant cook when the first commercial microwaves came out (huge, badly shielded) and for the first couple of years it was a common prank to tell new cooks that if they needed an egg in a hurry to just pop it in one for 30 seconds. (that's how I know about putting holes in stuff before you cook it.)
SoozeeQ 4 years ago
I can't believe how many people do not understand how to use a microwave. It ALWAYS needs liquid - even a small amount. NEVER put paper or metal products, and certainly not money!
Astrid Nineor 4 years ago
You can heat nachos (in a sitable container) for a short time on a low setting
Load More Replies...
Hans 4 years ago
What really compells me is that most of the people shown here obviouisly have not the faintest idea that the basic principle of heating is vastly different between a microwave oven and ovens that work with convection or induction.
Monday 4 years ago
Bold of you to assume that these people know how a regular oven works
Load More Replies... Candice Ravel 4 years ago
This s**t is one reason the human race is doomed. Not the only reason, but definitely top 5.
Henry Cheves 4 years ago
When you are running low on nuclear reactor power, microwave batteries. DO NOT TRY AT HOME IT IS A JOKE!
Jaded Queen 4 years ago
I don't know how stupid u have to be to use microwave , for simple things. Not to mention completely not required things. Idiots
Violet 4 years ago
When I was a kid, microwaves just started to show up here in Poland and my uncle got one from the USA and in the manuals, it was literally written not to microwave cats to dry them.
John Doe AKA "READ MY DAMN COMMENT OR REPLY BEFORE YOU DISLIKE!" 4 years ago
Rules are written to protect people from idiots and said idiots from themselves.
Load More Replies... Katrin P. 4 years ago
Do American Microwaves really have no setting for Watts? I heard this so often.
Evil Little Thing 4 years ago
There's usually a power setting, but the metric by which it is measured is not specified because most Americans don't know how energy works. I mean... look at how many people microwave their phones.
Load More Replies... Rose the Cook 4 years ago
Microwaves like most appliances come with a manual telling how to use it safely. Can't these people read?
Catlady6000 4 years ago
Are you...are you actually saying we should read the instructions?!? You heathen!
Load More Replies... Ayli Nickerson 4 years ago
The other day I but my drink in the microwave for a min and heard a load bang... I have a new microwave know.
Stannous Flouride 4 years ago
I was a restaurant cook when the first commercial microwaves came out (huge, badly shielded) and for the first couple of years it was a common prank to tell new cooks that if they needed an egg in a hurry to just pop it in one for 30 seconds. (that's how I know about putting holes in stuff before you cook it.)
SoozeeQ 4 years ago
I can't believe how many people do not understand how to use a microwave. It ALWAYS needs liquid - even a small amount. NEVER put paper or metal products, and certainly not money!
Astrid Nineor 4 years ago
You can heat nachos (in a sitable container) for a short time on a low setting
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