Oatmeal is typically eaten as a breakfast dish; it’s easy to make, nutritious, and you can elevate even the blandest oatmeal with secret ingredients that can be anything from brown sugar to fresh fruit. Though it might be tempting to cook it as quickly as possible, don’t make the oatmeal mistake of heating it in the microwave — it turns out there is a high risk it could explode.
Food explodes in the microwave because of a buildup of steam. As food heats, the water within it evaporates and turns into steam which accumulates underneath the surface of the food and needs a way to escape. If there is no way for it to dissipate, this steam continues to build until there is so much pressure that it eventually breaks past the surface and explodes through the interior of the food. And suddenly, you have a huge mess. There are a couple of easy ways to avoid this, though: heat the oatmeal on the stove, or adjust the power setting on the microwave.
You might want to cook oatmeal on the stove
The best way to prevent exploding oatmeal is to avoid cooking it in the microwave and opt for low heat on the stove. Use a pot, rather than a pan, because the pot’s higher edges will help control any splatter. If the microwave is the only option, though, you can try placing a microwave-safe dish over top of the bowl to control the explosion. Or, heat only the water in the microwave, then add the oats after taking it out (be careful here as well, however: though rare, water too can explode in there). Let it sit, so the oats absorb the moisture, then you’re ready to enjoy.
You can also adjust the power button, aka the one button on your microwave that will change the way you use it forever, to a lower setting. Microwaves emit microwaves (hence the name), which heat the food. By adjusting the power to a lower percentage setting, it causes those waves to take intermittent pauses, heating the food at a slower rate. Adjust the power setting to 50%, which will emit half the microwaves that full power would. It will take a bit longer to cook, but this helps avoid rapid steam buildup and can lessen the chance of exploding oatmeal.
