My Garlic Just Exploded

AresProphet

I decided to make garlic bread, so I chopped up garlic and butter and put it in the microwave. Microwave-safe dish.

The garlic started buzzing and caught fire within seconds. It was a charred mess by the time i realized what was going on, took less than 15 seconds for me to get to it.

What the unholy hell causes garlic to do the kind of thing I'd expect from microwaving a bowl of powdered aluminum?

It gets better: my second attempt (exact same dish, same head of garlic, same stick of butter) came out just fine.

Edit: upon further inspection of the offending bits, it appears that the explosion originated in the pieces that contained parts of the root bulb of the clove. It was a rather large clove of garlic.

Saddler

I've microwaved garlic probably a hundred times, and I think I did it exactly as you described it. I put it in with butter in a bowl. I know you said the dish was microwave safe, but try a different dish. Also, check to make sure the microwave is clean and empty, and there's not a fork or something back in there. I can't believe that part of a garlic root bulb would cause those problems.

Musan

If you happen to know Japanese, I would think this video may help. My guess is that you just happened to pick a moist bulb of garlic and it just happen to be in the path of a hot spot in the microwave. Does your microwave have a turntable?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slCjZRw3BSY

AresProphet

Saddler wrote: »

I've microwaved garlic probably a hundred times, and I think I did it exactly as you described it. I put it in with butter in a bowl. I know you said the dish was microwave safe, but try a different dish. Also, check to make sure the microwave is clean and empty, and there's not a fork or something back in there. I can't believe that part of a garlic root bulb would cause those problems.

I've made garlic bread like a hundred times before and I don't think I've ever accidentally microwaved a piece of metal in my life.


Since it was just a fluke I'm going to dismiss it for now. The only reasonable explanation I can think of is if the garlic had absorbed some kind of metallic ion from the soil?

I mean this isn't the kind of thing you expect to combust after five seconds in the microwave. The weirdest part was the buzzing noise it made, which caught my attention a split second before the holy fuck fire in my microwave did.

Pheezer

I think this was probably a freak occurrence. If it makes you feel better, when I worked at IBM one of our big brass (a low level executive) came into town to review our business unit and destroyed a microwave by nuking a cottage cheese container filled with soup that had some tin foil still stuck to the rim.

Raziel

Buzzing, and then caught fire?

It's been a while since high-school chemistry, but if it's the root bulb part, my guess is there were enough very small surfaces to catch fire.

Or you had, in your haste, confused a clove of garlic with a stick of gunpowder.

Edit:

Pity you didn't youtube the bitch.

proXimity

I'd guess it's something along the lines of what happens when you microwave a split grape (cool stuff like plasma/fire). It sure sounds like it sounds like the same thing is happening. Garlic, being generally drier than grapes, would be more prone to charring with such effects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCNNqgKqnaQ

Daxon

I just read the thread title as "My Girlfriend Just Exploded"

JebusUD

You really ought to roast the garlic till it is creamy smooth like butter and then spread it on. None of this microwave shenanigans.

grim123

8-) vampires

AresProphet

JebusUD wrote: »

You really ought to roast the garlic till it is creamy smooth like butter and then spread it on. None of this microwave shenanigans.

You see, I am both poor and lazy. And very fond of my toaster oven on the Broil setting. It does a magnificent job.

My garlic bread is passable, with the added advantage of being cheap and very simple to make. Roasting garlic properly is a little too much time investment when I decide at the last minute to add it to my meal.

Also, I'm usually pretty drunk when I decide to break out a full four-course dinner for myself.

This spontaneous garlic combustion has, however, led me to consider alternative approaches. I might try roasting a whole head of garlic in advance and then refrigerating it for later use. It's not the same as proper buttery-toasted-garlicy garlic toast, but I'm always up for some variety in my cooking,