Audio By Carbonatix
Nothing feels as discombobulating as doing something a certain way all your life, just to learn you’ve been doing it wrong the entire time. This was the case for many TikTok viewers after an appliance expert revealed the common mistake folks make when microwaving their food.
The little-known trick comes from a worker at TA Appliances and Barbecues in Ontario, Canada. In the viral TikTok, which is posted to the @taappliances account, the employee shares something he “didn’t know until [he] started working at an appliance store.”
What Is The Microwave Trick?
The employee walks over to the microwave section and debunks the myth that your food should be placed in the center of the turntable.
“I never knew that when you’re microwaving food, you’re supposed to put your bowls and plates on the outside of the turntable,” the worker explains.
The clip transitions to him placing a plate in the center of the turntable before revealing that it is incorrect. He explains how the purpose of the turntable is to get the food moving around so it can be exposed to more of the microwaves.
“But any food that is in the middle of that turntable is going to be spinning and not necessarily moving,” he reveals. “So putting your bowls and plates on the outside is going to make sure that all your food is rotating around the microwave cavity.”
He says this helps the food:
- Heat up faster
- Avoid cold spots in the middle
Is This True? Is There A Right Way To Microwave Your Food?
In short, yes. There is an optimum spot on the turntable where you should place your plate. First, you will need to understand how a microwave works.
A Newstalk ZB article explains how the ovens channel heat into the food molecule, which causes the water, sugar, and fat molecules to “vibrate.” It gets hot when the molecules start vibrating faster.
There is something called a magnetron inside the metal box that creates the microwaves. These bounce off the metal walls and onto the food.
So Why Does Plate Placement Matter?
The waves are short, which is why you sometimes end up with hot and cold spots on your food.
“The best way to avoid those cold spots is to help your food to travel through as much of the microwave as possible,” Newstalk ZB states, “which it does when rotating around on the edge of the spinning plate compared to the small radius it moves when in the centre.”
Viewers Are Grateful For The Tip
The appliance store’s TikTok earned over 2.8 million views, with several folks shocked at the revelation.
One user claimed their “life has been a lie,” while another called the TikToker a “hero.”
Others were grateful for TikTok because of new information like this. As one wrote, “This is why I love TikTok.”
But before the trick went viral on the video-sharing platform, it received attention 10 years ago on Reddit. In the subreddit r/LifeProTips, user u/ziptime shared the same trick.
“Humans tend to like symmetry, so we place items to be heated in the centre of the microwave plate. This is actually the worst place to put your food, and will explain the cold points mixed with the molten lava points. Due to standing waves which cancel the microwaving effect at certain points,” they wrote.
However, under that post, several users stated that it depends on the type of microwave one uses. While it’s true that each microwave has its own limitations, putting a plate at the edge is still generally recommended to heat the food most evenly.
BroBible reached out to TA Appliances via email.
Content shared from brobible.com.