Can a Micro-Cooker Catch Fire in the Microwave?

[KimmyDarling]

A friend of mine sent me the following email. I have never heard of such a thing-- have y'all?

"Kim,

I have been happily cooking with the Microcooker for two years now. I just had to use the fire extinguisher- the darn thing melted /set on fire in my microwave. I had been cooking a rice dish for 8 minutes. Have you ever heard this happening before?"

 

[baychef]

I have burnt chocolate chips in it and it melted the plastic quite bad. The stench was :yuck: :yuck: :yuck: !! I can see if it was let go longer, it would have caught on fire.

 

[mombird4]

Cashew BrittleI have been making this Cashew Brittle and Peanut Brittle (6 batches) and it left marks on the side but thats all. I'll have to make sure to watch it. I don't go far since it don't take to long to make though.
Deanna:chef:

 

[KellyTheChef]

A friend of mine sent me the following email. I have never heard of such a thing-- have y'all?

"Kim,

I have been happily cooking with the Microcooker for two years now. I just had to use the fire extinguisher- the darn thing melted /set on fire in my microwave. I had been cooking a rice dish for 8 minutes. Have you ever heard this happening before?"

No, I have never heard of that happening!

I can't imagine cooking rice for 8 minutes would have made it catch fire. It may have been a fluke, or maybe all of the water cooked out of it, the rice scorched, and then caught fire?

**This is exactly why our Rice Cooker is made so differently from the micro cookers. Because of the way the lid is vented, it allows SOME steam to escape (so it doesn't just blow up...) but not ALL of the steam. This way, the water evaporates slowly enough that the rice cooks evenly without burning.

I have been making this Cashew Brittle and Peanut Brittle (6 batches) and it left marks on the side but thats all. I'll have to make sure to watch it. I don't go far since it don't take to long to make though.
Deanna:chef:

OH!! I would NOT make peanut brittle in that! As the water cooks out of the sugary syrup, the temperature will SKYROCKET! You are super lucky that it hasn't melted all over your microwave! Yeah. I would NOT use it for things that get super hot! God has been watching over you!

 

[JAE]

Rice is meant to have lots of moisture. It steams itself. The micro-cooker has holes in the top so the moisture all goes out. That is why the rice burnt and the cooker caught on fire. I really think HO needs to put a warning on the directions that the micro cooker is not meant to cook rice. A friend of mine called me with the same problem. I looked it up on here, and there is a thread somewhere with this same discussion. Everyone who has encountered this problem should contact HO and let them know this. I would not have known that you shouldn't cook rice in the micro cooker, either, until I read the thread after my friend's house filled up with smoke.

 

[KellyTheChef]

Anyone know to what temperature the micro cookers are heat safe? I looked online (PIG and Use and Care) but can't find it! Anyone have the ACTUAL use and care card to look?

 

[cathyskitchen]

Anyone know to what temperature the micro cookers are heat safe? I looked online (PIG and Use and Care) but can't find it! Anyone have the ACTUAL use and care card to look?

I thought I remembered seeing something that said that the micro cookers should only be used at 50% power, and that using them at 100% power can cause the bubbling and "ugliness" on the inside and burning/smoke/fire occurring.

 

[Gina M]

Rice is meant to have lots of moisture. It steams itself. The micro-cooker has holes in the top so the moisture all goes out. That is why the rice burnt and the cooker caught on fire. I really think HO needs to put a warning on the directions that the micro cooker is not meant to cook rice. A friend of mine called me with the same problem. I looked it up on here, and there is a thread somewhere with this same discussion. Everyone who has encountered this problem should contact HO and let them know this. I would not have known that you shouldn't cook rice in the micro cooker, either, until I read the thread after my friend's house filled up with smoke.

I actually burnt the bottom of my rice cooker when I accidentally didn't put the right amount of water in - it kept cooking - made my rice into a rice cake and melted the bottom of the cooker. I would never use the micro cooker for rice because it is a much thinner product as well (compared to the rice cooker)

 

[mombird4]

Product CardFound the one for the Sm. Micro cooker, when cooking foods high in fat or sugar, check the contents frequently to prevent overheating. These types of food can discolor the surface of the cooker if over heated I'll write HO about it. The peanut brittle is fantastic:love: ex. with cashew's. I don't want to have anyone get hurt or ruin their micro doing this:blushing:
Deanna

 

[KimmyDarling]

Thanks to all of you for your responses. I will let you know what the Solution Center tells her...

 

[mombird4]

HoI'm going to try and insert the post I got from HO yesterday. I've been making peanut and cashew brittle for the folks at my shop, (made about 60.00 so far). Last batch I did I noticed a spot in the bottom that looks like It's ready to melt through, so I just ordered another one. 10.00 is not a bad price for all the work I got out of it.
Deanna

Dear Deanna,
Thank you for contacting The Pampered Chef! I can understand why one
might think that this is a little unsafe. Our use and care states that
when cooking foods that are high in fat or sugar (like a brittle) to
check the micro cooker frequently to be sure that it is not overheating.
This can discolor the micro cooker. It's not that you can't prepare this
recipe; just be sure to frequently check the brittle mix that it doesn't
overheat and mar the micro cooker. Please feel free to contact us should
you have any more questions.

Warm Regards

 

[Lorna May]

I had a customer once call and say that the micro cooker blew up in her microwave and destroyed her microwave. I turned her on to HO and never heard from her again so don't know the result. I honestly believed she had the microwave on too high for too long. hmmm
I use mine all the time, first 4 or 5 min on high depending on the quantity of rice I am making and the remainder of the time is on 3/4 power because I have an older microwave and it isn't that powerful.
lorna