It was Thursday and I was cutting up an organic onion to put in my salad. I had the distinct impression to put the pieces in the microwave. In my mind, I protested thinking, you know I don't use microwave for food! Silence. So, I spread the chopped onion out on a flat plate and put them in the microwave for 1 minute. To my shock and surprise about 25 flames sparked up from the onion pieces. Arcing like crazy!! That meant that there was metal on the onions. I quickly discarded the onion down the disposal. I suspected my utensils thinking they were aluminum instead of stainless steel. I gathered them all up and threw them out. Then I found a couple of knifes that I knew were old, not made in China, saying stainless steel stamped on them.
I cut up another onion and spread it out on the plate and put it in the microwave like before and put only 20 seconds on the microwave. 20 flames of fire arcing up over the onions and sparking!! I called my husband to witness and he was amazed. I told him what I had done.
Threw that one down the disposal too.
Now I'm suspecting the ONION has metal in it. Chopped up another. The outside did not spark and fire. Chopped up the inside of the onion and yes it sparked and fired up. down the disposal with another.
Then I thought to get a video of this. So I prepared another onion and guess what? No sparks!! That figures. I threw the only one left out.
Bought a new bag and checked label to be sure it was not from that location.
Today put chopped up onion in microwave and only one small area sparked flames. I discarded that part and ate the rest. Something is going on!! I don't know what.
This it does tell me, that onions are a great absorber of metals! But how are they growing them, where are they growing them? I have only green onions in my deck garden and they did not spark.
I'm thinking of trying conventional onions and see what I get next.
So we see, based on scientific facts, that arcing/sparking in a microwave does not depend on there being any metal in the object being microwaved. Sparks can occur in any situation in which there is a large enough difference of electrical potential between 2 points, so especially if there are pointy ends or squares with pointy corners, it is quite common for the object to spark, even if there is no metal in it.
I liked this answer the best:
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Microwave ovens create an electromagnetic field, which heats water molecules inside food. Objects at different locations within the field exist at different electric potentials. Although air is normally an electric insulator, when the electric field potential between two objects exceeds the insulation capacity of air (3,000 volts/millimeter), a spark jumps between the objects.
Your onion bits spark when adjacent bits have such very, very small gaps of air between them, that electric charges can jump from bit to bit. The sparking isn't dangerous, but you can probably reduce it by spreading the onion bits out more.
The onion bits being frozen may also contribute to the sparking. Although liquid water absorbs microwaves well, frozen water doesn't absorb microwaves well at all. (which is why microwaving frozen things tends to burn them on the surface, which thaws from the outside, while leaving the interior frozen). If your onions bits were entirely frozen, then I think (but am not certain) that larger charges would build up on their surfaces, which would increase the likelihood of sparking. If you're curious, try thawing the onion bits first, then see if you get as much sparking.
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If you really suspect high levels of metal in your onions (which is very doubtful), take off one layer and lay it flat down on a paper plate or something. Make sure there are no sharp edges on it. Then turn the microwave on and see what happens.
Best of all is to not put onions in a microwave - haha.
Actually, I like microwaves, but haven't had one in 15 years now.....
If that were all truth from internet then why are my conventional ones not arcing?
my own garden onions do not arc and none of my herbs either. And years ago when we first got our microwaves never saw this and we miked Nearly everything
only had one arcing fire and it was from the ends of a twisty tie around a bag that we didnt see
yesterday tested organic fruit (strawberries blueberries mango)and it fired up like the onions Previously.
grapes did nothing
the peas I had were okay
testing everything I can now to be sure
yeah Im convinced that the sewage sludge from treatment plants are carrying the metals to the soil where they are placing it on fields growing the organic crops
EGW said to have our own gardens , thats the best advice
