The Exploded Cauliflower

exploded-cauliflower

Once upon a time a few years ago, I was using a homeschool cookbook. (I won’t tell you which, to not insult them.) It said to put a cauliflower into the microwave for 20 minutes. I had never done that before, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try.

Needless to say, after a few minutes, I heard a loud POP!

The microwave was silent.

I opened the microwave, and the cauliflower was on fire. I’m not making this up. This really happened.

“Alan!! The cauliflower is on fire!!” I screamed, not knowing what to do.

My husband put out the flames and threw the charred cauliflower in the trash.

He looked at me with incredulity, and I said, “I was following the recipe. Look! It says microwave the cauliflower for 20 minutes…” He looked at the recipe and confirmed that I was not crazy. By that time we were both laughing.

“Kids! Get your shoes on! We’re going to buy a new microwave!” shouted my husband to the children while unplugging the microwave. He picked up the microwave, went down to the garage, and threw it into the trash can.

The End. True story.

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12 Responses to “The Exploded Cauliflower”

  1. varunner7 says:

    Snort! That’s so funny! I have microwaved broccoli many times. What you do is cut it into florets, put it in a microwave steamer, and add about a tablespoon of water. Cook for 3 minutes 30 seconds. You will have perfectly steamed broccoli 🙂 I guess I would do cauliflour the same way if I was ever going to try it.

  2. Karen Maag says:

    I love cooking stories. I can relate … my question is – Did you ever attempt cauliflower again? I do steam cauliflower & broccoli in the microwave but as your previous comment suggested – cut in florets and add a small amt of water. I guess I have 2 questions then – While purchasing a new microwave did you get to eat out then also? Might turn out to be an accidently on purpose situation from time to time then.

    • Susan Evans says:

      Umm… No, I didn’t do it on purpose, and it cost us $200 to replace it, at a time that we had a lot of debt. (It was at least 3 years ago.) And I’ve never made cauliflower again.

      Yes, I think we did go eat fast food, come to think of it…

  3. That’s crazy! I would have just followed the directions too! And I did put a metal pot in the microwave as a teenager. Luckily our microwave survived, but the pot didn’t.

  4. I would have never known that cauliflower would explode. I swear I have cooked it in the microwave before. Hmm…Sorry about the microwave. At least you got a new one out of it. I put a metal cup in the microwave at work when I was preg just totally spacy. Needless to say we had to get a new microwave and I was banned from using it until I gave birth. LOL.

  5. Gretchen says:

    Oh no!!! funny, but not, still I laughed aloud. How bad was the smell in the house? eeek..

  6. Karol says:

    If you want to cook in the microwave, you either need to use a kitchen scale or have a sensor on your microwave, because the cooking time will vary based on the weight of what you are cooking. (The sensor works perfectly on my microwave.) When I was in high school and college, my mom taught microwave cooking classes, so she learned how to cook everything in the microwave. Here is the recipe in the microwave cookbook she gave me:

    Cauliflower

    Wash and trim. Leave whole and remove woody stem with apple corer, or cut flowers from stem. Place two tablespoons of water in 1 1/2 quart glass baking dish. Add cauliflower and cover. Microwave on high for 6-7 minutes per pound. If whole and not on a turntable, rotate 1/4 turn halfway through cooking. If cut in flowers, stir halfway through cooking. Rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Season and serve.

Leave a Reply for Gretchen