Pretty much everyone knows the cardinal rule for using a microwave: NO METAL (closely followed by NO FISH, but that’s less a safety than a stench issue?let’s move on). We shouldn’t need to say it, but if you put foil in a microwave it will most likely catch fire and burn, which could ruin the integrity of your unit and put your family at risk. It bears repeating: Microwave + metal = big no no.

.related-article-block{display:inline-block;width:300px;padding:0.5rem;margin-left:0.5rem;float:right;border:1px solid #ccc}@media (max-width: 525px){.related-article-block{float:none;display:block;width:280px;margin:0 auto 2rem}}

12 crazy YouTube challenges kids are doingThat being said, the internet has gotten it into its head that putting a ball of aluminum foil in the microwave will automatically polish it into a shiny sphere with a mirrored surface. Generation TidePod has seen this online and is now trying it out for themselves?obvi. Now to be clear, the whole turning-a-ball-of-foil-into-a-polished-sphere thing is a real craft, and it gained popularity on the internet thanks to a recent viral video showcasing it. However, there are no microwaves involved in the process. Getting a ball of tin foil to shine takes hours upon hours of hammering it down to a compact sphere and sanding then polishing it by hand until it shines.
The microwave “tip” spawns from a tweet that was meant to troll people into doing something dangerous?some people on the inte...