Why does my food go boom in the microwave?

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SUMMARY

The phenomenon of food "popping" in the microwave is primarily caused by the rapid vaporization of water contained within the food. When food is heated, the water molecules turn into steam, creating pressure in a closed space. If the pressure exceeds the structural integrity of the food, it results in explosive ruptures, as observed with the rib-bone example. This behavior is consistent across various food items, not just popcorn.

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Popcorn aside, whenever I put something in the microwave for only a few seconds longer than I probably should have, it pops. I just watched a rib-bone go flying out of its slab, meat spewing everywhere. Is heat responsible for this action?
 
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Any thing you cook in a microwave contains water. In fact, that is how a microwave works, heating the water in the food which then cooks the food. The pops you hear are the water vaporizing inside a closed space and "rupturing" it.
 

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