The One Kitchen Item You Should Absolutely Never Put In The Microwave

You don't need us to tell you how useful the microwave is. Whether you're popping up some popcorn for a movie night or you're reheating some leftovers (especially Thanksgiving leftovers), the microwave does all of this and more with just the touch of a button. But for as convenient a microwave is, you still need to be very careful with using it, just like any other kitchen appliance, or else find yourself dealing with more than just a busted microwave.

A house fire in St. Louis, Missouri that took the life of a 2-year-old boy and the family dog was caused when the boy, playing around like any toddler would do, somehow managed to put his father's keys and wallet in the microwave, causing it to spark and catch fire (via KSDK NBC News). Yahoo! News tells us, a man in Mexico was preparing a bag of microwave popcorn when the machine suddenly exploded, fatally burning the man. In one incredibly strange event in the United Kingdom, a dog managed to turn on a microwave and ignite some bread rolls inside of it, causing a fire that, fortunately, claimed no lives either man or dog (via ABC News). The point is, a microwave may be convenient, but has the potential to cause serious harm if not treated or maintained properly.

On that note, there's one kitchen appliance that, despite its usefulness in preparing foods, is best left to the stovetop rather than inside any microwave.

Chances are you have a big Dutch oven, those heavy-lidded pots, somewhere in your kitchen. While a Dutch oven excels in everything from frying up some chicken to making a big pot of chicken soup, you would probably argue that it's pretty good at reheating some leftovers, right? While that may be true, you probably shouldn't try to stick that pot inside a microwave for any reason, considering what the Dutch oven is made of. As Southern Living explains, underneath that colorful enamel coating, the Dutch oven is made entirely of cast iron, meaning that unlike your average plastic platter, the food inside wouldn't be able to cook — the microwaves that cook the food can't penetrate the heavy iron layer.

Of course, another reason you'll want to avoid putting the Dutch oven in the microwave is because of the urban legend that metal can cause a microwave to explode. To put this theory to the test, HuffPost experiments with putting metal utensils in the microwave. The results concluded that while some metals can go in the microwave without any trouble, metals that are thin and have sharp edges such as knives, forks, and takeout handles will cause sparking and result in serious damage. In the end, it was advised that readers stick to the side of caution and not risk putting metal in a microwave at all.

Maybe it's best to leave the Dutch oven to the oven.