Causing Chaos with a Microwave

Does your microwave invite chaos? Redditor Meowface_the_cat shared a picture of a mysterious button on their microwave that one might be frightened to try. The icon above the name is no help. Would pushing the "Chaos" button cause the fabric of time and space to unravel?

Well, no. This mode means the microwave will direct random pulses of microwaves, which has been found to aide in thawing frozen food. It's an idea based on chaos theory. Most appliance companies have found that it's better to label that button "thaw" or "defrost."



And that's how we got dino nuggets. But look closer. Another button says "Panacrunch." That's a term Pansonic uses for a mode in which the microwaves heat the pan under the food, therefore making it crispier. The instructions appear to be for a combination microwave/oven. (Now I am showing my age, because I still sometimes refer to a microwave as a "microwave oven.") You can also buy special crisper pans (also called browning dishes) to do the same, which use metal susceptors to convert microwaves to heat. This is the same technology that makes Hot Pockets so hot and makes your bag of popcorn pop. So much for not using metal in a microwave.  

These buttons made me go look at the buttons on my microwave that I never use. There are a lot of them, but nothing that isn't self-explanatory. If all else fails, you can refer to your microwave's instruction manual. Just kidding- you lost that years ago, didn't you? And this, ladies and gentlemen, concludes today's trip down the internet rabbit hole.

Even if you didn't know all that, causing chaos with your microwave is still not as traumatic as when your dishwasher calls you names.