You grumble as you grudgingly wipe the splattered spaghetti sauce or baked potato shrapnel from the inside of your microwave. What is it about these wonders of modern engineering that makes some foods more prone to exploding than other forms of cooking? Microwave ovens use microwave radiation (a harmless form of electromagnetic radiation) to heat food. While a traditional oven transfers heat from the outside of the food to the inside, microwaves are able to penetrate more deeply, warming everything at about the same time. Although heat is able to escape from the outside of the microwaved food, it usually gets trapped internally, cooking the food faster on the inside. If the food has a high water content, like an egg or potato, the water expands and turns to steam. Without a way for the steam to escape, the internal pressure rapidly builds until the food explodes. This is why you have to poke holes in potatoes and the plastic covers of frozen foods before cooking them—to give the steam an escape route. For thick sauces and oatmeal, frequent stirring is the best way to dissipate the steam and prevent messy splatters.