Carrot's catching fire

[kingfisherfd2]

While on the phone this evening, my parents told me a story about my sister in law.
I guess that Mimi, my s-i-l, was trying to get ahead with making food for my niece, so she had chopped up some carrots and stuck them in the freezer so that she could just grab some out, pop them in the microwave and warm them up so that she could puree them.
Well when she put them in the microwave to warm them back up the started sparking them burst into flames.
My parents didn't believe it would happen, so Mimi grabbed some more carrots, and put them into the microwave. Dad said it only took 15 or 20 seconds for them to start flaming up.

Anyone have a clue to why Carrots burst into flames in a microwave?

 

[Crash]

That is strange.

The only thing I can think of would be the metal twisty tie had she used one on the plastic bag containig the carrots.

 

[kingfisherfd2]

No.
I guess that she took a handful and put them in a bowl. Then nuked them. Then the carrots themselves catch fire.

 

[Miss Bridget]

Probably the martinis they were drinking.

 

[AndreainDC]

I had never heard of this. But then, I've also never tried to cook carrots in a microwave. Apparently this is not uncommon.

Here's a link that may explain at least some of the phenomenon. (I'm not a scientist, so I won't begin to try to paraphrase!)

http://lists.foodsafetyweb.info/SCRIPTS/WA-FOODSWS.EXE?A2=ind0310&L=foodsafe&P=16359

 

[jpmcgrew]

You are too funny Miss Bridget