El error que nunca debes cometer con los Pop-Tarts en el microondas

You want sparks to fly between you and your crush, not in your microwave. Unfortunately, there's been a rash of microwave Pop-Tart incidents of late, making this public service announcement vital. Do not heat a Pop-Tart in the microwave with its wrapper. The wrapper is not microwave-safe. It will melt and warp under the heat, as it's made of aluminized Mylar, a type of plastic lined with metal to keep water and air out. It's no secret aluminum foil isn't microwave-safe. But certain types of plastic are also things you should think twice before putting in the microwave.

Really, Pop-Tarts were made for the toaster, where the pastry becomes warm and crispy and the sweet filling gets a slightly oozy texture. And that's what they show in the commercials. But warm pastry lovers who don't enjoy the roasty flavor of a toasted Pop-Tart may prefer the microwave. And that's where things get dicey, as the first instruction for the microwave is simply "Put on microwave safe plate." It turns out, the problem may be the result of bad user experience design.

How to heat Pop-Tarts

As of this writing, according to the Pop-Tarts website (and the box you get your Pop-Tarts in), the first step for heating the pastry, whether in the microwave, toaster, or air fryer, is to remove the foil wrapper. But that's all the way up above the individual device instructions, so anyone who simply scans for the heating device they're using and lands on "microwave" may miss the directive to remove the wrapper. And it's not like it's all that unusual. Plenty of other foods have microwaveable wrapping, such as popcorn and Hot Pockets (which also has a metallic-looking insert you use for microwave heating).

From there, you want to heat the pastry in short increments — only three seconds at a time. That keeps the Pop-Tart from getting overheated. Then, they recommend letting it cool, which you definitely should if you ignored the three-second-burst instruction.

You can take that resting time to explore other ways to enhance the flavor. For example, if you have extra time in the morning, you can lightly toast it in a buttered pan on the stove. Or just spread it with butter while it is still warm out of the microwave. Better yet, the best Pop-Tart flavors taste heavenly with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a special weekend breakfast with a lot less effort or pie-inspired dessert. Or just eat it straight out of the wrapper. Heating it can enhance its overall taste and texture. But the convenience of Pop-Tarts is that the pastry comes fully baked and ready for consumption.