Don't try this at home

Last night, my son Pete and I got some Chinese takeout. Tonight, after snow-blowing the driveway, I found a half-full paper carton of white rice in the fridge, so I decided to give it about 90 seconds in the microwave. After about 45 seconds, I could smell something burning and lo and behold, I had forgot about the metal handle on the carton. It got so hot that it ignited the paper, burning holes on each side of the carton. It went out as soon as I pulled it out, so no harm was done, but it was a bit of a wake-up call.

Metal wire when it's formed in a loop will do that, e.g., a twist-tie that's twisted. Otherwise, it probably wouldn't do anything. Each end was likely bent into something resembling a small circle.

Actually, you don't need a loop. The metal alone will cause an issue.

This is why I always make fried rice out of my leftovers!

Are you saying metal in general or wire in general?

Metal in general, if there's a sufficient quantity. How much before there's a problem does depend on the shape- pointy stuff is particularly bad.

FWIW, when I make microwave popcorn in a brown paper lunch bag, I staple it shut. Despite the loops and the pointy ends, no problems because the staples are pretty small.

I'd agree with pointy stuff, particularly loops, which make arcs. But some metal can be used safely in microwaves (depending on relative quantity compared to the food, indeed), e.g., foil or even a tv dinner tray, which my owner's manual said is okay--then the microwaves cook only in one direction and the rest are reflected.

I wonder how many people still think microwaves cook from the inside out? Partially cook a potato and see how they really cook by testing with a skewer.

BTW, a splash of oyster sauce in fried rice is a good thing.