Woman left blind in one eye after using microwave to boil eggs

Picture: Karl Allen Lugmayer/Pixabay

Picture: Karl Allen Lugmayer/Pixabay

Published Aug 16, 2019

Share

London - A woman was left fearing for her sight after her face was badly burnt when two eggs she boiled in a microwave exploded.

Instead of just putting the eggs in a pan, Bethany Rosser had turned to Google for cooking instructions – and was advised it was safe to microwave the eggs in water as long as she added salt.

The 22-year-old insurer let the shelled eggs cool after cooking them in a jug for six minutes at 600W, as per guidelines on popular recipe website Delish.

But as she looked into the jug to check on them, the eggs exploded, burning the right side of her face. She dialled 999 and was rushed to the burns unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where wet bandages were applied.

Doctors cannot yet say whether permanent damage has been done to her right eye because it has sealed shut by the swelling. Miss Rosser, from Redditch, Worcestershire, said she feels "okay but nervous" as she is not sure if she will be able to see out of the eye.

She added: "I was making breakfast before work, and I Googled to see if you could make boiled eggs in the microwave. There are endless websites and YouTube videos which say you can.

"The one I read, though, was the set of instructions on Delish... It said that you could microwave the eggs as long as you add salt. Once I’d taken them out and shut the microwave door, they just burst all of a sudden. I was on my own, so I called 999, who sent an ambulance while I was running cold water and splashing it on my face... I could see my skin peeling off. It felt horrible."

Hospital staff advised Miss Rosser that the burns won’t scar but she can expect long-term skin discolouration. "And to think the damage is to my face and my eye. The main focus of anybody is their face, and now I risk scars and potentially damaged vision – over eggs," she said.

Miss Rosser added that the instructions she followed on Delish said eggs can be boiled in the microwave by placing them in a suitable bowl and covering them in water for six to eight minutes. The site advises that salt be added to "ensure that the egg won’t explode". It goes on: "We’re talking volcanic hot egg pieces and sharp bits of shell flying everywhere."

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents advises never cooking an egg in its shell in the microwave. SpokesmanAshley Martin said: "Be careful where you get your cookery advice."

Delish did not respond to a request for comment.

Daily Mail

Related Topics: