Answer: Pop-Tarts

If you leave most foods in the microwave, oven, or toaster too long they’ll eventually dry out, over heat, and combust. The difference between an unpopped bag of popcorn, a popped bag of popcorn, and a flaming bag of popcorn, after all, is merely a matter of time and energy invested in the matter.

It would seem some delicious convenience foods, however, are more flammable than other delicious convenience foods. In 1992, Thomas Nangle sued Kellogg on the grounds that his Pop-Tarts got stuck in his toaster and subsequently burst into flames. Later, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi professor Patrick Michaud conducted an experiment demonstrating that Strawberry Pop-Tarts could, when toasted too long, produce flames over a foot in height.

As a result of the original lawsuit, the research, and the flurry of lawsuits that followed, Pop-Tarts now carry the warning “Due to possible risk of fire, never leave your toasting appliance or microwave unattended.” While that’s proper advice for any baking or cooking expedition you might undertake in your kitchen it’s, apparently, necessary advice if you have a love of Strawberry Pop-Tarts.