From microwaveable slippers to steamable insects, here are the weirdest heat-and-eat (or heat-and-wear?) items money can buy.
The microwave is a modern miracle. But for every frozen burrito and sad office Lean Cuisine, there’s a corner of the world where people are stuffing their microwaves with things that… well, probably shouldn’t exist.
Turns out, the global microwave market is a wild west of convenience, chaos, and questionably edible choices. Some of these items are technically food. Others are edible-adjacent. And a few aren’t meant to be eaten at all — but yes, you’re supposed to microwave them anyway.
Here are the top 10 most bizarre microwaveable products that are actually sold, legally, somewhere on Earth.
1. Microwaveable Slippers (Yes, for Your Feet)
Available in the UK and parts of Europe, these heatable plush slippers are filled with lavender-scented grains. Just toss them in the microwave, wait 90 seconds, and boom — toasty toes. Bonus: You get to experience the haunting scent of feet plus lavender plus microwave popcorn.
2. Microwaveable “Steak” in a Can (Japan)
Japan has blessed (or cursed?) us with a canned hamburger steak called Hanbāgu, which you pop open and microwave directly in the can. It looks like dog food but allegedly tastes like a Salisbury steak took a semester abroad.
3. Microwavable Insects (Thailand & Online)
Various companies sell packs of seasoned crickets, silkworms, and grasshoppers that can be reheated in the microwave for a crunchy snack. Flavors include barbecue, sour cream & onion, and “fire chili” if you want to microwave your fears into a spicy existential crisis.
4. Microwaveable Cheesecake on a Stick (South Korea)
Imagine an ice cream bar. But instead of ice cream, it’s cheesecake. And instead of frozen, it’s hot. This Korean snack is literally cheesecake-on-a-popsicle-stick, made to be nuked and eaten warm. Dessert or psychological experiment?
5. Microwaveable S’mores Kit with a Mini Plastic Campfire (USA)
This all-American impulse buy includes graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate — and a reusable plastic “campfire” that you microwave to toast the marshmallow. Nothing says outdoorsy like synthetic campfire energy and melted sugar goo.
6. Frozen Spaghetti Ice Cream (Germany)
Germans love turning food into optical illusions. This frozen dessert looks like spaghetti Bolognese but is actually vanilla ice cream “noodles” with strawberry sauce “tomato” and white chocolate “Parmesan.” Available in microwavable form for warm dessert pasta chaos.
7. Microwaveable Poutine in a Bag (Canada)
Not your average poutine. These are vacuum-sealed bags of fries, gravy, and cheese curds, meant to be steamed in the microwave. Canadians swear by them for late-night cravings. Outsiders may wonder why it smells like a melted hockey puck.
8. Microwavable Egg on a Stick (Philippines)
Pre-skewered, pre-boiled, and vacuum-packed eggs on a stick. Just toss in the microwave and boom — street food in seconds. Honestly, not the worst idea, unless you make the mistake of over-nuking and hatching a sulfur bomb.
9. Microwaveable Yak Butter Tea (Tibet/Nepal)
Butter tea is a staple in Himalayan culture — salty, oily, and an acquired taste. Now available in instant microwave pouches, this ancient beverage meets modern tech in the strangest cultural crossover since Butter Coffee became a thing in LA.
10. Microwavable Deep-Fried Water (Internet, Because Of Course)
Yes, it’s real. No, it’s not legal everywhere. Some chaotic neutral souls have deep-fried balls of gelatinized water, vacuum-sealed them, and sold them as microwaveable science experiments. It’s more of a dare than a snack. Proceed with zero expectations.
