Ikea $5 Serving Bowl Is a Fire Risk Putting objects that are flammable in a shiny metal bowl out in the sun results in an inevitable bowl of fire.
By Matthew Humphries •
This story originally appeared on PCMag
Ikea offers a wide range of very affordable objects with which to fill your home. For the most part they are very safe, well thought out products, but the $5 Blanda blank bowl isn't one of them. It's actually turning out to be a fire risk.
The Blanda blank is offered as an 8-inch serving bowl for $4.99, although there's also a smaller 5-inch and larger 11-inch and 14-inch versions for $3.99, $6.99 and $14.99 respectively. In all cases this serving bowl is stainless steel and perfect for filling with salad or fruit.
Owners of the bowl are discovering it's a bit risky using it outside on a sunny day, though. That's because the reflective stainless steel finish combined with the energy of the sun is turning it into a fire pit. Just like when you focus the sun through a magnifying glass, anything placed inside the Blanda blank serving bowl can get roasting hot and set on fire.
According to Atlas Obscura, Ikea is currently carrying out its own testing on the bowl. It seems unlikely a fix is possible for the existing design. Ikea may end up changing the stainless steel finish so as to be less reflective.
If you own a Blanda blank serving bowl, consider this a warning. It doesn't react well to direct sunlight, but can easily be fixed by adding a little shade or by filling it with food that blocks the reflective nature of the interior.
