Pop quiz

A friend sent me a recipe for beef brisket. The directions say to marinate the meat, then ". . . [pop] it in the oven under a large foil tent."

I've seen that term a lot in relation to ovens and baking, and it's always given me pause: Why "pop?" The word seems so, well, perky; I envision a 1950s housewife, dressed in shirtwaist, heels and pearls, a cake in her oven-mitted hands, smiling her never-changing, ever-beaming smile.

But, so far as I can tell, she's not popping, and neither is the oven nor the item being inserted in same. So, from whence "pop?" Why not "shove" (for those in a resentful or truculent mood), "wedge" (a Thanksgiving turkey, perhaps), "toss" (the hurried or harried approach), or, for the "nothin' says lovin' like somethin' from the oven" crowd, "nestle."

If anybody has an idea of why we "pop" stuff into the oven, let me know. And while I'm waiting to hear from you, I'll just go ahead and plop something into the microwave.