Micro waved water - a MUST read
Can the water boil in Micrwave even after prolonged
heating…..?
A 26-year old
decided to have a cup of coffee. He took a cup of water
and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something
that he had done
numerous times
before). I am not sure how long he set the timer for,
but he told me he wanted to bring the water to a boil.
When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup
from the oven. As he looked into the cup, he noted that
the water was not boiling, but instantly the water in
the cup "blew up" into his face. The cup remained intact
until he threw it out of his hand but all the water had
flown out into his face due to the build up of energy.
His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd
degree burns to his face, which may leave scarring. He
also may have lost partial sight in his left eye. While
at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him
stated that this is fairly common occurrence and water
(alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If
water is heated in this manner, something should be
placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as: a
wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc. It is however a much
safer choice to boil the water in a teakettle.
General Electric's (GE) response:
Thanks for
contacting us. I will be happy to assist you. The e-mail
that you received is correct. Microwaved water and other
liquids do not
always bubble
when they reach the boiling point. They can actually get
superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated
liquid will bubble up out of the cup when it is moved or
when something like a spoon or tea bag is put into it.
To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do
not heat any liquid for more than two minutes per cup.
After heating, let the cup stand in the microwave for
thirty seconds before moving it or adding anything into
it.