I never knew heating water in a microwave can cause an explosion!

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Jim Hinsch

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Jan 1, 2002
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I recently experienced my first microwave explosion. I had never heard of such a thing as "<b>exploding water</b>". I filled a glass coffee cup half way and I was letting the water boil so that the steam would make it easier to clean the inside of the microwave. I didn't want it to boil out of the cup so I was turning the microwave off when it got to violently boiling.

Then I turned it on again. I was waiting for the water to start boiling again, expecting this in a second or so when the water exploded. <b>It sounded like a gunshot.</b> All the water was gone and the cup was destroyed.

What the hell? I looked it up on the internet and found out why. I'm surprised I never heard about this before. Apparently not uncommon at all. I've got some <b>Dominican friends that just got their first ever microwave</b> ovens. I'm going to have to warn them about this because they do use it to heat water.

I'm not going to bother explaining why it happens since around my house, everybody has heard of this since they were born. The curious can read www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/erupted.html
 
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MommC

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Mar 2, 2002
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Believe it or not I just got a notice warning of this happening by email about a week ago. It's so ancient (even older than I) that I thought everyone knew about this.
(wait till you boil an egg dry on the stove top - Now that REALLY makes a mess!! and can also injure you if you're nearby).
 
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Criss Colon

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They had a spot on 20/20 or some network show a while back.They interviewed several victims,who had been badly burned on their hands,arms,and face.The timer went off,everything looked ok,but when they moved the container the water "Exploded!I knew it could happen with CATS,but I didn't know that water can "Explode"too!I got it,NEVER dry your cat,or super heat water in your microwave!Thanks for the "Heads-Up"CRISCO
 
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Pib

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Jan 1, 2002
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thinking.gif
I'd be danged! So much for drying the underwear in the microwave.

Unto a more serious note, thanks for the warning Jim, we've had MWs at home for a bunch of years now in the old days they had dials and were big and I never had any problem (except for the exploding-egg incident of 1990). I am always boiling water in the MW to make tea and whatnot. I'll pass this on.
 
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PJT

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Jan 8, 2002
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Tea.

Pib, you can boil the water to make the tea. Hint, put the teabag or a tea leaf in the water before boiling. Result is no explosion. Regards, PJT
 
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Jim Hinsch

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Myself, if it can't be microwaved, I don't make it. I don't like to clean pots and pans or wait for the oven to heat up or wait at all for that matter.

My favorite is the 3 minute bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee breakfast. Start coffee maker, put toast in toaster, scramble the eggs in a bowl with a fork, nuke 30 seconds, scramble with fork for 3 seconds, nuke 15 secs, scramble, nuke, repeat until 1:45min, then 1 minute for the bacon.

No pots, pans, nothing really except the plate I used to cover the stuff in the MW, the bacon plate, egg bowl, cup and a fork. I just rinse the coffee pot and I'm good to go.

Of course I only make myself breakfast once a year. That's how I got my microwave dirty.

I know they have MW's in the DR because they sell them but I've yet to see a Dominican use one, even when they have them. Seems it draws a lot of current, and like the unplugging of the fridge when the lights dim, they don't like to draw power like that. They aren't big on toasters and toast either. A little mangu in the morning will do ya.
 
Robert

Robert

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Jan 2, 1999
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Re: Tea.

PJT said:
Pib, you can boil the water to make the tea. Hint, put the teabag or a tea leaf in the water before boiling. Result is no explosion. Regards, PJT
Click to expand...

Don't put the tea bag in the water before nuking!
Most have small metal staples that hold on the string.
It may not explode, but you get one hell of a lightning display :)

Being English, I prefer a kettle, all that scale in the bottom ads to the flavor :)
 
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PJT

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Teabags,

Robert, you got me there, should have put in a disclaimer about staples. Heaven forbid one should use one of those teabags with the string and staple. I use stringless and stapleless bags only, don't want to ruin the flavor. Regards, PJT
 
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AnnaC

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Jan 2, 2002
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I'll have to be careful. I only make one cup of tea at a time and it's always in the MW. I had an egg explode in the MW once. Yes I did take it out of the shell. I make my poached egg that way in water and if I put salt and pepper on it, it won't explode.
 
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Tony C

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Jan 1, 2002
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I allway find it funny how people attach so much danger to things they do not understand. Most people do not know how a microwave works so they fear them.

Jim
Who do you hang out with? I know lots of Dominicans who have and use microwaves. They don't use them as much as Americans because lots of foods taste like crap when they are nuked so they prefer to let their maids prepare the food the traditional way. The microwave is used to heat up leftovers. Eggs in the Microwave? Yuck!
As for toast...Dominicans eat toast for breakfast all the time. They don't use toasters because, like me, I see no need for one. Just pop it in the oven and voila! You have toast!
BTW! Every Dominincan I knowhas a Toaster oven for Sandwhiches and such.


Tony C.
 
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mondongo

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Jan 1, 2002
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You can use the microwave to heat the water for your tea. You cant use the microeave to boil water. Even if you got lucky enough to get the water to turn to steam, think of the following: as the water turns to steam, the pressure inside the microwave increases. This is due to the fact that H2O in the gaseous form takes up a lot more volume than in the liquid form. If the microwave is tightly sealed, then the buildup in pressure can cause an explosion when you open the door.

mondongo
shooting from the hip
 
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sjh

aka - shadley
Jan 1, 2002
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the problem is that the water becomes super-heated, the temperature of the water actually exceeds 100 C without turning to steam.. the more pure the water, the more likely this is to happen... Putting the tea bag in first will prevent this by introducing impurities to the water.

When the cup is finally disturbed, this extremely unstable state collapses and the transition to steam happens almost instantly causeing an explosion...

I doubt any microwave door seal can hold enough pressure to cause an explosion.
 
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trina

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Jan 3, 2002
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I learned about the exploding egg in the microwave the hard way... it happened to me at work. It caused such an explosion that everyone at work found out about it. My boss then took it upon himself to leave me reminders all over the office. Soon, this note, "Trina, don't put eggs in here" was attached to all photocopiers, fax machines, computers, and printers. I still haven't quite lived that one down.
 
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Jim Hinsch

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Jan 1, 2002
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mondongo said:
You cant use the microeave to boil water.
Click to expand...

What? Of course you can.
A microwave is not anywhere near sealed. You would not be able to heat anything in it if it was. Most even have an exhaust fan.

A cup of water will boil in less than 2 minutes, faster if it start out hot from the tap.
 
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mondongo

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Shad & Jim....you are both right....I didn't mean to imply that you cant use the microwave to boil water...I meant to say you shouldn't beacuse that means you will leave it in there much longer and run the risk of superheating the water...I always use it to heat up many liquids, but I never leave the liquids in there long enough to reach boiling temperatures...as far as the microwave seal, I would also agree that its probably not tight enough to build up enough pressure to cause an explosion..but if it WERE sealed then there could be problems..

mondongo
proving once again that I dont know what i'm talking about
 
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