Some Spanish media echo the precautionary measures introduced FDA USA in December 2023, so that the population avoids burns during heat water in the microwave. As noted in the American institution, the liquid can overheat and suddenly explode if we remove it from the device, stir it or add tea, coffee or any other product. For this reason, there are many cases of burns. In fact, despite what these publications may seem, it is not something that has just been discovered. In fact, the FDA was not the first to warn about this.
This all happens due to a phenomenon known as overheat. Roughly speaking, when heating water in a microwave, its temperature rises above 100 ºC without letting it boil. To start boiling, the first bubbles are needed, which can be obtained by simply removing the glass from the microwave or even adding a little instant coffee. In this case, the water begins to boil, releasing a large amount of energy at once and can cause severe burns.
The good part about all this is that there are some tricks to help prevent this from happening. We won’t have to say goodbye to boiling water in the microwave. We just need to resort to those little hacks that make our lives easier and, in this case, Safer.
Why can it be dangerous to heat water in the microwave?
Let’s take a closer look at what causes the risk of heating water in a microwave. When we heat it in a pot or pan, three things happen that don’t happen when we put a glass of water in the microwave.
Warming occurs first from belowwhere the heat source is located. On the other hand, heating occurs much more slowly than placing a pan on the fire. And finally, as a rule, the walls of any saucepan, kettle or similar container will be rougher than a glass or ceramic glass or jug.
For water to boil, two things are needed. To start, which reaches 100 ºC, since this is its boiling point. And, in addition, bubbles form on other bubbles or on a particle serving basic. Something similar happens with what happens when clouds form. It is necessary that there are particles in the atmosphere on which water molecules.
Microwave heating is completely different.
Microwave oven heats food electromagnetic waves which interact with water molecules, causing them to move quickly and release heat. This is how food is reheated. Sometimes it may happen that the energy generated in the process is absorbed bowl. That’s why sometimes we heat a cup of coffee and it becomes hot, but the contents remain cold. This does not happen with pans, because the heat is distributed equally throughout the contents.
The whole process happens very quickly. Therefore, in the case of heating water in the microwave, this may be exceed 100 ºC without the liquid absorbing enough energy to form bubbles. If, for example, the water already contains instant coffee, the particles can serve as a core to promote the formation of bubbles. If the walls of the container were not smooth, bubbles could get stuck and encourage their formation. But if none of this happens, then when you take the water out of the microwave, the slightest movement will cause it to suddenly boil.
Subscribe to these tricks
There are a few tricks you can follow to avoid accidents when heating water in the microwave. First, introduce him to coffee, sugar or something else which will be added later. Thus, we have particles to generate.
On the other hand, you can add a stick or wooden spoon to the glass in such a way that additional surface area is added for bubble formation.
You can also wait a little while for the water to cool before opening the microwave. Or even open it with a long stick move the liquid outside. First of all, it is important that once we take it out, we handle it carefully, otherwise this could happen.
This way we can continue heating water in the microwave without any problems. The main thing is not to stop doing it, but to understand what can happen and act accordingly.
Source: Hiper Textual
