Loading ...Heating water in the microwave can actually be dangerous. A man decided to have a cup of instant coffee, so he heated a cup of water in the microwave. When the timer went off, he removed the cup from the microwave and noticed that the water had not boiled. Just then, the water literally “blew up” in his face. His whole face was blistered with first and second degree burns, which left some permanent scaring and damage to his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor attending him stated that his is a fairly common occurrence. Water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. Why?
This phenomenon is known as superheating. It can occur anytime water is heated - especially if the cup or bowl is new. What happens is that the water heats faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very new, then it is unlikely to have small surface scratches in it that provide a place for the bubbles to form (called nucleation sites). Without bubbles, the water cannot release the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil and it continues to heat up past its boiling point. If the water is bumped or jarred, it’s enough of a shock to cause the bubbles to rapidly form and the result is an exploding liquid that is scalding hot. One solution is to place a wooden stir stick or something non-metallic in the water to help diffuse the energy as it’s heating in the microwave.
While sharing this story with audiences, I’ve learned that many people have had similar experiences but never understood why the water just blew up. It’s an important piece of science to share with others in hopes of preventing a potential disaster.
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October 26th, 2005 at 4:24 pm
Hmmmm… Ive heard of this before but i didnt belive that it could actully happen. So what that says that if a new cup is used to heat water its lickely that the water will explode. This is very interesting I think ill look upon this
October 28th, 2005 at 1:40 pm
This just happened to me today at work! Heated up a mug for tea, noticed it wasn’t boiling and boom- right up the left side of my neck and face. About 2 tbsp of water left in the mug. True! Stopping for aloe vera on the way home.
May 6th, 2006 at 5:57 am
dont know if its true..but will find out …is microwave a health risk? i always use it to make tea..but lookin at u.s.a where baby boomers and society has grown up on microwave food, i dont see them affected now in life..those who used it in the 1980’s in usa japan etc..so doubt tht my mom is correct in saying microwave heating is bad for you, with the radiation etc..
May 8th, 2006 at 5:52 pm
Not sure about microwave ovens posing any health risks. I’m sure there’s plenty of stuff on the internet on both sides. Sorry I don’t know more about it.
May 30th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
This is absolutely true! I have seen it happen. I have also had it happen to me. The first time it happened, it wasn’t water… it was soup. Bell went off, microwave stopped running. Opened the door, grabbed a napkin and some crackers, spoon. Then reached in to grab the soup, touched the little handle of the edge of the cup and blam, with 10 or 11 other employees watching, the soup shot straight up, covered the entire inside of the microwave, flooded out the front. Second time was just water in prep for ramen noodles. Same thing, touched it and sploosh, boiling water everywhere… burned me and actually shot out of the oven onto my shirt, pants and shoes.
Believe it or you’ll likely pay a price for ignorance.
September 9th, 2006 at 8:34 am
I’ve had this happen. Scared me to death! I’d never heard of it before. I wanted to boil a cup of water, and I set the timer for 2 minutes. At the end, it hadn’t boiled at all, so I added more time. It still didn’t boil. I was looking through the window on the door to see if it was boiling, and all of a sudden… BOOM! It was enough force to fling the microwave door open. The cup jumped up and hit the top of the microwave, the sat back down straight up. It never turned over, but it was empty. All of the water shot out violently inside the microwave, and much of it sprayed out through the open door. I’d never seen anything like this before! That’s why I came to the internet to search to find out why this happened. Apparently, it’s fairly common! BE CAREFUL!!!
December 4th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
Interesting phenomenon…it works with eggs too as I found out! Wanna try, take a styrofoam cup, crack an uncooked egg into it, discard the shell, microwave on high for 1 minute…in approx 45 seconds, your microwave will be goo-ed with half cooked egg matter…enjoy!
January 12th, 2007 at 11:08 am
This just happened to me. I put 8oz of water into a pyrex glass microwaveable jug and I heated it for about 3 minutes. When I opened the microwave to remove the water I noticed it was not boiling. I didn’t think much of it, so I reached in and picked up the jug by the handle. The water exploded out of the jug and scalded my arm. I never knew this could happen. I have now learned from reading in the internet to put a wooden spoon in the water to prevent this from happening.
January 12th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Diana — I going to have Dr. Gordon Linberg who is a burn specialist on as a guest on 9NEWS on Monday to discuss this very issue. I’ll be sure to post the streaming video on the blog.
January 12th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
This is a real problem. The American Burn Association (ABA) has identified scald burns from superheated liquids in microwaves as a target for a new public awareness campaign. These burns are dramatic and traumatic because they often affect the face and hands of the burn victim. Fortunately, these burns rarely need grafting; however, they are extremely painful and in children these burns often lead to hospitalization for wound care and pain control. The best way to avoid these burns is to place a wooden coffee stirrer in the liquid when heating it and also to let all heated liquids cool for a few minutes inside the microwave before removing them.
If you receive one of these burns, and especially if it covers the face or hands, seek a burn care specialist for care. Initial treatment for the burn can be performed in an ED or at a doctor’s office, but a burn specialist should see the burn within 24-48 hours after the injury, especially if the face is involved. If the eyes are involved, an ophthalmologist should be consulted immediately. Both burn units in the state of Colorado are open 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week/ 365 days a year. There is one in Greeley, CO and one at the University of Colorado in Denver.
January 19th, 2007 at 10:00 am
This is not an “urban myth”. It’s real and it’s painful. My son-in-law had to go every day to get his wound cleaned and rebandaged, then every other day.
We took a picture of the burns on his hand right after it happened. I posted it on my blog, feel free to check it out. Not pretty!
February 18th, 2007 at 3:31 am
This phenomenon is not merely confined to the microwave but it could also happen on the stovetop or whenever you are heating a very pure liquid up.
Tips: Avoid heating up either distilled or de-ionized water. These types of water have less ionic content than normal tap water. If your dish can stand it, put some salt in before boiling, this will increase the ionic content of the water and make it less likely to superheat.
April 21st, 2007 at 4:01 pm
I’ve never heard of this before, but why can’t people just not super-heat their water? Why does tea or coffee or soup have to be SO hot?
June 30th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
YOUR ARTICLE IS VERY INTERESTING
October 16th, 2007 at 8:36 am
my daughter was making a poached egg in the microwave today when she took it out it blow p on her face she has blisters and her two eyes are burned we are just going up to the hostpital. she is in so much pain.
January 21st, 2008 at 11:13 am
True! Happened to us this morning. Scary!