WARNING!!! - DO NOT PUT SOUP, WATER, TEA, COFFEE OR ANY OTHER FORM OF LIQUID IN THE MICROWAVE. YOU MAY WIND UP WITH SEVERE BURNS IF YOU DO.


Putting liquid in the microwave can be potentially dangerous. Recently a friend of mine put a microwavable soup in the microwave and it exploded. He now has second and third degree burns on his body.

While rare, this actually does happen enough that it can it can be harmful. Before this event even occurred to my friend, I saw a report detailing the potential harm of putting liquids in the microwave. Apparently liquid can explode in the microwave due to a process known as superheating. There are varying factors that can happen in a microwave, such as a new, smooth container that doesn't allow the liquid to boil properly, or heating the liquid for too long, etc. essentially the liquid doesn't boil properly in the microwave, and then if the liquid is disturbed in anyway, it has the potential to explode. so, i would recommend not putting any liquids in the microwave because of this risk. if you really do feel the need to put liquids in the microwave, you can possibly make yourself less at risk for explosive tendencies by obeying the following advice:

- make sure to use an old container, or at least one that is slightly scratched. the more scratches there are in a container, the more likely it is that bubbles can form and the liquid can boil properly.
- do not heat liquid more than the recommended time period.
- use a microwave with a rotating dish. apparently, this can have an influence over whether the liquid boils properly.
- be careful when removing liquids from the microwave, and do not do anything that can suddenly disturb the liquid without observing whether it has boiled properly first (if you notice that the liquid appears very still, as if bubbles haven't formed or it hasn't boiled properly, be sure not to disturb the liquid in any way. this calm liquid effect could have been the result of superheating and if disturbed it could potentially explode)

so, because of the severe injuries that happened to my friend, i felt it necessary to warn others about the potential harm of putting liquids in the microwave.

if you are also interested in further information about superheating you can also view the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superheating
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/superheating.html
http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave.asp
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/microwave-water.html

and since people keep mentioning it, the mythbusters episode in which they explored superheating:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1_OXM4mr_i0

and another video that explores superheating:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SC_NtH8vWSc

edit - also, since there seem to be a lot of misconceptions in this thread, here are some things i felt i needed to clear up:

as i stated before, my friend put microwavable soup in the microwave, not pure water. (specifically campbells microwave soup if anyone was interested)

second, i already did mention the fact that this event occurring was rare, however, i felt that didn't mean that people shouldn't be informed. while rare, it is potentially hazardous, and i felt people should be informed that they need to show caution when handling liquids in the microwave.

also while this sort of event of superheating is rare to occur, people choosing to heat liquids in the microwave is not a rare occurrence. while rare, placing liquid in the microwave frequently does increase the probability of an event like this occurring, especially if certain factors are involved such as a smooth, new surface, liquid being heated for too long, etc. there are precautions you can take in regards to handling liquid and the microwave that can possibly prevent injury, or minimize even a rare event like this from occurring. however, the safest way to prevent an event like this from occurring is obviously not putting liquid in the microwave. if liquid is not put in the microwave, and an alternative source of heat is used like an oven or a stove, then there is no chance of this type of event from occurring. whether one wishes to avoid putting liquids in the microwave altogether, or given the rarity of these occurrences, feels safe and only wants to take precaution then that is up to whatever comfort level a person feel in regards to liquids and the microwave. however, while rare, this a real, and potentially harmful occurrence, especially in regards to a personal experience of mine, and i felt it extremely important to let people know that when handling liquid in the microwave, one needs to take caution and be aware of this potential danger.

and here's another article about superheating, in this case in regards to eggs which was mentioned within the thread. this article relates to general superheating as well. and as i stated in a later post, for those of you that continue to criticize the legitimacy of whether to inform people, note that this article does state that when the microwave is used correctly, it is one of the safest appliances in the kitchen (emphasis on correctly) however, in my opinion the safest way to avoid a situation like this is to not use the microwave to cook liquids at all. no liquids in the microwave means absolutely no chance this will occur. however, if people choose to continue to put liquids in the microwave, they still need to know and be aware of the correct ways to handle products, which essentially was what this whole post is about:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=127846&page=1

and so this important announcement doesn't get deleted, a topic -

do you know anybody who has been severely burned? have you been severely burned? do you have any other potential beneficial announcements in regards to people's health?

and please don't let this thread die. if you need to relate any type of information that relates to this subject please do so because i feel that this information is important enough that everybody should read it. i only hope that the advice that was offered can only help prevent another injury of this nature.

Mainly that is an urban myth. It CAN happen, but the circumstances of it occurring are almost unimaginably low. It is most likely to happen with de-ionized water in an acid-washed beaker, and even then it is hard to force to happen. Honestly, in terms of things going wrong in the kitchen, I would put the microwave itself blowing up as a risk factor before burns from superheated liquid.

Originally Posted by Komitadjie

Mainly that is an urban myth. It CAN happen, but the circumstances of it occurring are almost unimaginably low. It is most likely to happen with de-ionized water in an acid-washed beaker, and even then it is hard to force to happen. Honestly, in terms of things going wrong in the kitchen, I would put the microwave itself blowing up as a risk factor before burns from superheated liquid.

yes, it is rare (a fact that i already stated) but enough cases happen where it is a potential risk. the fact that a close friend of mine wound up having severe burns all over his body because of this made think it was necessary to warn people of what happened. it does happen enough that i don't think that severe injuries that can potentially occur should be trivialized as an urban myth. i also don't think this can be labeled as an urban myth because urban myth implies that this type of information is fake or "made up." however, the injuries that can and do occur from incidents like this are very real, and while rare, do occur.

There are special microwave bowl covers to prevent that.
I have cheap one that I always use.

It happened in SOUP? That is almost unbelievably rare. The rotation of the turntable itself should be enough to prevent the formation of the isotherm that is required fir the phenomenon to occur.

I agree, 'urban myth' might not have been the ideal way to put it, but the chances of any given person ever seeing it happen in their lifetime without deliberately inducing it is extremely rare. If you want to be VERY sure, just give it a stir while it's still inside the microwave with a long-ish object like a serving spoon. That would immediately trigger any possible steam generation.

((I'm an engineer, so this kind of thing is what I *do*))

Originally Posted by Sanctuary

There are special microwave bowl covers to prevent that.
I have cheap one that I always use.

yeah, i have heard of food preparation apparatuses that are supposed to prevent superheating and potential injury. hopefully, they do work as advertise and also aid in potentially decreasing superheating in microwaved liquids.

For food prep, just add some salt to the water in granular form. Having the crystals present gives the water vaporization somewhere to start, and the superheating never has a chance to build up. Also, putting a popsickle stick or the like in the water will do it, or agitating it partway through the cooking cycle to stir the temperature layers.

Originally Posted by Komitadjie

It happened in SOUP? That is almost unbelievably rare. The rotation of the turntable itself should be enough to prevent the formation of the isotherm that is required fir the phenomenon to occur.

I agree, 'urban myth' might not have been the ideal way to put it, but the chances of any given person ever seeing it happen in their lifetime without deliberately inducing it is extremely rare. If you want to be VERY sure, just give it a stir while it's still inside the microwave with a long-ish object like a serving spoon. That would immediately trigger any possible steam generation.

((I'm an engineer, so this kind of thing is what I *do*))

actually the occurrence of this happening in soup is more common than you might think. in fact the report that i mentioned earlier in which i first discovered this occurrence only mentioned soup in the report and it was only when i did further research that i found out it can happen to other liquids as well.

and you're right, stirring with a long wooden object instead of a metal one can help prevent the effects of superheating. but rare or not, why put yourself at further risk if you don't have to? for instance, getting struck by lightning is a rare occurrence, but i wouldn't recommend that somebody go out with a metal rod in the middle of a storm. essentially, rare occurrence or not, putting liquids in the microwave can be viewed as a potential risk, and it's one people need to consider when putting liquids in the microwave.

Originally Posted by Komitadjie

For food prep, just add some salt to the water in granular form. Having the crystals present gives the water vaporization somewhere to start, and the superheating never has a chance to build up. Also, putting a popsickle stick or the like in the water will do it, or agitating it partway through the cooking cycle to stir the temperature layers.

yes, these are all ways that can possibly prevent the effects of superheating, and they're all things people need to consider and be aware of when putting liquids in the microwave.

Thanks for the warning, but I already have the scar from instant noodles, Stupid heated liuids!

Oh, wow. It was a microwavable liquid and it still exploded?
I am sorry to hear about your friend.
And thank you for warning us.
I will be extra cautious now..

Originally Posted by Jayms_fallen_angel

Thanks for the warning, but I already have the scar from instant noodles, Stupid heated liuids!

wow, instant noodles. what sort of container did you use? i would hope at least a cardboard container would be a possible deterrent to superheating.

Well you put them in a dish and pour boiling water on them then heat in the microwave. Angel had first degree burns and went into shock. Her daddy had to carry he into hospital. Doh :P

Originally Posted by GarretValentine

Oh, wow. It was a microwavable liquid and it still exploded?
I am sorry to hear about your friend.
And thank you for warning us.
I will be extra cautious now..

np. glad that my warning was considered of some assistance.

and if anybody is wondering what type of soup he was preparing, it was one of those campbell's microwavable soups.

Originally Posted by Jayms_fallen_angel

Well you put them in a dish and pour boiling water on them then heat in the microwave. Angel had first degree burns and went into shock. Her daddy had to carry he into hospital. Doh :P

oh no. i'm sorry to hear about what happened. i hope that you guys recovered ok after that. i guess that only serves as further evidence as to what harmful effects liquid can have when put in the microwave.

Yeah, I still have the scar, it only happened last year. Poor burnt me :P Luckily it's in a place no one can see so I'm good :P

I think I'm going to have to try another series of experiments on that. I've already run two series, back when they tested it on Mythbusters (I think it was Mythbusters), and came to the same conclusions they did, that it could happen, but only in ungodly rare conditions.

I'll have to run another series of time and temperature runs, this time I'll try impure water again. Last time I ran two runs in each series, one with DI water from the lab supply, one with DI water to which I had added ten grams of table salt. Heated them for three minutes in a standard microwave from Lowes, and observed the boiling state. I managed to reach superheat twice in the pure samples, but never in the impure ones.

That may be because salt lowers the boiling point rather than raises it...

No, it's because impurities cause what are called "Nucleation sites," places where the steam bubbles can form. The reason superheating can occur at all is because a microwave can heat water without causing disturbances in the fluid that normally cause the nucleation to develop. The chances of it happening in anything but pure water are almost astronomical. Even in water it's rare, and you have to cook the holy bajesus out of it to get it hot enough to cause a violent steam generation.

I did some looking, and here's what the FDA said about it: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/erupted.html

lol at the ungodly rare statement. it still occurs though. i think many people would be surprised at how many people report observing superheating occur. i've seen forums where this subject is brought up, and a good number of people come forward with instances where they themselves or others around them have been victims of superheating.

as long as we're sharing websites though, here is some more information on superheating for anybody that is interested:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superheating
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/superheating.html
http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave.asp
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/microwave-water.html

...I can burn things too... *understood none of that*

Good site choices, those are ones I was looking at too. Snopes was one of my first checks back when I was first playing with testing it. Also, not to impune anyone's integrity, but I could probably say that I had witnessed a rock spontaneously turning into a frog and choking my cat, and I would have at least a dozen people swear that the same thing had happened to them or one of their friends.

A firend of mine was playing with fireworks. He was loopy off cotton candy and wasn't paying attention. I don't know how it happened, but he had pretty nasty burns up his left side for the longest while

Well, I'm off for some sleep.

In summary: This is a valid threat, if a rare one. Don't put your face over the cup when you take it out, and don't bake the bluewhite blazes out of it, and chances are you'll never see it in your lifetime.

Originally Posted by Komitadjie

Good site choices, those are ones I was looking at too. Snopes was one of my first checks back when I was first playing with testing it. Also, not to impune anyone's integrity, but I could probably say that I had witnessed a rock spontaneously turning into a frog and choking my cat, and I would have at least a dozen people swear that the same thing had happened to them or one of their friends.

i'm glad that you thought that my websites may be considered beneficial. but in regards to the people's claims, they may not be legitimate, but they were all in pretty intimate detail, as well as accurate claims to what happens when superheating occurs, so if they were false claims, the people went into pretty intimate detail and thoroughly analyzed what happens when superheating occurs then for false claims.

edit - actually i think i will put those websites in the first post so that people can get that information if they happen to miss that post with the websites i just made.