Microwaves and Urban Myths

[bledd]

Isn't there some 'trick' you can do with an ant or a cockroach in a Microwave, they can apparently sense the microwaves and thus avoid them, they run what looks like a little dance in there whilst the Microwave is on full and suffer absolutely no harm whatsoever.

brb

testing with cat

 

[craaaaaig]

When I was young my friend used to get slugs and put them in the microwave, they explode.

I'm glad it wasn't my microwave.

 

[Angilion]

The only thing my Microwave can cook properly is Porridge, anything else I've ever tried in it either explodes everywhere or doesn't cook so I keep putting it back in for longer until it too explodes everywhere, when my kettle died it even managed to fool me into thinking it had let me boil a mug of water to make coffee, all was good until I added the sugar and the crafty thing had put a delayed explosion in the mug somehow. Microwaves, don't trust them.

Water (or stuff that's water with a little bit of very well dissolved stuff in it, like coffee) can become superheated past 100C without boiling if there aren't any nucleation sites for bubbles to form. No bubbles, no boiling. Add nucleation sites (e.g. granules of sugar in your case) and it immediately boils so violently that the boiling liquid can erupt out of the vessel. It's not an actual explosion, but it can throw superheated water up several inches and steam up further, i.e. enough to badly burn you. Even just moving the vessel can be enough to introduce nucleation sites and set off the eruptive boiling.

Don't microwave liquids in very smooth containers (i.e. too smooth to have nucleation sites) unless you're sure the liquid contains nucleation sites within it (e.g. stuff like soup with chunks of meat or veg in it). It's much more likely with very pure water, but it can happen with water containing some kinds of impurities, including well dissolved coffee. It's very unlikely, but it can happen.

Easy solution - make sure there are nucleation sites by putting a wooden stirrer or something in the cup before microwaving it.

 

[Omaeka]

As with the other thread's discussion last week, you don't have to lack intelligence to be be a few eggs short these days

Or just educated idiots, a lot of those around these days. Work in a hospital for one day and you'll see what I mean. Can they perform a quadruple heart bypass? Yes. Do they have any common sense at all? Nope. Capacity to learn doesn't = intelligence.

 

[godinman]

Water (or stuff that's water with a little bit of very well dissolved stuff in it, like coffee) can become superheated past 100C without boiling if there aren't any nucleation sites for bubbles to form. No bubbles, no boiling. Add nucleation sites (e.g. granules of sugar in your case) and it immediately boils so violently that the boiling liquid can erupt out of the vessel. It's not an actual explosion, but it can throw superheated water up several inches and steam up further, i.e. enough to badly burn you. Even just moving the vessel can be enough to introduce nucleation sites and set off the eruptive boiling.

Don't microwave liquids in very smooth containers (i.e. too smooth to have nucleation sites) unless you're sure the liquid contains nucleation sites within it (e.g. stuff like soup with chunks of meat or veg in it). It's much more likely with very pure water, but it can happen with water containing some kinds of impurities, including well dissolved coffee. It's very unlikely, but it can happen.

Easy solution - make sure there are nucleation sites by putting a wooden stirrer or something in the cup before microwaving it.

Thanks for that, saved me a google! Interesting stuff, I kinda want to try it now however..

 

[Deleted member 651465]

The most important thing to remember when cooking with a microwave (especially if you're a new parent), is food continues to cook after the cycle has finished.

Always leave it to stand for 30-60 seconds

 

[Angilion]

Thanks for that, saved me a google! Interesting stuff, I kinda want to try it now however..

I looked it up a few years back, when I first heard about it, and I was the same. It's pointlessly dangerous...but it's strangely appealing.

I haven't done it, though. It is pointlessly dangerous.

 

[[TW]Sponge]

Isn't there some 'trick' you can do with an ant or a cockroach in a Microwave, they can apparently sense the microwaves and thus avoid them, they run what looks like a little dance in there whilst the Microwave is on full and suffer absolutely no harm whatsoever.

I want proof of this.

 

[Absomalutely]

Water (or stuff that's water with a little bit of very well dissolved stuff in it, like coffee) can become superheated past 100C without boiling if there aren't any nucleation sites for bubbles to form. No bubbles, no boiling. Add nucleation sites (e.g. granules of sugar in your case) and it immediately boils so violently that the boiling liquid can erupt out of the vessel. It's not an actual explosion, but it can throw superheated water up several inches and steam up further, i.e. enough to badly burn you. Even just moving the vessel can be enough to introduce nucleation sites and set off the eruptive boiling.

Don't microwave liquids in very smooth containers (i.e. too smooth to have nucleation sites) unless you're sure the liquid contains nucleation sites within it (e.g. stuff like soup with chunks of meat or veg in it). It's much more likely with very pure water, but it can happen with water containing some kinds of impurities, including well dissolved coffee. It's very unlikely, but it can happen.

Easy solution - make sure there are nucleation sites by putting a wooden stirrer or something in the cup before microwaving it.

I use this to my advantage. 1 teaspoon of coffee into a mug of super heated water - CAPPUCCINO! (and no face)

 

[Fire_fly]

Thanks for that, saved me a google! Interesting stuff, I kinda want to try it now however..

Video of it happening if you have not already found it.

Another trick if you want to see the patterns of heating in the microwave is to take a heat activated paper till receipt and wet it under the tap and then pace it in the microwave. Turn on the Microwave for a few seconds and parts of the receipt will turn black while other bits will stay white. It works best if you take out the revolving turn table.