Don't put water in the microwave.

Microwaving water can be way more dangerous than you'd think! Here's the science of why this can be an explosive mistake.
Hosted by: Hank Green (he/him)
Emma Barratt: Writer
Rachel Garner: Fact Checker
Amy Peterson: Script Editor
Madison Lynn: Videographer
Faith Schmidt: Script Supervisor
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Daniel Comiskey: Editorial Director
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Hank Green: Executive Producer
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Sources:
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[@johnboleyjr.1698]

PSA: Don't T-Bag superheated water. I know how the internet works, and I feel like this has to be said

[@Areadien]

I'm sick, and you just made my throat hurt more with laughing.

[@7-ten]

Underrated comment^^ 👑

[@ikbintom]

It's literally tea-bag, named after tea bags not the letter 🌚🌚🌚

[@SleepIntoTheDiamondLife]

they are already doing an abomination by making tea like that. I don't think they are much worried about anything else. 🤣

[@AaronRotenberg]

This is sound advice under both interpretations.

[@evilsharkey8954]

The first time I had water explode in the microwave, it definitely got my attention.

[@usmannasir8647]

I had that happen to me as a kid and was then banned from the kitchen for a while for somehow making water explode glad theres finally an explanation

[@KinDiedYesterday]

​@@usmannasir8647 lmao i feel that pain. I accidentally messed up instant noodles one time. Still make joke about it

[@feanor5037]

@@usmannasir8647 🤣🤣

[@tinhoyhu]

​@@usmannasir8647 be glad that it exploded in the microwave and not outside.

[@iprobablyforgotsomething]

@Usman Nasir -- Well, if it helps, at least there's a very reasonable explanation behind that, which unfortunately a lot of people aren't told and so find out the hard way. When I was banned from the kitchen, it was because I put a pot to boil and forgot about it. The water evaporated and the pot warped by the time my parents came home and noticed it. There's no mystery-science excuse behind that, just me not paying enough attention, lol. ^ ^;

[@wertbe1718]

"Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today."

[@Re-void3461]

same

[@imtrash9374]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@SunriseLAW]

A restaurant deep fryer is the best way to heat a plastic bottle of water.

[@idrumsometimes]

there’s also supercooled water, which i personally find to be more fun of a reaction because you can pretty much instantly freeze it by shaking it, hitting it, etc

[@ben-chan420]

It's also awesome because it works on almost any drink, turning them into slushies. Nothing makes people happier on a hot summer day than bringing them an ice cold soda that magically turns to slush when they open it up.

[@crypticshadows]

wait not liquid nitrogen like actual water? that’s really cool

[@mariotheundying]

yeah I love my drink turning into ice when I'm gonna drink it

[@stealthymatter2109]

subcooled*

[@tarkitarker0815]

@@crypticshadows liquid nitrogen isnt even liquid perse.

[@ducttapeengineer]

You can also just stick a wooden chopstick or bamboo skewer in the water while it goes through the microwave, which provides plenty of nucleation points.

[@kanbak]

I was going to suggest something like that.

[@Areadien]

Whenever I cook something like pizza or baked potatoes in the microwave, I put water in there as well so that the food doesn't get soggy. I put a rock in the water so it will boil.

[@joanhoffman3702]

I have wooden chopsticks for this very purpose.

[@Awesomeficationify]

​@@Areadien wouldn't the steam make the food more soggy?

[@jlspracher]

I'll put a mug of water in the microwave with a rice-filled sock if I'm using it to soothe a sore neck or something. Keeps the rice from burning.

[@mozomenku]

From my experience the container is what gets hot most of the times instead of the food

[@jeaniebird999]

And THAT is how you can tell when a container is NOT microwave safe. The test is that you're supposed to be able to heat up water _without_ the vessel becoming too hot to touch. Also, porcelain is usually microwave safe until it's cracked. Ever notice that your plate never used to get hot but now it gets hot as lava, and it is super old and maybe even has visible cracks? I have no idea why cracks cause that, though.

[@Uzbek_from_Brooklyn]

Container gets hot because some of the water has evaporated on the walls of the container and when microwaved water starts to boil at the same time heating up your container.

[@TimeSurfer206]

@@jeaniebird999 Or, in other words, porcelain is absorbent, and once the glaze is crazing, is no longer waterproof. It absorbs water, and the water in the plate is what is getting it hot.

[@ashassassin]

Thanks for reinforcing my need to use a kettle.

[@Amongusisveryfrickingold]

I can't believe that people are still so dumb to "boil" water in microwave. The kettle was made specifically for that reason.

[@CarlosAM1]

​@@Amongusisveryfrickingold bruh hot water is hot water who cares if its microwaved or not.

[@Ghengis_Kant]

​@@CarlosAM1apparently nucleation cares. I seriously don't understand why so many Americans don't use kettles

[@CarlosAM1]

@@Ghengis_Kant because hot water is hot water lol, all hot waters lead to rome

[@milesedgeworth132]

​@@Ghengis_Kant I have a kettle but whenever I just need a cup of hot coffee or tea I use the microwave. Less wasteful and time consuming than heating up a kettle and not using most of it. Not to mention how often people just leave limescale in their kettles. Grosses me out.

[@radagastwiz]

Water is so hard in my city that I've never had to worry about this.

[@liamsloan5410]

Finally! All that lead in the water is doing something useful for a chnage.

[@UshioKiss]

​@@liamsloan5410 isnt water hardness in reference to iron, not lead? 😭

[@liamsloan5410]

@@UshioKiss I think it actually refers to alkalinity? I'm not sure. It was just a joke.

[@liamsloan5410]

@@UshioKiss just looked it up. Hard water is mineralised water. Typically calcium and magnesium, but I think all metal would count when it comes to measuring how hard water is, so I think my joke stands.

[@tnijoo5109]

@@UshioKiss I think it’s any minerals that can make it hard. Mine has tons of calcium I think.

[@thatonekid220]

At first I was like "Whoop-de-doo, you dipped a paper towel in water", but after the explanation, I realized what was happening XD

[@coalblooded]

Wow, I didn't even notice what was happening there until I read your comment. I had to go back and see what you were talking about lol

[@thatonekid220]

@@coalblooded lol I forgot all about this and was genuinely surprised to see 107 likes. I dont want to be the kind of person who edits their comment for the likes, but WOW

[@shayolinparker2934]

I honestly thought it was just showcasing capillary action because I was way too focused on the paper towel. I didn't even look at the water

[@DillyWilly-pl7cc]

i haven't heard someone say whoop de doo in so long, yet i just saw it in a short, scrolled, then saw it in this comment

[@thatonekid220]

@@DillyWilly-pl7cc looooool

[@nickkeene5453]

Things he forgot to mention: it takes about ten minutes of microwaving to make water explode into steam, microwaving your water for 5 minutes for your easy mashed potatoes tonight will boil the water fine and won’t cause you any harm

[@allesklar221]

Ehm, no it doesn't; 200 ml in a normal mug for 3 minutes at 800 watts will create superheated water. I found out the hard way

[@AD-lh3jk]

⁠@@allesklar221how big did the boil get tho? As in does it actually explode? Because the example vid was quite mild

[@allesklar221]

@@AD-lh3jk it sprinkled in my face and then boiled over

[@nickkeene5453]

@@allesklar221 well gee, most people don’t microwave 200ml do they? And at 800 watts makes me doubt that, my work microwave is 800 watts and it takes a minimum of 5 minutes to make things even partially warm. What were you going to do with that little water??

[@nickkeene5453]

@@AD-lh3jk it just boils over so if you’re holding it it can be very bad, you won’t get a serious explosion unless you set the hot glass onto cold water near the sink

[@tylernelson310]

'dont cast spell of instant steam' Who are you to tell me to to become a wizard

[@Thepippinator2]

My dads a doctor and said a kid came into the hospital with his entire face severely burned. The kid had put a bowl of water in the microwave for several minutes but the water still looked completely normal. Kid went to touch it, then bam it exploded all over him.

[@jackryan4313]

Please reword the last sentence...ffs

[@escoosy1763]

That's sad I hope he's fine now

[@jeffk862]

​@jackryan4313 what's wrong with how it's worded?

[@CPCsuperTNT]

@@jeffk862 it’s completely grammatically correct… he wants it re worded for another reason…

[@user-xu5rv6oe2s]

@@jackryan4313kid went to touch it and it exploded hot liquid all over the prepubescent face of the young man, dripping like a teen girl on prom night, it was horrific. *

[@AlexanderPavel]

Mythbusters tested this and could only get superheated water using distilled water. If you're using tap water, there're plenty of nucleation sites and it'll start boiling when it's hot enough.

[@austinheyman]

My water always bubbles after 3 minutes in the microwave, and it’s temp is just above 100C, no explosions if you take it slow and stir it along the way.

[@tajr.2650]

And that tells you a lot about how dirty tap water is.

[@OgdenM]

... I've had it happen a few times with tap water. Pull the cup out set it on the counter, drop in a tea bag and BAM! boiling water spraying everywhere.

[@pricklycats]

​@@OgdenMHow are you dumb enough to have this happen more than once? lmao

[@pricklycats]

​@@OgdenMI've boiled probably a million gallons of water in my life with many different types of water and never had that happen once

[@shainarhae6670]

I have never in my life considered boiling water in the microwave. The fact that people are out here doing that might have blown my mind more than the science here.

[@Dpaz2009]

You are too funny 😂

[@janthran]

it heats things up very consistently. i'm wondering if british microwaves are just like, worse than ours or something

[@minemaster-hz6tl]

​@@janthran no, we just have electric kettles

[@aaronhunyady]

It's not a well-known fact, but during the Boston Tea Party protest, Americans threw tea and electric kettles into the ocean. After that point, only microwaves were used to heat water in America.

[@rosalie.e.morgan]

​@janthran I think it's that many countries have faster electric kettles than the USA because of the difference in the power supplied by wall outlets. We also have a non induction electric stove, and a 1000W microwave in our apartment, the stove is slow in comparison for small amounts of water. It catches up somewhere just over 500 mL.

[@lesvegetables6709]

i always knew microwave water was a tea crime, now i know why

[@RoundHouseDictator]

You can, in fact, superheat rough pressed apple juice in the microwave

[@ducttapeengineer]

You can also superheat butter, which then explodes while still in the microwave, thoroughly coating the inside. I definitely haven't done that twice in a single month.

[@shanny1610]

I’m guessing this is separate from water lol cause boiled eggs explode as well

[@TheDeadOfNight37]

@@ducttapeengineer the trick is to microwave in 5 second increments giving it like 20 seconds between

[@kanbak]

​@@ducttapeengineer 😂

[@jensphiliphohmann1876]

You can, but WHY?

[@staredwards268]

Never in my life have I imagined boiling water in a microwave.

[@Whisky-sp8zed]

I cant help myself; i am 100% going to try this

[@Mr.__Sofi]

i microwave water in tea cups to make tea lol

[@outtaspace1566]

We used electric kettle. But mostly people here are using water purifier that provide hot & cold water so we don’t have boil the water all the time.

[@gordshorde]

i do it when i'm out of energy for the day.

[@SCHARKBAIT11]

Mannn my grandma used to heat up water in a measure cup for our morning oatmeal with the Dinosaur eggs to melt into Dino’s

[@amandasjoberg463]

You can actually prevent this by microwaving with a spoon in the cup (no, your microwave won't explode as long as you have water to absorb the energy)

[@angelbubbless.]

dude i saw this dudes videos in science istg😭🙏🏽

[@Starhawke_Gaming]

I learned this the hard was as a teen. I put some water in to boil and then got distracted and walked away. When I came back I was disappointed because it looked like the water wasn't boiling yet, so I ran it a little longer. When I came back again, I opened the door to figure out what was going wrong with my water and the jostle of opening the door was enough to trigger nucleation and the entire measuring cup full of water exploded outward giving me a nasty scald on my arm. Please be careful with water in the microwave.

[@denissmith7671]

Damn, sounds horrible 😭 I’m sorry it happened to you

[@MrBraddles3128]

Kettle. Buy one.

[@Starhawke_Gaming]

@@MrBraddles3128 - I have one now as an adult, but unlike in Europe, kettles take upwards of seven minutes to boil a pot of water for tea, because standard voltage is only 110 volts, half that of the 220v in Europe. Even specialized electric kettles are slow. There just are not enough people that drink homemade tea here in the USA to increase demand for more efficient ways of boiling water.

[@MrBraddles3128]

@@Starhawke_Gaming Absolute craziness.

[@joanrobinson2361]

@Starhawke_gaming I had a similar thing happen to me. I was trying to boil water in the microwave, but it didn’t boil, so I added more time. When I opened the door, it exploded in my face and upper chest. Fortunately, my skin was red, but it was ok. I can’t stress this point, do not boil or try to boil water in a microwave!

[@johnallegood4469]

Turntables also help. By vibrating and swirling the water, the surface tension is occasionally broken and the pockets of heated water are mixed more homogenously. Also, when making a gallon for sweet tea, I personally add a pinch of baking soda, which nucleates any remaining pockets

[@electricwizard3000]

That explains it: I commented that I've been microwaving water for years without incident.

[@chrisheard5727]

What kind of sick bastard boils water in a microwave?

[@Rompler_Rocco]

I recently learned somewhere (maybe FranLab?) that superheating is the actual financial reason that turntables became standard in microwave ovens. To reduce the expense of settling expensive lawsuits. Superheating events were statistically very rare, so they weren't much of a a problem, until microve ovens suddenly became affordable and exploded in popularity. No pun intended.

[@atomomnis2391]

Bruh u heat a gallon of water in your microwave??? Do you not own a stove?

[@SylviaRustyFae]

​@@atomomnis2391 It may just be more efficient to use the microwave for this person

[@flyingfoox1365]

I got this just after the how do you heat your tea meme, good to know 😂😂

[@white_birb]

Edging water is crazy 💀💀

[@Jeffrey_LOL-vi9wy]

it’s all fun and games until one water molecule decide to go supernova

[@softwhite6290]

The perfect weapon against homeless people

[@yassermasalkhi6148]

Whaaaat?????

[@tcjgaming9813]

​@@softwhite6290k this is just devious, what the fu-

[@humanhuman7280]

​@@tcjgaming9813he is becoming more devious each second

[@robg8203]

@@yassermasalkhi6148he meant to put "decides*" with an S instead of just "decide", hope that clears it up for you!

[@Erik-pu4mj]

This seems like an important PSA that should have been taught to us alongside metal in the microwave.

[@michaelccozens]

Up there with "don't put hot liquids in a blender".

[@mynameisjeff9124]

There’s a sticker on mine when you open it to not put a cup of water without a spoon in it

[@jimsackerman]

Old microwave manuals had directions for how to use metal in the microwave safely... Used properly it can shield parts that are susceptible to over cooking like edges of lasagna or ends of chicken legs. Metal rimmed dishes, crumpled instead of smooth foil and wires from takeout chinese containers create arcing which is why we think they are dangerous.

[@Hates-handle]

Naw metal in the microwave is dangerous while heating water in the microwaves fine, do it all the time for cup noodles or instant coffee

[@Lee-fw5bd]

No It really isn't that important

[@rickallen1908]

That's why you only heat the water, not bring it to a boil...

[@bghiggy]

Oh okay so I can still microwave my ramen in the cup that says do not microwave, sweet

[@AndyFarnham]

Back in the 80's when we first got a microwave, the instructions said to put a mug of water in and watch the water boil. So dad did. There were loads of sparks and he quickly turned it off. He'd only gone and picked the Charles and Diana wedding mug with a gold rim!

[@Tacospaceman]

If only you all knew what you had done. 😂

[@Tacospaceman]

I keep telling my kids when I show them old things “but remember kids, this was from the 80’s when safety had barely been invented yet”

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Modern microwaves are OK with metal in them. That being said, if you've got metal with points where voltage potential varies, you can have issues. So, those metal racks are fine, so are those metal TV dinner trays. But, forks, foil and steel wool like things are asking for trouble. EDIT: also large bits of metal can potentially reflect the waves back in ways that cause trouble. Also, that may just have been the microwave predicting what was going to happen not that long after.

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

My dad just recently ran the microwave with nothing in it after cleaning it. Apparently, that is something you DO NOT DO. The entire microwave was super hot to the touch and it was smoking from the inside lmao If the microwaves have no molecules to shake around, the microwave just starts cooking ITSELF instead

[@orchdork775]

​@@GlorifiedGremlin omg that is amazing 😂

[@thepeanutgallery9980]

For YEARS people have been telling me I’m lying about having superheated water in my microwave, I’m glad to know I wasn’t crazy

[@RestorationRelaxation]

I learned about this when I put some instant coffee into my microwaved cup of water and the whole thing turned into a volcano

[@Zyskr..]

Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And the rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And the rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And the rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And the rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And the rats make me crazy.

[@rw2452]

​@@RestorationRelaxation lol I had the same thing happen, and it was tap water (ppl on here saying it cant be done with tap water)

[@Groovymotion]

Who is using microwaves. Don't you like nicely cooked food. Aside from making microwave popcorn - don't see a point in having one. Ever

[@Zyskr..]

@@Groovymotion listen, not everyone cares about their health, or if the food is perfect we just want the food

[@Okiknox321]

I remember my chemistry teacher telling me this, to wash the mugs before microwaving to scratch the walls

[@zaphodbeeblebrox1880]

I learned about this danger from Alton Brown and his show "Good Eats" many years ago. To prevent this, place a chopstick in the water (I use the short wooden kitchen skewers). This provides a surface for bubbles to form, and the water is not capable of super-heating.

[@dagnabit27851]

This happened to me using the stove once. The water was taking forever to boil and then all of a sudden the water exploded out of the pot and hit the ceiling. I had just put my face over the pot to check for boiling only seconds before so I'm very thankful i didn't get my face burned.

[@TheAnantaSesa]

Lucky for you that a watched pot never boils.

[@sertaki]

Good one

[@Master_Yoda1990]

Even though that's not how physics work.

[@TheAnantaSesa]

@@Master_Yoda1990 never heard of how observation affects the item being observed? I think it's related to the double slit experiment.

[@Master_Yoda1990]

What you're stating is from the double slit experiment, however the evidence doesn't suggest observation affect items, it suggests observation affects how light particles act.

[@Emelineeeeeee]

I learned about this in a FranLab video. She talked about how early on microwaves used to not have the spinning tray, the heated objects would sit still. Part of the trays purpose is to disturb liquids enough as they spin to prevent superheating. So without the tray there were rare cases where, if the cup was smooth enough, microwaving water could super heat it, and when they grabbed the cup, boom. The whole thing exploded into steam all at once. Pretty crazy

[@yellowcatmonkey]

wow😮😮😮this vid is a shocker to me i love it 💕 so much info 💖😍 thank you for sharing this 🌻

[@kashiichan]

The revolving tray reduced the amount of cases, but it doesn't prevent it completely.

[@Hates-handle]

Was wondering why the video sounded like bunk now i know its probably because the spinning trays alleviated the issue

[@fanime1]

I always thought the spinning tray was to microwave foods evenly. Cuz on campus, some microwaves don't have the spinning tray and whenever I microwave foods in then, the edges will be burnt and the middle cold.

[@formbi]

hmm, so there actually is a plus of spinning trays compared to wave stirrers…

[@jus10lewissr]

Bold of you to think you could stop me from boiling water for Ramen or Maruchan noodle cups in the microwave...

[@kemp10]

The way he said "tea bag" in italics like that made it definitely sound like something else

[@markholm7050]

I boil water in my microwave. I use a very old glass measuring cup that has lots of minor surface etching. That nucleates well enough that the water boils smoothly every time.

[@AaronOfMpls]

I used to boil water in the microwave before we got a Keurig and an electric kettle. My usual tea mug has a rough-enough inner surface from use that I never had to worry about this.

[@Tletna]

This is like saying don't use q-tips to clean out your ears when lots of people will still do it anyway. It is better to say how to safely do so (like with the q-tips make sure you don't put them too deeply in, don't push wax in deeper). With water in the microwave, make sure you put an object in the cup to let it bubble like the wooden spoon someone suggested in another comment. Or, just let the water cool some, the super heated molecules will disperse and cool some as they're warming the other molecules around them (and heating the cup) and eventually be safe. Or cover the cup as you bring it out of the microwave or use something to shield yourself while you put in the tea bag or hot coa coa mix. It is important to know how to be careful with hot water but still handle it since a lot of cooking requires bring water to a boil.

[@Saldivinorum]

Exactly. Not to mention many people, college students are a prime example, have no choice but to boil water in a microwave. I know of no dormitories with stoves and I've also heard rules against any kind of hotplate or portable burners. Like you said, it's much more effective to offer safe ways to continue a popular practice as opposed to expecting millions of people to just stop doing something they've been doing most of their lives.

[@Opiie]

It’s 2024 and Americans still haven’t discovered the kettle

[@uncletrashero]

i remember it happened to me once like 15 years ago and i was so confused, and there was no data on this stuff back then so no one believed me and i couldnt find anything on the internet. i was legit thinking i had gone crazy. but nope. a cup of water straight up exploded seconds after i removed it from the microwave one time. i was just lucky i had set it down first lmao

[@latexcollar938]

Thats why my tea bags make the water spontaneously boil! I knew there was a reason but I never ACTUALLY knew the reason.

[@audeai4021]

I had also wondered about it, it's nice to know 😊

[@robertabarnhart6240]

I always put the tea bag in the water before microwaving it. (Now I use an electric kettle.)

[@emryspaperart]

now u know this u GOTTA do an experiment of microwaving for less time, or leaving it to cool a bit before adding ur teabag. a lot of teas call for lower brewing temps than a full boil, so if it's even half decent tea it's probably scalding and burning the flavour of it. it honestly probably affects black tea's flavour, too.

[@latexcollar938]

@@emryspaperart oh it definitely matters, i like to let my tea go into water that was just boiling. I feel like i loose some good flavor if i let the bags boil for even a few minutes

[@Kais.]

Dude, you're lucky you haven't burned yourself yet, if you do this on the regular

[@Nobody-vr5nl]

Getting an eletric kettle is a game changer. I almost neveruse the microwave. Its kinda useless to me these days.

[@filonin2]

Yeah, for wasting counter space on a device that does what the microwave and stove already do.

[@joylox]

@@filonin2 It depends on how much you use it. I use mine for both making tea and other hot drinks, and for boiling water to cook rice noodles, instant oatmeal, and other things like that. Although lately I've been making old fashioned oatmeal and just using the kettle for tea.

[@Nashy119]

@@filonin2 They require an additional container and take more than a minute to boil anything, it's boring.

[@allstarwoo4]

I love the electric kettle but I’m sometimes need a small amount of boiled water. The microwave is great for that.

[@SchnookieC]

I honestly can't believe americans don't use kettles, they're an extremely common household appliance elsewhere in the world

[@davidhowell1415]

This only works with distilled water. So unless something miraculously happened to the tap water in the past 24 hours. It only happens when you use distilled water

[@quincyofshire797]

mythbusters microwaved distilled water and dropped in a sugar cube, damn 2008 feels like it was yesterday... miss u grant imahara

[@MrRizeAG]

This is one of the many reasons you ALWAYS mix the drink BEFORE heating it.

[@kristinehansen.]

That would not work on everything. Just thinking about coffee and tea.

[@MrRizeAG]

@@kristinehansen. Why? Coffee is not consumable by humans, and tea works fine unless you're some kind of Br*tish psychopath who still uses kettles.

[@Hooyahfish]

One of the many reasons? What are the other reasons?

[@lonestarr1490]

Or, you know, simply don't boil water in the microwave.

[@jonathanodude6660]

@@lonestarr1490 Americans have abysmal power. The voltage is half compared to other countries, so the wattage is halved and so time taken to boil water is double. If you expect your water to be boiled in 90 seconds where you live, it’ll be 3 minutes in America. If you expect it to take 2 minutes, it’ll be 4. 3? Try 6. Many Americans don’t even bother with a kettle because of it.

[@ShadeScarecrow]

So this is why microwave instructions usually tell you not to just put straight water into the appliance.

[@skycats6663]

What monster boil water in the microwave.

[@larsmaas07]

@@skycats6663 i do...

[@lisagd22]

Who reads microwave instructions? 🤔

[@chadderbox1343]

​@@lisagd22 😂😂

[@FootLettuce]

Then why does mine have a boiling water mode?

[@goblinking8510]

Quick tip, Google how long to microwave your water based on volume of water and your microwave wattage so you don't make an explosive skin meltor. Or just run experiments until you got the right amount of time lol

[@SeanPONEIL]

90 seconds is all that's needed to heat water to tea temperature. Any hotter, and the tea gets bitter

[@stefanstenbakkerichsen3123]

Title: «Dont put water in the microwave» Video: «Man puts water in the microwave»

[@bayoubilly5176]

To be fair. I've been doing this for over forty years... You know how I avoid it exploding. Put the tea bag or whatever in the water...

[@johnt.inscrutable1545]

@@bayoubilly5176But where’s the fun in that?

[@OrangeHeadTM]

Dudes an NPC.

[@RakkuTheEpic]

​@@johnt.inscrutable1545The fun is in drinking your tea without your water exploding into a boil.

[@1vulkhan]

Instructions Unclear. I T-Bagged the microwave.

[@GreyPunkWolf]

Well, it's safer than t-bagging the superheated water tbh. Option one will only chill your jewels if your microwave has a metal exterior, the other might send you to the hospital.

[@krazertonthe1st37]

Dip dip potato chip!

[@murch1987]

Great balls of 🔥

[@GengUpinIpin]

​@@murch1987 Fire in the hole🔥

[@unnamedkillaz8677]

​@@GengUpinIpin not the geometry dash community again

[@conniptions1533]

Ever heard of an electric kettle ?

[@FarSeeker8]

I can remember a couple decades back when people were denying this could happen, and making all sorts of accusations against those talking about it happening.

[@barlazyj2]

If memory serves, Alton Brown talked about this on an episode and his “fix” was to place a wooden skewer in the water to provide a nuclear ion site.

[@RealLargeManTheGiantOne]

Or a spoon. Since the spoon has no sharp points it won't blow up your microwave either (metal is much safer in microwaves than people think)

[@omnivore2220]

Right; it's all about the nuclear ions. 😊

[@jamesdagmond]

@@RealLargeManTheGiantOne The cheap thin kind of spoons will fry your microwave as they have thin squared off edges. Advising people that flatware is safe in the microwave is dangerous.

[@imonseii1436]

Funny, because in the cleaning instructions for my microwave, it says to heat a bowl of water, so the steam softens the gunk on the sides.

[@joiathegreat]

They specify bowl because it has more surface area to allow evaporation. This video shows a cup.

[@eddie-roo]

Maybe mix in some salt next time, so the water has nucleation points. You can also leave a wooden spoon or chopsticks for the same thing.

[@redfangtabris7405]

sounds like money.

[@CapFlipGaming]

Just use bleach

[@Mrlongboarding4lif3]

Thanks for the pro tip. That weird sludge is a pain even with clorox

[@enoughofyourkoicarp]

This is only true for filtered water, tap water is fine in the microwave because the impurities cause boiling, also, stove-top boiling for drinks? Just use a kettle like everyone else.

[@neutrino78x]

Americans usually drink coffee rather than tea. There is an appliance called "coffee maker" that boils the water internally.

[@josephstorm2819]

It’s actually caused by distilled water… but I see why he left that part out.

[@amosbackstrom5366]

Lifehack for the impatient: when I make spaghetti or rice I put 1/3 of the water on the stove, 1/3 in the kettle and 1/3 in the microwave. That gives me a gallon of boiling water in like 4 minutes.

[@stevenclark2188]

Important safety tip: boiling water can consume what nucleation sites there are. So it's especially unsafe to boil water in the microwave, forget about it, and then come back and boil it again.

[@dcsphinx2851]

Can you put this in easier to understand terms? What do you mean it consumes nucleation sites and why is that bad?

[@the_last_ballad]

​@@dcsphinx2851 it uses up the nuculation sites, like say a speck of dust that then gets absorbed into the water after the steam dislodges it. So if its a smooth container, and all the areas where it could use to nuculate to steam have been dislodged or disolved, then the superheated water thing talked about can happen. At least that is what I got out of it.

[@SeanHenrichs]

But...if it boils each time, there's no issue🤷

[@LoafofSourdough]

@@SeanHenrichs think about the glass breaking from heat, if there’s no nucleation sites left and you re-microwave it in the same container, the water is gonna get so hot without actually boiling and cause a giant superheated glassy shard mess when your container explodes from how hot it is. Glass under too much heat exposure cracks, something about different parts of the glass expanding and contracting at different times- I don’t exactly know how it works, I’m not qualified enough to talk at length about this. But from personal experience, just toss the water and get a new dish. Reheating is a bad idea. You can always just boil more water if you need to.

[@solomonspade67]

Doing just fine :) You people are something else lol

[@poonyaTara]

Yes, you're absolutely right that flash boiling can occur, but my genetics instructor at university taught us that we'll never be hurt by water even if it might flash boil if we just tip the mug of so slightly toward the back of the microwave before we pick up the mug, as this will break the surface tension in a way that directs the soon-to-be-boiling water away from us. Thanks, Dr. Zurek!

[@GardenUPLandscape]

I tell people this all the time and they look at me like I'm crazy.

[@richierollinrocket2891]

Just because I now know it’s dangerous doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop. I still need me some cup noodles

[@lucky6961]

just be careful to not add an extra digit and not realizing it's taking too long

[@Mary-Ann_B_Mabaet]

Cup Noodles that are just small pucks. I hope you add extra Leftover Chicken, Pork, or Pre-cooked Shrimp in them because they're so small and dinky! Even some chili oil and some fried eggs in them make them better. Or even cubed spam!

[@mgm2008]

Yum! Just add a wooden chopstick while heating to make it safer!

[@MickeyKimsey]

Oh you wanna get wild..? Try pizza or even crazier, pizza pockets! But do not try a boiled egg without its shell.. you were warned!

[@norddorian5791]

You know there is a magical device that can boil water? Yeah insane wtf i never even thought about microwaving water

[@moladiver6817]

Every chemist knows it's not the microwaves but the smoothness of the container that prevents nucleation. If the container is heat resistant enough the same would happen if you'd put it on top of a flame. That's why in the lab they often use boiling chips. Especially newer glassware can be so smooth a liquid almost always tends to superheat. Boiling chips prevent this by introducing an uneven surface on which nucleii can form.

[@ulyssesdamon3408]

Yeah, just like every network engineer knows to set his switch up in a way that the inflow and outflow of traffic can flow smoothly, so as not to cause noise in the bandwidth that may cause packet loss in large local area networks. My point being, we're not all chemists, plus your argument initially just agrees with him. Like, it just seems like a comment to let people know you're a chemist. To say that, if you was actually a chemist you wouldn't really feel to need to agree with the video but try to make yourself sound smarter than the uploader at the same time. 1.5/10 internet points. Poor effort. Seems like an ego boosting.

[@moladiver6817]

@@ulyssesdamon3408 We are anonymous strangers to each other so it's quite difficult to talk in depth. Not only because it's so incredibly offtopic but also because basically anything I say here likely adds more triggers. There is probably an underlying issue here that doesn't involve my original comment anyway. To conclude with an ontopic part: I'm not a chemist. I do have some experience in the lab and organic chemistry day 1 the first thing you use are boiling chips in a round bottom flask. There's nothing egocentric about that. Interesting though that you regard chemists so highly or that you think others might. To me it's just a job like any other. 🧐

[@photonik-luminescence]

I can confirm it. Fact, i learned it in a kids chemistry book (13+ Age kit) Edit: i know it's a thing i actually never knew till i saw it in a chemistry kit.

[@TerryHaleMizagorn]

He wasn't trying to infer that everyone should know what chemists know. You just chose to take it that way.

[@JasonACadder]

Doesn't this only happen when heating distilled water, since the minerals in regular water prevent super heating? I seem to remember a Mythbusters episode covering super heating, and I remember they had to use distilled water to make it happen.

[@onlyrushb6428]

we got edging water molecules before GTA VI

[@JoeC92]

I remember years ago Mythbusters tested this and it was significantly worse if you were doing it with distilled water

[@cor289]

“don’t put water in the microwave” *puts water in microwave*

[@greenrobot5]

but he did it for science

[@khjrwbhkl]

Bro made a random time bomb

[@AGDinCA]

That explains why the water in my mug explodes from time to time.

[@maggierioux6501]

Had me scared for a minute. Reheat my coffee in the microwave every single day. Glad I watched to the end, lol.

[@o0superflu0o]

Years ago, CGP Grey talked about getting burned quite badly from microwaving his coffee on Hello Internet, so it can still occur even with coffee under "perfect" circumstances (very smooth mug/cup and no coffee grounds whatsoever).

[@maggierioux6501]

@@o0superflu0o Thanks for the tip! Use a French press, so my coffee always contains some grounds.

[@mikicerise6250]

It's fine. Just don't leave it in too long.

[@dank5018]

Hell yeah, this is the proper response! There are too many other people in this comment section who refuse to believe this happens because they themselves haven't experienced it. Not realizing that under most circumstances it's okay to microwave water.

[@unknownvariable2456]

This perfectly explains why putting uncovered soup in the microwave sounds and looks like a miniature warzone or liquid popcorn, leaving behind a huge mess to clean up afterwards.

[@SkullBone361]

Liquid popcorn??!?!?

[@AraiDigital]

@@SkullBone361as in it pops and sizzles with little “pop”-like sounds. I’ve had it happen with soups a lot, i have to basically make sure theyre always covered because my luck is terrible and i can near guarantee it’d be WAY too messy uncovered

[@mrevilducky]

You're using your microwave settings wrong. Your mistake is just using the default setting and imputting seconds/ minutes.

[@unknownvariable2456]

@@mrevilducky and from your lack of an explanation I see there's no correct way to do it. let me guess, you're saying I shouldn't use the microwave for heating up liquids, but wording it so it sounds like there's some secret feature nobody knows about because you want to feel special.

[@ksdragona_5583]

I looked it up after ruining a few soup containers this way- evidently thinner / fattier sauces and soups are prone to this superheating issue. So that tomato soup or bulgogi sauce warping the plastic and burning holes through the bottom? Definitely not intended. 😅

[@jp_ravenfire]

I use a glass bottle if I need to microwave water. Works perfectly for instant ramen.

[@jonathanadams5903]

I solve this problem by just never having clean enough glasses to wory about it.

[@HungBelowKnees]

I've boiled water in the microwave a countless amount of times and next had a single issue...

[@Shalakor]

A good amount of tap water, especially in the USA, has way too many particulates in it to superheat like this. Typically needs to be filtered or distilled. WMy water has the opposite problem of boiling way to much while heating in a microwave.

[@dank5018]

Yeah... It's something that occurs under very specific circumstances. Circumstances that the video explained. Think about how many people in the world boil water in a microwave every day. Most people will not meet the conditions for superheating due to their setup (using a mug with scratches, hard water, etc.) But with millions of people doing this every day, there's bound to be a few people who just so happen to accidentally meet those conditions. Things like this aren't common because the phenomena itself is easy to achieve, it's common because millions of people are microwaving water. Some poor sod is bound to meet the exact conditions if we try enough combinations of microwave and drinking vessel.

[@newshodgepodge6329]

When I worked for a home health care company, the office manager told us all a story about the time a coworker's brother took a cup of water out of the microwave and when he looked down at the cup trying to figure out why the water wasn't boiling the water exploded in his face. He ended up losing an eye.

[@littlefootfeet]

oh my god.. well.. it's all fun and games until.. that. poor guy.

[@kennethmullen-qe9hg]

Your story certainly teaches people to TRY to be more mind-eyeful, of the liquid eyeful almost guaranteed to give one an eyefull, it then assuredly as in the person in the story you have laid out would then end in an/that individual's having one empty socket SANS eyeball. Meaning that he or she would then have one eyefull and one eye-empty, or one eyeless...LmMFaO! ;) :P :o)

[@jamie7498]

there's a story on here about it happening to a woman boiling an egg

[@newshodgepodge6329]

@@jamie7498 Sounds like a sticky situation

[@Jamex07]

He had to enucleate his eye due to non nucleated water. Good thing it wasn't nuclear.

[@adamb89]

This is why you're always supposed to wait 30 seconds before opening the microwave and actually USING the water.

[@Zzzbello]

Remember kids microwaves resonance effect water the most

[@aaronkinney6004]

I still dont know how my younger self never recieved extensive burns from a steam explosion while making hot chocolate. For other peoples reference, it WAS super heated water that would fizz like crazy when I put stuff in it.

[@youtubedeletedmynamewhybother]

Sheer luck lmao

[@username00009]

Probably because you weren’t trying to heat the water to boiling point.

[@aaronkinney6004]

@@username00009 I was 100% putting that water in a coffee mug in the microwave for upwards of 6-7 minutes.

[@spencerkleiman5035]

Haha yeah I only heat for 1:30-2:00 if I'm using water, and 3:00 if I'm using milk. I can't imagine putting ANYTHING in the microwave for 7 straight minutes lmao. It's a miracle you're not deformed

[@scarose]

​@@nondescriptbeing5944you know bad burns can melt your skin right?

[@telegramsam]

The tap water here is so hard we all have stalactites growing in our intestines anyway. Not exactly pure.

[@stevengoomba6490]

Your whole outlook on acting is pretty relatable. “Performing” and entertaining others is the fun part, but I would never choose acting as a career. You were never my Rodrick, but you seem like a real down to earth guy. Thanks for the update and for sticking around.

[@ChemTeacherMan]

Fun fact. Microwave rotationally excite water molecules and they spin around hitting eachother and flying off like beyblades

[@Mrjumperdude01]

Also as my high school chemistry teacher harped on us "hot glass looks like cold glass".

[@katdixon8390]

If you need to boil water in the microwave (like if you don't have space for an electric kettle), you can actually buy a thing called a microwave kettle that has a dangly bit on the lid that breaks the surface of the water and allows the water to boil properly. I had one in college!

[@Grey_Warden_Invasion]

Or you could just put a spoon in the cup. Also - not enough space for an electric kettle? How? My kitchen is literally just a kitchenette next to the entrance and I have the space for a kettle. How large are your electric kettles? Enough to heat up 20 litres?

[@nisbahmumtaz909]

...how is this easier than just getting an electric kettle?

[@katdixon8390]

@@nisbahmumtaz909 It's smaller, takes up less space. For people with VERY little space. Or if you're not allowed to have a kettle for whatever reason (colleges can be weird about what you can have in your dorm).

[@iprobablyforgotsomething]

Re using spoons -- nope, don't put metal (which is what most cheap basic utensils are made of) in the microwave, plastic spoons will melt, and while wooden / bamboo ones might be okay, most people don't have those anyway.

[@strodey123]

A microwave definately isnt smaller than a kettle lol. That being said, being English it amazes me not everyone has kettles lol

[@Traffc_conejpg]

I cant wait to do the ultimate prank to my freinds with this knowledge

[@davidkonevky7372]

I still don't understand why americans don't have electric kettles

[@Moonsong227]

This explains a lot about college cooking...

[@johnclavis]

Youve gotta have some pure freaking water and one clean freaking container, no?

[@t3hd0n]

Pastaroni used to have microwave directions (they might have brought them back by now idk) but something about the way they had you microwave the water, milk, and oil before you added the pasta would cause the whole liquid mixture to superheat

[@Abysalss]

This is generally something you’ll only have issues with if you use distilled water but probably good to be safe

[@magentawool2556]

Quick PSA for everyone here: Mythbusters only got this to happen to a specific type of water. Tap water boils fine. Also it tastes the same if it reaches the same temperature.

[@BenjaminBlep]

Thank you, this video is a bit misleading

[@PBMS123]

I've seen this happen to someone

[@Trucidek]

​@@PBMS123 happens te me regularly with tap water.

[@PBMS123]

@@Trucidek Luckily I live in a country where electric Kettles are in basically every single home. Boiling water in the microwave is insane to me

[@Trucidek]

@@PBMS123 sorry my answer wasnt directed at you lol (Same as you btw, my trusty electric kettle follows me for 15y now, but when away, you sometimes don't have a choice...)

[@am529]

You also have to be careful using “microwaveable” mugs. Not all are created equal. I would always heat 8 fl oz of water for 1:30 in the microwave. I used a different mug than usual one day and the handle was so hot I got near instant second-degree burns.

[@petal_cult]

microwave safe doesn't mean idiot proof, it just means it won't break the microwave or melt the cup

[@am529]

@@petal_cult there’s still a reasonable expectation that the handle of all parts will not be scalding after a short time in the microwave. It was only one particular mug I ever had an issue with.

[@kurasakage7736]

I only ever put my water in for like less than a minute. Doesn’t take a lot to get it hot

[@am529]

@@kurasakage7736 well, you need it a certain temp to make tea properly, and I didn’t have an electric kettle back then

[@whispersbymadison]

To prevent this you can add a pinch of salt or sugar (depending on what you’ll be using the water for) the surface imperfections in the crystalline structure allow bubbles to form so no superheating 👍

[@mangomum99]

I hope you are doing well these days I know how tough it is it really can burn your brain metaphorically speaking over thinking bless you for sharing pray your doing well 💕💕

[@conorcassidy8336]

If any of you read the instruction manual of your microwave, they literally have a section about this. My microwave (Bosch) came with a glass rod specifically for boiling water in the microwave.

[@madamada219]

Btw most of the microwaves made in the last 10 years are enabling u to put metal spoons inside the water glass to avoid this. It's actually not anymore dangerous to out metal inside ur microwave

[@MiguelY22]

Most people dont read instructions. Also in my 27 years of life I have only bought 1 new microwave . It was about 2 yrs ago

[@solitarybeag]

Exactly. I remember when microwaves came about. Leaving the microwaved food to “chill” a bit was in all the instructions. Nothing new.

[@11ms62]

I have a small wooden spoon that I put in my water before heating the water in the microwave.

[@joylox]

I'm glad I use my kettle for tea, even though the kettle is older than I am (it's from the 80s, and I should probably clean it, but it's electric and works).

[@williebrort]

That's absolutely not a fire hazard 😅😂

[@tnijoo5109]

It will probably last longer and is also probably safer than anything you could buy today.

[@Sodium_Slug]

​@@williebrort You're right, that's absolutely not a fire hazard. Why would an old kettle be a fire hazard?

[@fanime1]

​@@williebrort poor you. Not realizing that things made now are cheaper and less durable than things made in the past.

[@ahegpbtrftcotu]

Remember that this only works with particularly still, particularly pure water. Giving your water a little swirl before sending it in is often enough to prevent this, and a lot of tap water is "hard" enough that the mineral deposits already contained in the water are enough for it to nucleate. At the end of the day, if you're really concerned about this, the easiest way to never have to worry is to just put a chopstick in the cup.

[@TheGreatAtario]

This is where my strategy of having all my containers beat to hell pays off

[@solartaire1]

I remember watching a British safety video that mentioned this. It suggested that a person should never hold a mug or container while putting something like a spoon into it. About a week later I was re-heating coffee that I hadn't put sugar into yet. When I dropped the sugar in the coffee frothed up and spilled over. It was so hot that half of it just evaporated. Good thing I'd remembered the video and put the mug on the countertop first.

[@joewaid]

You can put a chopstick in while microwaving, and the surface of it will cause nucleation.

[@reedr7142]

I saw this on the news almost 20 years ago. They showed footage of water exploding out of the container once a spoon or fork hit the surface. Crazy stuff.

[@PixelPulsePlayGroundGab]

My microwave somehow heats the mug and makes the mug handle even hotter and supercools the water