The Everyday Man On The Street

Edition 111
December 2000

An Article by Rev. Anita Hose

W A R N I N G: W A T E R I N M I C R O W A V E
> >
> > I guess I didn't know this. I heat water in a mug often in the
microwave.
> > I never thought of it as being too dangerous. I feel that the following
> is
> > information that anyone who uses a microwave oven to heat water should
be
> > made aware of. About five days ago my twenty-six-year old son decided to
> > have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the
> > microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times
> before).
> > I am not sure how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted to
> > bring the water to a boil. When the timer shut the oven off, he removed
> the
> > cup from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted that the water was
> not
> > boiling, but instantly the water in the cup "blew up" into his face. The
> cup
> > remained intact until he threw it out of his hand but all the water had
> flew
> > out into his face due to the build up of energy.
> > His whole face is blistered and he has first and second degree burns to
> his
> > face that may leave scarring. He also may have lost partial sight in his
> > left eye.
> > While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that
> this
> > is a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated
in
> a
> > microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be
> > placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stirrer stick /
> > spoon, tea bag, etc. It is however a much safer choice to boil the water
> in
> > a kettle.
> > NOTE: Subsequently on reviewing the above I have consulted a set of
> > Microwave Operation Instructions and under the heading Liquids it
states:
> > Liquids that have been heated by Microwave can suddenly erupt. This is
due
> > to layers heated to higher temperatures being trapped under the surface.
> To
> > avoid this happening to any liquid, e.g., coffee, custard, gravy, etc.:
> > 1) Stir the liquid thoroughly before heating in the microwave.
> > 2) Stir the liquid at least twice during the heating time.
> > 3) Stir the liquid again at the end. NEVER OVERHEAT LIQUIDS.
> > 4) Always use a suitable sized container, at least one-third
> > larger, than the volume of liquid to be heated. If in doubt use
> conventional
> > methods, kettle, etc.
> > Please pass this information on to friends and family.

Everyday News

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