• Letstakealook@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Be very careful doing this. The water can become superheated and explode when the surface tension is broken. Honestly, it’s probably better to find an alternative way to clean your microwave.

    • Cave@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Couldn’t you put a little salt or something in it to make sure it has a nucleation point to start boiling

    • diverging@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      There’s nothing special about a microwave that will superheat water. You can superheat water on a stovetop, but nobody ever says not to boil water on a stove.

          • cwagner@lemmy.cwagner.me
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            1 year ago

            Not exactly the same way, because it can easily happen in a microwave, while on the stove top you’d probably need a brand-new never-used pan and purified water.

            • diverging@lemmy.ml
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              1 year ago

              I’ve boiled water in the microwave thousands of times, it’s never been superheated. It’s does not easily happen in a microwave.

              Every time I’ve seen someone test out this microwave myth, they use distilled water and a new container.

              • cwagner@lemmy.cwagner.me
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                1 year ago

                I’ve had it happen once (and I rarely ever boil water in there, usually just heat it up), and glass or ceramic are extremely scratch resistant, unlike metal, so no need for a new container. And filtered water tends to work well enough.

                • diverging@lemmy.ml
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                  1 year ago

                  So then the recommendation should be ‘never boil filtered water in the microwave, and never boil filtered water in a new pot on a stove’, not ‘never boil water in a microwave’.

                  Edit: or maybe ‘Never boil filtered water in a glass or ceramic container’ that makes it clear that the method of heating is irrelevant, it’s the condition of the water and container that is important.

    • cwagner@lemmy.cwagner.me
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      1 year ago

      Eh, just do what most microwaves recommend for heating liquid: put a tea spoon in there. And if you are thinking “OMFG that will explode”, read about microwave and metal myths ;)

      • AlDente@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        Metal forks are the problem. Sparking occurs between the sharp tips. Supposedly spoons are safe, but I don’t have any first-hand experience with this.

        • cwagner@lemmy.cwagner.me
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          1 year ago

          Yeah, or aluminum, or knifes with the edge exposed. Essentially metal pieces close together, or sharp edges, both create sparks. Unless you have murder spoons, you are fine, I always put them in when I heat liquid, and the manual even says to do so.