• Letstakealook@lemm.ee
      17·
      9 months 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.worldEnglish
        14·
        9 months ago

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

        • Letstakealook@lemm.ee
          6·
          9 months ago

          I’m not sure. That sounds like it might work, but I don’t have any source to know if it will.

      • diverging@lemmy.ml
        51·
        9 months 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.

              • diverging@lemmy.ml
                1·
                9 months 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.

                  • diverging@lemmy.ml
                    1·
                    9 months 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.