| Description | To prevent this and other problems with microwaves, people should keep one thing in mind:
Don't overheat.
**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
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