On 2/24/2005 10:35 PM, Derek wrote:
> Bringing back an older discussion, "Good Eats" on the Food Network
> here in the states just had an episode addressing food myths.
>
> Perhaps the most useful to me, personally, is the debunking of the
> myth that mushrooms absorb a lot of water so you should brush them off
> rather than washing them. While they do absorb some water, it really
> is very little. So just rinse the 'shrooms off and don't waste time
> brushing them.
>
> Anyway, they also addressed the "water exploding in the microwave"
> myth. All of the issues we had brought up here - superheating of the
> water, nucleation sites, etc -- were mentioned. The "on air"
> demonstration did, in fact, explode.
>
> The point that was made, however, was that the water has to be kept
> still. They used a Snapple-type bottle, which had a relatively small
> opening compared with the volume of water. When it exploded, it
> emptied about 2/3 of the water.
>
> The suggestions were to always use a wide-mouth container, and to stir
> it every couple of minutes. This prevents the stillness of the water
> which is necessary for superheating.
>
> So, in conclusion, we appear to have come to the correct conclusions.

I've had two microwave explosions: one was clear broth in a microwave
safe, glass soup bowl - diameter of bowl was about 8 inches, soup
half-filled it. The other was a Pyrex "custard cup" or ramekin - about 4
inches in diameter, and water was a bit above the half way mark.

I was told (by Corning) that they probably had small scratches on them,
and the scratches were actually the culprit, but that gently
"disturbing" the liquid, or cooking them with a chopstick or other
microwave safe item in it, would work.

Since then, I always slowly put a spoon in and stir before touching it -
and it hasn't happened again. Could be luck, could be technique, but I'm
not giving up the technique.