Correct me if I got anything wrong, TA!
this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2023
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The phenomenon doesn't sound "random" as it can be predictably mitigated, it might involve randomness on the micro level but not the macro.
You're also describing heating water far over the boiling point. It takes as much energy to vaporize about half of a cup of water as it does just to heat four cups of water from room temperature to boiling point. Just don't do that, don't put the water in for much longer than it needs to be. In fact there is no reason to bring the water to boiling temperature, it will be perfectly good for steeping tea or coffee at just below boiling temp. Still concerned? Put the spoon you are going to use to stir the tea in the measuring cup. Heat on a lower power level for longer.
I don't take any of these precautions though. I know how long it takes to heat water. Your first time using a specific microwave you could use a thermometer and heat in half minute increments, that way you know exactly how long it will take in the future because the appliance is predictable, especially for heating straight water.
Regardless of safety it just makes sense from an environmental perspective to not heat water for longer than it takes to get to the temp you need it to be at.
You are now recommending the act of putting a metal object in a microwave as a solution to how already dangerous it can be to microwave water in a glass.
You are actively spreading dangerous disinformation that could cause a person serious harm. Stop that, bad internet stranger, bad.
Metal was your assumption. But also metal objects can be safe in a microwave. A metal spoon it is an optimal reflector of microwaves but in this case it is surrounded by water which is an optimal absorber. It's dangerous to heat metal by itself but that is a moot point because it is also dangerous to microwave nothing at all..
I'm not spreading dangerous information, you are assuming dangerous operation. Cooking can be dangerous. But you are doing something akin to telling someone not to cook with oil because it can splatter and cause terrible burns, rather than informing them on safety precautions when cooking with oil. Rather than fear mongering about superheated fluids being an inevitability, you could tell someone to avoid superheating fluids, the simplest way being not overcooking. Which is very easy to do with a microwave because they are predictable and shut off on their own.