Microwaving water can cause superheating and delayed boiling.
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 84/100
Microwaving water, particularly in smooth containers without nucleation sites, can cause the liquid to become superheated past its boiling point without forming bubbles, leading to delayed and potentially explosive boiling when disturbed.
Evidence for · 3
Numerical modelling of liquid heating and boiling phenomena under microwave irradiation using OpenFOAM
2020 · cited by 32
Simulations demonstrate that microwave heating of water results in significant superheating during the initial phase because vapor bubbles do not readily form in the bulk liquid.
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More for · 2
Microwave-Assisted Superheating and/or Microwave-Specific Superboiling (Nucleation-Limited Boiling) of Liquids Occurs under Certain Conditions but is Mitigated by Stirring
2015 · cited by 26
Temporary superheating and sustained nucleation-limited superboiling of unstirred liquids above the normal boiling point are documented during microwave heating.
Numerical modelling and investigation of microwave heating and boiling phenomena in binary liquid mixtures using OpenFOAM
2021 · cited by 12
Multiphysics modeling identifies specific mechanisms, such as limited bubble nucleation, that lead to superheating in water and binary mixtures under microwave irradiation.