Are our appliances turning on us? Read this tip copied
from a letter to Recipe Du Jour's
excellent "Tips" newsletter:
“About five days ago my 26-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 noticed 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 blown out into his face due to
the buildup of energy. His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree
burns to his face which 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 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 stir stick, tea bag, etc. It is, however, a much safer
choice to boil the water in a tea kettle.”
Tim (from Recipe Du Jour)
says: "I received TWO similar tips (like this one) this week."
Microwave Madness
