Undisputed (Mildly) Injured in Freak Microwave Accident

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Tue May 02, 2006 5:20 pm

The stuff in coconuts is not coconut milk, it's coconut water. Coconut milk is made by straining grated coconut.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Tue May 02, 2006 5:22 pm

Walden wrote:The stuff in coconuts is not coconut milk, it's coconut water. Coconut milk is made by straining grated coconut.

They probably do that in the Phillipines, don't they?

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Tue May 02, 2006 5:23 pm

Cranberry wrote:They probably do that in the Phillipines, don't they?

Yeah.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue May 02, 2006 5:41 pm

I used coconut milk to make mango sticky rice (Khao Niaow Ma Muang)...a thai dessert.

Post by **Dale** » Tue May 02, 2006 5:48 pm

Cynth wrote:I was thinking that if the creamer was in the bottom of the cup and then coldish coffee poured in, maybe the creamer got a skin on it and stayed dry underneath. Then when the super heated coffee was stirred the creamer grains suddenly were freed and made tons of nucleation points----sort of like when you throw in boiling chips at a bad time---and the coffee boiled over. Keep ice on those burns.

Yeah. That's my working theory.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Tue May 02, 2006 5:58 pm

Dale wrote:
Cynth wrote:I was thinking that if the creamer was in the bottom of the cup and then coldish coffee poured in, maybe the creamer got a skin on it and stayed dry underneath. Then when the super heated coffee was stirred the creamer grains suddenly were freed and made tons of nucleation points----sort of like when you throw in boiling chips at a bad time---and the coffee boiled over. Keep ice on those burns.
Yeah. That's my working theory.

If we agree, it must be right.

And seriously, keep ice on those scalded areas until it's too cold. Take off until burn starts to hurt, then put ice on again---even if a big nuisance. A bowl of ice water would work well for fingers. Apparently tissue continues to undergo damage and the icing prevents it. I got a fairly bad steam burn once and kept ice on and off it until it almost faded away and the next day it didn't hurt. OH OH I mean go see the doctor.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Tue May 02, 2006 6:04 pm

just can not follow the rules, can ya!

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Tue May 02, 2006 6:09 pm

Incidents such as this are easily avoided. Boil kettle. Infuse tea for 2-3 minutes in pot. Add milk to cup. Pour in tea. Drink tea.

Steve Shaw. Englishman.

brianormond · Post by **brianormond** » Tue May 02, 2006 6:13 pm

-Ouch! You're a victim of superheated water. It'll remain stable until disturbed, then will bubble over and scald you. I've done that too: -heated the water, added stuff to it-then had to run the scald under cold running water for as long as it takes to mute the burn. I welded for years and learned the virtues of sleeping with ones burned hand in a bucket of COLD water. -Sleeping with one's hand in a pail of WARM water purportedly
creates another problem.

-Perhaps the pre-placed matter in the cup remained a sealed mass as the outer layers gummed up, then prompted the boilover when the seal broke down, freshly exposed powder creating enough disturbance to create boilover. Just a guess.

This FDA page describes the phenomenon:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/erupted.html

-Sorry you got burned, Dale.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Tue May 02, 2006 7:36 pm

Dale wrote:
Cynth wrote:I was thinking that if the creamer was in the bottom of the cup and then coldish coffee poured in, maybe the creamer got a skin on it and stayed dry underneath. Then when the super heated coffee was stirred the creamer grains suddenly were freed and made tons of nucleation points----sort of like when you throw in boiling chips at a bad time---and the coffee boiled over. Keep ice on those burns.
Yeah. That's my working theory.

Dale, I talked to my husband and he said that even had the grains of creamer all been wetted by stirring and then settled, the same thing likely would have happened.

In a microwave, unlike heating on a stove, the liquid can be hotter on the top than on the bottom. And it won't sink down and circulate because the hotter water is less dense so it just stays on top---on the stove the hotter water moves up, the cooler denser water down and so it circulates and the overall temperature is about the same everywhere. So when you stirred the grains, even if they were all wet they could have suddenly been exposed to hotter water at the top causing the boil over. Also, even if they were all exposed to the coffee, stirring them would expose them to more molecules of water which would bubble. Also, as the grains dissolve there is new surface area or something like that for the bubbles to form on.

So, I don't know when it's safe to add powdered creamer, but just stirring it before heating and then letting undissolved grains settle would not make it safer.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Tue May 02, 2006 7:41 pm

When I was a child, my father was welding and he was using a cutting torch, and he was a pastor and he was doing this in the shop at some parishioners' farm. As he used that cutting torch, I observed that some of the sparks were falling to the ground and forming balls of metal. I saw a large one I wanted to keep, so I waited for it to quit glowing red... didn't want to pick up one that was too hot... it was still too hot after it quit glowing. I damaged the skin of a few fingers pretty good. Soaked it in ice vinegar.

rebl_rn · Post by **rebl_rn** » Tue May 02, 2006 8:10 pm

The Mythbusters guys did a segment about this awhile ago.

Myth 3: If you microwave water, when you take it out it will explode.

Experts: Heather Joseph-Witham - Folklorist - When you overheat water in a microwave, when you take it out, it will explode in your face burning you.

Action/Results: Adam and Jamie discover that the only way for water to explode is if it has become super heated, heated beyond boiling. Tap water always boils because it has impurities. Distilled water has no impurities so it won’t boil. Two mugs are placed into the microwave; one filled with tap water the other with distilled. The microwave is then turned on and Adam and Jamie watch to see when the tap water is boiling. When they see this, they know that the distilled water has become super heated. Dropping a sugar cube into the distilled water, a noticeable reaction occurs. There is an instant boiling, and explosion of water, that actually caused water to spill out of the mug. Myth TRUE!

Doug_Tipple · Post by **Doug_Tipple** » Tue May 02, 2006 8:30 pm

I love microwaves because I spent so many years trying to cook on a hotplate in my rooming house. However, besides superheated liquids, microwaves heat non-liquids unequally, as well. This last week I was warming a rice casserole in the microwave, and after sitrring it I thought that it was ready to serve. My first bite was just right in temperature. The second bite was the same. Yeow! The third bite was really hot, and I couldn't keep it in my mouth. Not a pretty sight, but you've got to do what you've got to do whether Miss Manners approves or not.

pixyy · Post by **pixyy** » Wed May 03, 2006 1:41 am

Dale, sorry you got burned

I've never owned a microwave myself. I don't trust them - never have.

Recently came across this as a very graphic demonstration of another reason not to trust them http://www.execonn.com/sf/

Get the kettle out

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Wed May 03, 2006 4:07 am

Ditto Pixxy and Steve S, buy a kettle!

Sorry about the scald Dale, I got one on the weekend too. I'd part filled Themos with boiling water, screwed the top on and shook it to thoroughly warm the inside before putting the real contents in. Problem was the top had a special pouring device which was open, and the boiling water splattered out all over my fingers. Owww!

My excuse was that it was 3:30am and I hadn't woken up fully.