# Is microwaved hot water different somehow? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 9, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135 "2009-10-09T00:48:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135/41 "2009-10-10T21:50:01Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > you can dissolve 4 teaspoons of sugar in a glass without stirring too long, half a minute. > > you would be surprised at the amount that could dissolve if length of time stirring wasn’t an issue. It’s fairly easy to dissolve more than a cup of sugar in a cup of room temp tap water; it usually takes about a minute of stirring. Even down at 20C, you can dissolve a given weight of sugar into half that weight of water. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135/42 "2009-10-10T21:51:01Z")
> [@Pyrophoria](#): > > The electric won’t be more efficient because it still relies on a heating filament. It may be faster than the microwave, however it won’t be as energy efficient because there is more energy loss from radiant heat(essentially heating water with a light bulb). You’re thinking of incandescent light bulbs being inefficient because most of the energy goes into heat rather than light. Here, heat is what you want, so that doesn’t apply. The heating element is putting essentially 100% of the energy into the water. Between the microwave and the electric kettle, the microwave will produce some waste heat, but you can heat the water directly in your cup, so you don’t have to heat the kettle (or some other container). Might be a wash. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135/43 "2009-10-10T21:57:17Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > My advice more generally: avoid Theraflu. That stuff gives me frenzied, unpleasant dreams. Interesting- It didnt give me frenzied dreams, but very mundane ones and when I woke up I couldn’t tell if I had dreamt the conversations of if they actually happened. Very disconcerting. As for the super heated water, does anyone know if there is a theoretical limit how hot water can get without actually boiling? With perfect enough conditions can water be heated to 400 degrees? ---
**Author:** ![Pyrophoria](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@Pyrophoria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyrophoria)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135/44 "2009-10-10T22:08:30Z")
No, I’m very sure I know what I meant. the lightbulb analogy works great. I am an amateur physicist, I don’t think of a lightbulb only for its light producing capabilites. The lightbulb analogy works great because the heating element does NOT put essentially 100% of its energy into the water, unless you have the heating element in the center of the kettle, heat radiates spherically. All of the models I have seen have the filament at the bottom to aid in convection. The critical temperature for water is 374_C. So theoretically with a perfect container, perfectly de-ionized and de-oxygenated water, you could get to 374_C until it changed phase. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135/45 "2009-10-10T22:13:51Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > you can dissolve 4 teaspoons of sugar in a glass without stirring too long, half a minute. > > you would be surprised at the amount that could dissolve if length of time stirring wasn’t an issue. > [@ivn1188](#): > > It’s fairly easy to dissolve more than a cup of sugar in a cup of room temp tap water; it usually takes about a minute of stirring. > > Even down at 20C, you can dissolve a given weight of sugar into half that weight of water. yes if you showed most people the pile of sugar that would dissolve in a glass of water they would think you were nuts, it is massively soluble. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135/46 "2009-10-10T22:50:52Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Between the microwave and the electric kettle, the microwave will produce some waste heat, but you can heat the water directly in your cup, so you don’t have to heat the kettle (or some other container). Might be a wash. If that’s the case, I’ll stick with the electric kettle. I make loose tea in a pot, and pour the boiling water over the tea. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135/47 "2009-10-11T07:45:42Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > If that’s the case, I’ll stick with the electric kettle. I make loose tea in a pot, and pour the boiling water over the tea. It’s also going to depend a bit on if your waste heat is really wasted. Where I live it gets rather cold in the winter, and because of heating that cold air, also gets very dry inside. Using a gas stove, any extra heat just goes to heat my house, and any water converted to steam becomes welcomed humidity. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135/48 "2009-10-11T07:54:56Z")
I saw a co-worker once after he’d accidentally superheated _honey_ in a microwave. Spots and specks and streaks of burning honey all over his face made for the worst first-degree burns I’ve ever seen. He compared it to spreading hot glue over your face. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135/49 "2009-10-11T12:16:37Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I superheated a mug of black coffee once without realising it. > > I grabbed it straight from the microwave and took a glug. > > It boiled, IN MY FUCKING MOUTH. > > I spat the coffee out immediately, and then the entire first layer of the roof of my mouth sloughed off in a single sheet. Couldn’t taste anything for a week. Aaacccckkkkk! I actually _covered my mouth with my hand_ while reading this, like it might be. . .I dunno, contagious or something. Gah. ::shudder:: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-microwaved-hot-water-different-somehow/513135.md?page=2)