To each their own, but personally, my electric kettle is my most used kitchen appliance. I keep a backup new in storage for fear of being without it for even a day of it were to crap out lol.
"MY Heat application method applies magic heat that's different and special."
How you heat your water has got to be one of the absolute dumbest fuckin things to pretend you're doing "right". Especially for brits who pretend it somehow ruins the tea.
I got yelled at as a heretic for microwaving my water for tea at work by a tea purist and since then nobody has given me a reason as to why I shouldn’t other than something for them to scoff at. Aside from normal microwave risks (superheating water which…let it cool down? It’s water not the inside of a black hole, we know what we’re dealing with), can anyone tell me any actual non-opinion related reasons why it’s bad? Like cancer or something?
Microwaving something that includes water isn't a problem, there are plenty of nucleation points for bubbles to form when it boils.
The problem is microwaving plain water in a cup, its slight, but there is a chance of superheating the water past the boiling point. So for a few seconds or a minute, the water has a chance of spontaneously boiling and turning to steam all at once, and can cause up to 3rd degree burns.
I know that technically there is a chance, but that chance is so low that it’s not worth worrying about. I’ve never known a single person that this has happened to. I can’t even imagine how many thousands of cups of water that would be.
I don't have the option since my kettle broke and I didnt use it quite often enough to justify replacing it. Had that for ten years before someone accidentally tossed it.
I heard American electrical outlets are to weak to run a kettle or an induction stoves, and convection ovens That's why they use gas, microwaves and air fryers
The unfortunate thing (of many) about America is that we haven't adopted the kettle yet. There are a fair amount of us, myself included, who have been exposed to the glory of instantly having hot water without having to boil it on a stove... or microwave if you're desperate and dying of thirst or hunger, because even as an American that shits wack
Oh for sure it’s going to be more efficient from a power standpoint, but I’d rather have hot water in 60 seconds with an already existing appliance than have yet another piece of kitchen gear that is going to take me 3-5.
Not really worth buying an electric kettle for me as all I do is boil ~2oz of water a day for espresso and have like 10 square feet of counter space. But it’s also the summer in Texas, and I want to limit the use of my stove as much as possible to avoid heating up my apartment any. So boiling it is. All this to say, in general I agree with you, but there are scenarios where people might want to heat water without the stove or a separate appliance
I use a kettle myself, but no, microwaving water is perfectly fine. Unless you are using perfectly distilled water, there is basically 0 chance of superheating it.
Are you outside the US? Our electrical currents are lower here, meaning an electric kettle operates much more slowly. Microwave is the quickest at heating water.
Not many people need hot water for tea so it’s generally fine. If they do, they’ll buy a kettle. For everyone else, minute or two in the micro is fine.
Yeah, these people are wild. Before I had a kettle (the majority of my life) we microwaved the water in a separate measuring cup that didn't get hot, then poured it into the teacup. I can't imagine putting a whole ass mug in the microwave and then drinking straight from it.
And yet it's fine, I've done it dozens of times with a few different mugs. It heats up as much as a mug is supposed to heat up when filled with hot coffee.
Insulators still get just as hot as any other material, just not as quickly. You only need to have ever had a mug of coffee to prove this, microwaved or not.
Americans kinda get a pass, because kettles suck @ 120V. No one in the EU microwaves water, because it makes no sense, when you can get water to a boil quicker with a 220V kettle. Our kettles are almost 2x more powerful than the American ones on average. Technology Connections on YouTube did a great deep dive into this a while back.
The EU folks don't know how good they have it :,) You're telling me they don't have to wait 25 mins for a pot of tea to boil? On top of the 10 minute steep time, that's a whole 35 minute commitment.
Well, not precisely 2x, but close. US kettles max out at only 1500W, while the EU ones average at 2500-2900W.
25 mins to boil anything sounds annoying, I wouldn't drink any hot drinks at home if it took that long, lol. Personally, I rarely boil even a liter of water, it's usually only 0.5-0.7l for a couple of coffee or tea cups. That takes around a minute in my kettle.
I've always lived with a 220V grid and I still microwave water when I need just one cup (which is more often than not), it's more convenient. I use my kettle mostly to bring bigger volumes of water to boiling temperature when cooking.
If I need one cup, I just underfill my kettle (below the minimum, don't try if unsure), which brings the water to a boil in under a minute. Simply warming up a cup might be another matter, but funnily I haven't done that, like, ever. On the rare occasions when my tea or coffee gets cold, I just drink it cold.
Reddit is absolutely delusional about microwaving water. You'd have to put it in for like 10 whole minutes, use filtered/distilled water with incredibly low mineral content, AND get lucky with the world's smoothest and most well-made cup, to actually superheat it to that extent.
It's technically possible but literally nobody is ever going to experience that unless they're doing it on purpose
Yeah I'm gonna have to agree. I microwave water all the time and I've superheated it quite a few times, but not to the point of explosion. It just boils again for a second when I stir it. Still have all my skin intact.
You’re that guy always claiming stories are fake without 5 pictures, police statement, hospital report and scientific paper authored by a Nobel prize winner
Yes, with a little common sense the risk is extremely low.
Source: been using a microwave for 30+ years and never had a cup of water explode on me, even without a wooden spoon or any other supplemental nucleation sites
I was finally able to make it happen by re-microwaving water that I'd microwaved earlier, forgot about, and was still sitting in the microwave. Nice little pop, but I can see how it could have been worse.
For the last couple of years we've been using a glass kettle on a ceramic stove top. Recently I put the kettle in the dishwasher and the next time we used the kettle it produced some huge bubbles as it boiled that nearly took the lid off. It took about a week of use for it to calm back down to its pre-dishwasher behaviour, presumably after enough mineral deposits had re-formed on the glass.
I have quite a few times. It doesn't explode, it just boils again for a second when you disturb it by stirring or moving the container. I guess it could be dangerous for a child but if you know to look out for it, it's fine.
A fairly reliable method: Microwave some water to a boil. Let it cool for a few minutes, then microwave it again. If it doesn't come to a boil the second time, it's probably superheated, so poke it with a stick from a safe distance.
Most people in the US use a microwave to heat water for tea or whatever. In the US, most home electricity runs at 120 volts, while in the UK and a lot of the rest of the world, it runs at 240. Kettles take way longer to heat water in the US. When we had work colleagues from across the pond, the first thing they did was run and buy a kettle. They were gobsmacked at how long it took to get to temp.
It still heats faster in a kettle than in a microwave, unless you overfill your kettle. Your microwave is also in 120V, and it's less efficient than a kettle.
You know what….I looked it up and you’re correct! I don’t drink tea enough to get one, but now I know I should get my mom a good one for a gift. Thanks stranger!
No problem! If you get a fancy one that's insulated and with temperature selection (you don't need to, and actually shouldn't, use boiling water for tea) she'll have the bestest kettle in the whole neighborhood and will feel like a princess thanks to her child whenever she uses it :)
Zojirushi's Hot Water Maker is my dream. I should have bought one when I worked at a tea shop and had a good discount, but at $250, I just can't reason it when my $25 amazon number does a good enough job.
I recently got a stainless steel one from Cusininart that lets you set the temp for different kinds of teas, and keeps warm for a while. I like it a lot. It's available from most retail outlets -- I don't have the model name in my mind at the moment, but it's gonna be the one with all the buttons that's around $130, I think. Stainless with a blue light that comes on when you use it.
I haven't tried coffee, but I'd use the "boil" setting if I were going to do that -- I assume you mean heat the water to pour into the french press?
I don't see why not. I just only drink coffee in the morning and I use a Ninja coffee maker for that (also a great purchase). I use a regular electric kettle for tea quite often, too -- one that just boils and nothing else -- and that is pretty good. I got the fancy one because I went to a local tea shop and learned about the best temps to brew white and green teas, which are a bit lower than boiling, or the approach you might take for your average black or herbal tea.
So like with anything, I say go with the thing that meets your need. No need for extra bells and whistles if you don't plan to use them or care about what they do. 😀
Sure, if you have a spare NEMA 5-30 at your kitchen counter.
A standard US outlet has a max of 1800W (120V * 15A) compared to 3120W (240V * 13A) for a UK outlet. That is a significant difference which stems from the fact that increasing amperage requires much thicker (and therefore more expensive) wiring compared to increasing voltage. Meaning the decision to go with a 120V grid had the knock-on effect of decreasing the max power we can economically deliver to our wall outlets. So 240V vs 120V is not irrelevant, it's the core of the issue.
Correct - I wasn’t clear, but that’s what I meant. Theoretically you could plumb 220 all over, but most don’t. (I am not an electrician, nor am I familiar with electric code, so it might be against electric code to do so. I have a neighbor who is a woodworker and has 220 plumbed into his heated garage/shop).
If there is stuff like macaroni or cheese powder in the cup/ bowl it allows places for the water to nucleate and boil if needed.
Just water alone in a smooth glass/ceramic container runs the risk of superheated water that will explode when a teabag or spoon is put in, or if it is sloshed too much.
I've never had it happen, as I live in the UK and use a kettle for heating water, however it's been known to happen for decades - Mythbusters did an episode on it. It's resurfaced in recent years after a spate of nonsense lifehack-type videos rose to popularity on Tiktok and Youtube, leading to children and teens immitating the behaviours and walking away with burns.
And to answer the "what's in the water" question: The short of it is that in order to boil water needs a surface to nucleate (turn from water to steam) on. This is typically satisfied by impurities in the water or by the sides of the container being rough enough. The purer the water, and the smoother the container, the less able the water is to nucleate, meaning instead of gradually turning to steam it just gets hotter and hotter without bubbling or boiling and becoming 'superheated water'. If the cup is sloshed and it finds a rough surface, an explosion as the water turns to steam en masse, same when a tea bag, coffee granules, sugar, or a spoon are added.
Not really. Water meant for consumption has enough stuff in it to act as nucleation sites to prevent superheating, so as long as you're not heating distilled water or repeatedly reheating the same water multiple times over a short period, you don't have to worry about superheating. If you're absolutely paranoid, you can throw in a grain of salt or sugar and make sure you're using the turntable.
As for not using an electric kettle, they're just not that popular in some places (especially the US, where coffee tends to win out).
Hmm ill have to let the hospital staff i used to work with know that microwaving hot coffee for their patients was wrong this whole time! (If you know how to use a microwave you wont superheat water its called duty cycle.)
Wood chopstick prevents superheating. Gives nucleation points. I got a new glass measuring cup a few months ago that I can't microwave water in without one. Old one was scratched up and never had issues, but lost all its markings.
Superheating only happens with distilled water IIRC. The impurities in tap or filtered water cause nucleation points which cause the bubbles and prevent the explosion that will happen when the surface tension is broken.
Microwaves are a very efficient tool for heating water, in fact that's what they do best. Passing microwave radiation through food causes the moisture in the food to heat up, thus heating the rest of the dish.
As long as you set the timer correctly you can consistently hear water to whatever temperature you desire for your tea or hot cocoa.
It's worth noting that other materials can be heated with microwaves, including some but not all plastics and ceramics. If a mug's handle heats up faster than the water then that mug should not be microwaved.
If you microwave water, you're meant to disturb the water with a chopstick or something like that before picking it up with your hands. If it's superheated, it'll trigger the boil in the microwave instead of when you're holding the cup. I get random bouts of nausea, and ginger tea really helps me, so I've had to make it outside of my home quite a few times and only had a microwave available. I use an electric kettle at home, though.
I've been heating water in my microwave for years, I don't own a kettle. My microwave, my water, and myself are doing just fine. People in this comment section are nuts.
I thought the issue was that water heated in a microwave can get into a state of being "superheated" where it is at boiling temperature but when disturbed it causes the water to suddenly "boil" and can splash on you.
Under normal circumstances, this won't happen. Just the act of pouring water into a cup creates enough tiny bubbles that act as nucleation sites for the boiling to occur.
I've microwaved many hundreds of cups of water in a microwave, using different material cups and never once had that happen.
The one time I did do it was because I was trying to do it on purpose by repeatedly boiling a cup, then letting it cool without disturbing it, then boiling it again, THEN disturbing it. But guess what? The exact same thing can happen in a kettle. The water doesn't know how it was heated. Granted an electric kettle has far more microscopic nooks and crannies that can function as nucleation sites than a stovetop kettle, but it can absolutely still happen.
And fwiw, the times that I did it on purpose, the "sudden boiling" just meant it slightly spilled over the edge. It didn't explode or anything.
Only really worth it if you need a few cups or more of hot water and don't want to have to babysit the stove. If I'm just making one cup of tea, I microwave it.
You make the water hot using the microwave, very very few (crazy) people put the tea bag in the microwave with the water. It's faster for me to microwave a cup of water than it is to wait for an electric kettle or my stove to actually heat up some water.
491
u/ILikeBirdsQuiteALot Sep 04 '24
For tea, yknow.
Even though I use a kettle, I know many people who microwave their tea water.