Micro Waved Water

A 26-year old decided to have a cup of 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 noted 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 flown out into his face due to the build up 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 is 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 teakettle.
General Electric's (GE) response:
Thanks for contacting us. I will be happy to assist you. The e-mail that
you received is correct. Microwaved water and other liquids do not
always bubble when they reach the boiling point. They can actually get
superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated liquid will bubble up
out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a spoon or tea
bag is put into it. To prevent this from happening and causing injury,
do not heat any liquid for more than two minutes per cup. After heating,
let the cup stand in the microwave for thirty seconds before moving it
or adding anything into it.