Posted June 13, 2014
Have you ever microwaved water for 3-5 minutes to make a cup of tea or similar and then noticed that it tasted slightly weird? Sort of a semi-rancid-buttery taste to it of sorts. But, not every time you nuke water... just sometimes! Well, if you too have experienced this oddity, I'm about to make you puke through your nose like a garden hose! ;o)
Ok, so if you nuke the water and take it out when the microwave beeps at you and make your tea and drink it or whatever, then it tastes fine. But... if you nuke your water, forget about it and come back in 15-20 minutes to get it, possibly giving it another minute or two of nuke action, this is when the water starts to taste funny.
Well, what is happening is that the water heats up to a boil or near boil, then sits there giving off steam for 15 minutes or so which condenses on the roof of the microwave, and as it builds up droplets form which eventually become big enough to drip back down. Some of these will invariably land IN your drink, and if you don't keep your microwave oven clean and sterile the roof of the thing will have all kinds of random food splatter all over it, grease from reheating meat/pizza/whatever, and all kinds of other food slime. That is getting softened up by the steam and dripping down into your drink.
Yummy yummy yummy! Remember that bacon you made 2 months ago on the trivet dish in the microwave? Here, have some of the 2 month old bacon grease in your coffee, nom nom nom!
It's all in the name of science!</Cave Johnson>
Ok, so if you nuke the water and take it out when the microwave beeps at you and make your tea and drink it or whatever, then it tastes fine. But... if you nuke your water, forget about it and come back in 15-20 minutes to get it, possibly giving it another minute or two of nuke action, this is when the water starts to taste funny.
Well, what is happening is that the water heats up to a boil or near boil, then sits there giving off steam for 15 minutes or so which condenses on the roof of the microwave, and as it builds up droplets form which eventually become big enough to drip back down. Some of these will invariably land IN your drink, and if you don't keep your microwave oven clean and sterile the roof of the thing will have all kinds of random food splatter all over it, grease from reheating meat/pizza/whatever, and all kinds of other food slime. That is getting softened up by the steam and dripping down into your drink.
Yummy yummy yummy! Remember that bacon you made 2 months ago on the trivet dish in the microwave? Here, have some of the 2 month old bacon grease in your coffee, nom nom nom!
It's all in the name of science!</Cave Johnson>
