Q&A for How to Boil Water in the Microwave

The main risk of boiling water in a microwave is that it might become superheated, which can cause boiling water to violently “explode” out of the container. If you use precautions such as putting a wooden stirrer in the water or using a container with a rough inner surface, you’re less likely to experience this issue.

You can put both water and macaroni in a bowl before heating, ensuring the noodles are covered completely by water, and cook it in the microwave for about seven to eight minutes. You might want to put a plate under the container, as it might bubble over.

The main use for microwaves is to reheat food faster than possible in a stove or oven. There are many recipes and products that are made specifically for use in a microwave.

Please do not put a thermostat in the microwave. Heat up the water without the thermostat, then take it out of the microwave, measure the temperature, and, if necessary, heat the water some more, again: without the thermostat.

In a decent, full-powered U.S. microwave, I boil 1.5-2 cups of water by putting it in for 2 minutes. This seems to get it very close to/at boiling point.

Yes, but put a paper towel over it, and make sure the bowl is big enough so it doesn't bubble over.

Boiling water takes a minute, followed by 30 second increments, until it reaches a maximum of 212°F.

Yes, although heating carbonated water will cause it to lose carbon dioxide very quickly. Boiling it may remove the fizz altogether.

That depends on how far above sea level you live. Test it out by heating in 1-minute increments, just as the article suggests.

Yes, but you should start with 30 second intervals instead of two minutes due to the wide range of possible temperatures at the start, heat loss to the container, and time to get it into the microwave

No. Distillation is the removal of dissolved ions (calcium, metals, sodium, etc.). In fact, the residence time in the heating tube where the water is boiling is so short, a coffee maker will not even sterilize the water.

You can boil as much water as you'd like. Note that you should take extreme care when boiling water in the microwave. In order for water to boil, water must overcome the vapor pressure and surface tension.

Yes, you can. Just make sure that the water won't superheat, and that you handle the water with care after heating. In most cases, the water will boil safely.

You probably shouldn't, but hot water is good for tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.

You can. However, tea aficionados don't recommend using the microwave to heat water for tea, since the water will end up a slightly different temperature from what you'd get out of a kettle. As a result, your tea won't taste as good as if you boiled the water on the stove.

It is recommended that it be boiled for 3 minutes at least, but make sure to use heat protection when retrieving the cup of water.

Yes you can, but the water will still boil with/without the paper towel covering it.

Do not seal or cover the container. Place a non-metallic object in the container. This could be a chopstick or popsicle stick, which will prevent the water from superheating. Heat in short intervals.