go.

I’m very excited. I’m a fan of most things scientific and something that I have long wanted to see happened today at lunch. I superheated some water. I was making a package of instant pasta on the stove. I turned the burner (electric) to high and put a sauce pan containing a little bit of water (to hold the heat and keep the pan from burning) on it while I measured the proper amount of water to add.

I poured the water from the pan into the measuring bowl and replaced it with vegetable oil, because I had time while the measuring bowl was filling. A few drops of water remained in the pan. When I finished measuring the water from the tap, I added it to the already hot oil and water in the pan. The moment the cooler water touched the bottom of the pan there was a loud “POP!” and oil (and maybe some water) splattered everywhere: the surrounding counter and stove top, my arm, the underside of the stove hood. I checked myself for burns, and though I had a little bit of oil on me, I wasn’t burned. I am very glad I poured the water while standing by the sink, not leaning over the pan, but I can’t explain why my arm wasn’t burnt.