Which is Better: Boiling Water on the Stove or In the Microwave?
Introduction
In our busy society, time is limited. Therefore, most people look for the quickest and most efficient way to complete tasks. Out of this mentality, I typically heat water in a microwave instead of on the stove top. Intuitively, the microwave method seems quicker and more efficient since you can heat a small amount of water at a time.
I firmly held this belief until a conversation over ramen one night. During this conversation, my friend asked why I heated the ramen water in the microwave instead of on the stove top. I explained that the microwave method was faster and easier. He explained that the stove method was superior since you were assured the water boiled. "In the microwave," he explained, "you never see the water bubble so how do you know it actually boiled?" This comment made me think, had the water really boiled or just heated? And if the microwave only heated the water to sub-boil; was the microwave method actually inferior? After our conversation, I wondered if I had been wrong all along. Was heating water in a microwave the inferior method? Had the microwaved water ever reached boiling at all?
I devised the following experiment to decide, once and for all, which was the superior method of boiling water: Microwave or stove top?
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