- One 3-quart saucier or saucepan filled with water
- 1 accurate instant-read thermometer
Procedure
Turn your oven on to 200°F and let it preheat. Now
open the oven door, stick your hand inside, and keep
your hand in the oven until it gets too hot to
withstand. A tough guy like you could probably
leave it in there for at least 15 seconds, right? 30
seconds? Indefinitely?
Now place a pan of cold water on the stovetop
and stick your hand in it. Turn the burner to
medium-high heat and let the water start to heat up.
Stir it around with your hand as it heats, but be
careful not to touch the bottom of the pan (the
bottom of the pan will heat much faster than the
water). Keep your hand in there until it becomes too
hot to withstand, remove your hand, and take the
temperature.
Results
Most people can hold their hand in a 200°F oven for
at least 30 seconds or so before it becomes
uncomfortably hot. But let it go much above 135°F,
and a pan of water is painful to touch. Water at
180°F is hot enough to scald you, and 212°F (boiling)
water will blister and scar you if you submerge your
hand in it. Why is this?
Water is much denser than air—there are many
times more molecules in a cup of water than there