How do you boil liquids without a heating source?

Question

So there was a woman at the country while I was a child - people said she was 'a witch' - and she was famous for preparing her food without using wood for the fire.

People used to argue it was either 'the devil' who served her, or the power of her spoken charms or the herbs etc.

Anyway, I met a neighbor today, coming home, and she asked me straight to her place. Once in the kitchen, she unpacked her stuff, I sat down, she put the milk in a crate, I lit up a cigarette, she said it was impolite to keep me in the kitchen, I asserted it was no problem, let's wait until the milk is done. To which, she turned to the stove, said three words (silly archaic words which would approximately translate into 'Lord, make it grow') and the boiling was... done. The milk fill out and she turned off the gas.

We could go to the living room now...

What was that? It must have took less than 2 minutes between the moment she lit the gas and then shut it down.

Answer 1

She is obviously a witch.

Answer 2

they make a stove that cooks with magnets it is for a wok

Answer 3

I agree with Sir Readalot. Boiling point depends on air pressure. Water boils at slightly lower temp in the mountains. In a hard vacuum, it will boil at room temperature.

I'm thinking maybe your neighbor threw something in the milk like a science-fair volcano project.

Answer 4

The only thing that would boil that quickly is an Induction hob. It doesn't get hot either :-)

Answer 5

There are chemicals, such as phosphorus which will create a chemical reaction causing a liquid to boil or even catch fire.  You would need a chemist to assist you on that one.

However, she could have a voice actuated mechanism on her stove that turns it on.

Milk itself boils at a lower temperature than water.

Or, she simply has mastered, the use of infra-red energy or microwaves with the use of her mind.

Answer 6

It is possible to "boil" liquids wthout heat- if you chuck them into space, they will evaporate as the vapour pressure surrounding them is lower than their internal pressure, so they expand and change states. But on Earth it can't be done.

Answer 7

you cant

Answer 8

when you wake up, discuss this dream with your shrink.

Answer 9

You can boil water, without heating it, if you reduce the ambient air pressure.

Answer 10

In this instance, you know that she used heat because you saw her turn off the gas.  It is theoretically possible to boil without a heat source if you can lower the ambient pressure without changing the temperature.  Water boils at a significantly lower temperature at the top of Mount Everest than at sea level and blood boils, literally, in you veins anywhere above 200 km.  The phrase was likely just to phase you or maintain a reputation.

Answer 11

It sounds to me like there was a source of heat.

I really can't answer this question without more information Mirko.

Answer 12

I, personally, don't believe it to be possible. But maybe she has a quick temperature starter or something of that sort.

Answer 13

O Mirko...You look SO CUTE!!!LOL.

Well...you have strange neighbors!! I don't know how much a "crate" is. Maybe I should google it. Two minutes isn't long for a cup. To me, a "crate " is a wooden box.

Did you go to Kel333's new question and see my answer...just want you to know.

Answer 14

oh mirko lol

i have no idea...but i know it would bother me until i found out....you should of asked her, or you should go back and ask...something like that would be playing on my mind, id have to ask....

Answer 15

Chemically?

...and if you had time to get settled, get your cigs out, light one, then debate whether or not it was rude to be in the kitchen... it was probably longer than 2 mins.  

Time is elastic.

Stand and wait for the kettle to boil and it seems to take ages, but when the phone goes or someone knocks on the door it's boiled before you know it.