On Tue, 21 Oct 2003 00:34:39 GMT, "William Graham" >
wrote:


>I don't think covering the can is necessary....But you don't want to run out
>of water, so put the can in a large pot with lots of water, and watch it so
>you don't forget it....If you run out of water it will explode....As long as
>there's plenty of water, the contents of the can won't boil because they are
>under slightly higher pressure, and the water in your pot won't go over
>boiling at normal atmospheric pressure, so it's safe.....

The water is a heat sink, I imagine. A can sitting on the bottom of a
pan, on a burner, can indeed get warmer than 212 degreees by way of
conduction, if not covered completely with water. If the can was only
1/2 way covered, it would be exposed to air (shich would not absorb
the heat bearly as well as the water) and could likely reach
temperatures above the boiling point of water.

-sw