Why does adding water to boiling oil cause an explosion but nothing happens when adding oil to boiling water?

Question

Why does adding water to boiling oil cause an explosion but nothing happens when adding oil to boiling water?

In: 200

Answer 1

Oil boils at a far higher temperature than water.

When water boils, it is expanding into steam. When water hits boiling oil, it gets to boiling quickly and expands quickly. This expansion pushes the oil out of the way and, if a lot of water was added, can do so in a way that looks like an explosion.

When you add oil to boiling water, the water is not hot enough to boil the oil. Thus, the oil just “mixes” with the water. It’s not a true mixture because as soon as the water stops boiling, the oil will rise to the surface and form a separate layer since oil and water don’t truly mix without an emulsifier.