How can a peanut heat up water?

Question

What qualities do peanuts have that make them have enough energy to heat up water? (If you can include a resource/ website of some sort it will be GREATLY appreciated)

Answer 1

A peanut has a lower specific heat capacity than water, so do this experiment:

1) Heat up peanut
2) Measure temperature of water
3) Drop peanut in water
4) Wait a little bit... (for thermal equillibrium)
5) Measure temperature of water again

Et voila, the water temperature will have increased.

I suppose you could also burn the peanut. I am sure the peanut (which will mainly be made from organic compounds) will react with the oxygen in the air if you heat it up enough. Then the reaction should be exothermic as the organic molecule breaks up into simpler molecules. This will release more thermal energy, which you could use to heat the water. I guess that would work.

Thing is, I'm not a peanutologist.

Answer 2

it CANT