Hot Water Freezing?

The rumor persists that hot water will freeze faster than cold water. It sounds implausible because the hot water has more internal energy which must be removed before it can start the phase change. Perhaps this tale had its origin in the days of non-frost-free refrigerators in which a considerable buildup of ice on the walls of the freezing compartment was a common occurrence. Ice acts as an insulator, inhibiting the cooling process.

What about snap-freezing?

Another scenario suggested for the "hot water freezing" story is the possibility of supercooling and snap-freezing by the hot water.

The Mpemba Effect?

There is in fact a large body of literature about initially hot water freezing faster than cold water and this phenomenon has been labeled the "Mpemba effect" (see

Some

Auerbach, David, Supercooling and the Mpemba Effect: When Hot Water Freezes Faster Than Cold, Am J Phys. 63, 882-885, (1995)

Dorsey, N.E., Am. Philos. Soc. 38, 247-328, (1948).

Dorsey, N.E., The Properties of Ordinary Water Substance, Reinhold, Scranton, PA., (1940).