Boiling water is such a common practice that it can help you on many occasions. Do you have to prepare dinner? Understanding when to add the egg to cook it poached or how much salt to pour is really essential for the success of the dish. Are you hiking to the top of the mountain? So it is important to know how cooking times change and how to make river water drinkable. Read on to learn about these and other tricks.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Boil Water for Cooking
Step 1. Choose a pot with a lid
The lid traps the heat in the pan causing the water to boil faster. A large pot needs more time, but the shape itself does not clearly influence the process.
Step 2. Add cold tap water
Hot water may collect lead particles from the system pipes and it is not recommended to drink it or use it in the kitchen. Always start with cold tap water. Do not fill the pan to the brim, otherwise the contents will splash when the water begins to boil; also, you need space to add food later.
Don't believe the metropolitan myth that cold water boils faster than hot water. It is safer, but it takes a few more minutes to reach a boil
Step 3. Add salt for flavor (optional)
Salt has almost no effect on the boiling temperature, even if you add so much that the water is almost like sea water! Its purpose is only to flavor food, especially pasta, which will absorb it with water.
- As soon as you drop the salt into the water, you will notice a lot of bubbles rising to the surface, which is a fun reaction that does not alter the temperature.
- Add the salt when boiling the eggs. If the shell were to crack, the salt would help the egg white to coagulate, thus sealing the crack.
Step 4. Put the pot over high heat
Place the pan on the stove and turn on the corresponding burner to the maximum. Remember to put the lid on the pot to help the water boil faster.
Step 5. Know the stages of the boil
Most recipes involve cooking with water that is fully boiling or simmering. Learn to recognize these stages, and a couple of less common ones, to find the perfect cooking temperature for your dishes:
- Initial phase: small bubbles form at the base of the pot which, however, still cannot rise and the surface of the water is just flickering. This happens at a temperature of 60-75 ° C and is best suited for cooking poached eggs, boiling fruit and boiling fish.
- Second step: A couple of rows of bubbles begin to rise, although most of the water is still standing. In this phase the water has a temperature of about 75-90 ° C and is used for the preparation of stews or braised meats.
- Third phase or simmering: it is evident the presence of small or medium-sized bubbles that pass through the pot, often rise to the surface and break. At this point the water is 90-100 ° C and is perfect for steaming vegetables or melting chocolate, depending on how healthy you feel.
- Fourth stage or full boil: the steam and the movement of the water don't stop even when you mix it. This is the highest temperature that the water reaches: 100 ° C. At this point, you can cook the pasta.
Step 6. Add the dishes
If you have decided to boil some food, now is the time to pour it into the water. Cold foods lower the water temperature back to an earlier stage. This is a completely normal reaction, which you can compensate for by leaving the flame at medium or high level until the contents of the pot return to the correct temperature.
Unless the recipe states otherwise, do not add the food to the water before it is boiling, otherwise you will have a hard time estimating cooking times and may get unexpected results. For example, meat tends to become tougher and less flavorful if you expose it to cold water at any time during cooking
Step 7. Lower the heat
High heat is useful for making the water reach boiling point quickly. Once you have it, reduce the heat to medium (if you want to boil the food) or to medium low (to simmer). When water boils, excess heat only increases the speed of movement.
- For the first few minutes, check the pan from time to time to make sure the water is stable at the desired level.
- When cooking soup or other dish that requires a long simmer, leave the lid slightly ajar. If you seal the pan completely, the internal temperature will rise excessively for this type of food.
Method 2 of 4: Purify Your Drinking Water
Step 1. You can kill bacteria and other pathogens by boiling water
By heating the water, practically all microorganisms present in it will die. However, remember that this process does not remove most of the chemical contamination.
If the water is cloudy, you need to filter it first to get rid of the soil
Step 2. Bring the water to a full boil
The element that kills the bacteria is heat and not the movement of water. However, without a thermometer, bubble formation is the only indicator that can tell you precisely what the temperature of the liquid is. Wait until steam forms and the water begins to stir. From this point on, all dangerous germs and microorganisms should start to die.
Step 3. Continue boiling the water for 1-3 minutes (optional)
For added security, let it boil briskly for one minute (you can count slowly to 60). If you live in altitudes greater than 2000m above sea level, wait three minutes (count slowly to 180).
The water boils at lower temperatures at high altitudes, which means that if it is slightly colder it needs more time to kill the bacteria
Step 4. Let it cool and store it in sealed containers
Once it is cold again, the boiled water is safe to drink. Store it in clean, sealed containers.
Boiled water tastes rather "flat" than normal water, because some of the air in it has been expelled during boiling. To improve the flavor, repeatedly pour it into two clean containers so that it can trap some more air as it falls
Step 5. Bring a portable water boiling device with you when you travel
If you have access to electricity, then you can use a heating coil; otherwise, use a camping stove or a kettle, without forgetting the fuel or batteries.
Step 6. As a last resurrection, leave the plastic containers in the sun
If you have no way to boil it, pour the water into clear plastic containers and expose it to direct sunlight for at least 6 hours. This way you will kill some of the dangerous bacteria, but you won't have the same safety as boiling.
Method 3 of 4: Boil Water in the Microwave
Step 1. Transfer the water to a microwave-safe bowl or glass
If you don't have a container that is clearly labeled "microwave safe", then get a glass or ceramic dish that doesn't have metal elements. To check if the container is safe, place it empty in the appliance, next to a cup of water. Heat it for a minute; if, at the end of the minute, the container is hot, then it is not safe for the microwave.
To be even safer, use a vessel that has a scratch or chip (in scientific terms a nucleation center) on the inside surface. In this way bubbles will form reducing the risk (although unlikely) of an explosion of "superheated" water
Step 2. Place an object in the water that can be heated in the microwave
Its purpose is to trigger the formation of bubbles. Try inserting a wooden spoon, Chinese stick, or popsicle stick. If you don't mind flavoring the water, you can also limit yourself to a spoonful of salt or sugar.
Avoid plastic items, as their surface may be too smooth for bubbles to form
Step 3. Transfer the container full of water to the appliance
In most models, the edge of the turntable ensures faster heat-up times than the center.
Step 4. Heat the water in short intervals, stirring it regularly between each
To be really safe, check your appliance's instructions for how long it takes to heat the water. If you don't have the microwave manual, then proceed at one minute intervals. After each session, mix the water carefully and remove it from the microwave to check its temperature. The water is ready when steaming and is too hot to touch.
- If it's still cold after a couple of minutes, increase your sessions to 90-120 seconds. The total time depends on the power of your model and the amount of water you are heating.
- Don't expect it to reach "full boil" in the microwave. It will still reach 100 ° C, but to a lesser extent.
Method 4 of 4: Boil Water at High Altitude
Step 1. Understand the process
As you rise above sea level, the air becomes more and more rarefied. Since there are fewer air molecules pushing water down, each water molecule encounters less resistance to detach itself from the others and reach the air. In other words, it will take less time for the water to start boiling. However, the temperature will be lower and the less heat will make cooking food more complicated.
You don't have to worry about this effect unless you are at altitudes above 610m
Step 2. Start with a lot more water
Since liquids evaporate faster at high altitudes, you should compensate for this by adding more water than necessary. If you have decided to cook food in water, you will need to add even more. The dishes will take longer to cook, so most of the water will evaporate.
Step 3. Boil the food for a longer time
To compensate for the lower temperature, you need to cook the food for longer. Here are some guidelines for estimating times:
- If the recipe calls for cooking times "less" than 20 minutes at sea level, add one minute for every 350 m of altitude.
- If the preparation involves "more" than 20 minutes of cooking at sea level, then add two minutes for every 305 m of altitude.
Step 4. Use the pressure cooker
At particularly high altitudes, cooking in boiling water requires such a long time as to be not very rational. For this reason, it is worth boiling water in a pressure cooker. This tool traps water with an airtight lid and raises the internal pressure so that the liquid can reach higher temperatures. When using the pressure cooker, you can follow the recipe as if you were at sea level.
Advice
- If you're boiling anything other than water, such as a sauce, turn the heat down as soon as it comes to a boil to avoid burning the bottom of the pot.
- Pasta is usually cooked in a large pot of boiling water (about 8-12 liters for one kilogram of pasta). Recently some cooks have started boiling pasta in small saucepans, even throwing it in cold water. The second method is much faster.
Warnings
- Steam burns much more than boiling water due to the high thermal energy it contains.
- The boiling water and the steam it gives off are hot enough to burn you. Use a pot holder if necessary and handle the pots carefully.
- Distilled water is much more likely to overheat in the microwave, as it does not contain any impurities that trigger bubble formation. While it's not a frequent occurrence, it's best to just use tap water.
