It may happen sooner or later that you have to roughly determine the temperature of the water and not have a waterproof thermometer. You can evaluate it by looking for signs that the liquid is almost boiling or freezing. You can also use your hand or elbow to test the heat level; however, remember that proceeding without a tool does not provide an accurate value.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: with the Hand and Elbow
Step 1. Keep your hand close to the water
To get a very rough idea of whether the water is cold, lukewarm or hot, first place your hand near the surface. If you perceive the heat radiating from the water, it means that it is very hot and could burn you; if you feel nothing, the liquid may be cold or at room temperature.
Do not put your hand directly in water, neither in the kitchen nor in nature, without first holding it above the surface to evaluate its temperature
Step 2. Dip the elbow
If the vessel is large enough to allow for this, put the tip of your elbow in the water to roughly estimate the temperature; you should immediately understand if the liquid is cold or hot.
Do not put your hand in a container of water whose heat level you ignore as you could burn yourself
Step 3. Estimate the temperature
If you let your elbow soak for 5-10 seconds, you can get a rough idea of what temperature the water is at; if you feel a slight heat, it is likely to be around 38 ° C.
Method 2 of 3: Finding out if the water is cold
Step 1. Look for condensation on the container
If the water is in a glass or metal container (such as a thermos or saucepan) and you notice that condensation begins to form, you can confidently say that it is colder than the air around it.
- In simple terms, the speed at which condensation develops is greater when the water is much colder than air.
- If you notice that these droplets of liquid are created on the outer walls of the glass within two or three minutes, the water is really very cold.
Step 2. Notice if ice begins to form
If the water you are looking at is very cold and starts to freeze, you should notice a small layer of ice starting to form around the edges. The freezing point of this liquid is close to 0 ° C, although it is possible to see the first crystals even when it is slightly warmer (0.5-1.7 ° C).
For example, if you are looking at a bowl of water inside the freezer, you can see small solid fragments starting to develop where the liquid touches the inside of the container
Step 3. Check if the water has frozen
This is a simple operation that you can complete with a single glance; if the water is frozen (it is solid ice), its temperature is 0 ° C or lower.
Method 3 of 3: Evaluating the Heat by the Size of the Bubbles
Step 1. Observe the bubbles as the water begins to heat up
If you want to get a reasonably accurate idea of the temperature of the water as it heats up, look at the small bubbles that form on the bottom of the pan or pot; when they are very small, it means that the temperature is close to 70 ° C.
At this level, the bubbles that form are as small as "shrimp eyes" or a pinhead
Step 2. Pay attention to medium sized bubbles
As the temperature rises, the bubbles that form from the bottom become slightly larger than a pinhead; this means that the water temperature is close to 80 ° C.
- When the water reaches this level of heat, thin threads of steam also begin to rise from the surface.
- Now the bubbles are much bigger; if you want to have a yardstick, you can think that they have the diameter of a crab's eye.
Step 3. Observe the larger bubbles rising to the surface
Those that form at the bottom of the pan get bigger and bigger and eventually float upwards; in this phase the temperature is about 85 ° C. Another clue is the rattle that spreads from the base of the pan.
The first bubbles that reach the surface are the size of a fish eye
Step 4. Observe the phase of the bubble chains
This is the last step before full boiling. The large bubbles arise from the bottom of the pot and quickly rise to the surface forming a continuous chain; the water temperature is about 90-95 ° C.
