Boiling Water, Bubbly Aspirations - Everything You Wanted To Know About How To Boil Water

In a comment she left on this article I wrote for beginner cooks, the inimitable Kelly Spies asked if I could write a piece on boiling water so that she could send it to her "non-cooking daughter." "Hmmm," I thought, "What do I know about boiling water?" And then, at this late hour, in the waning moon's light, it hit me: everything.

I do harbor some suspicion that Kelly was being facetious, indicated in part by one of those ubiquitous "LOL" droppings. I mean, boiling water? But what if she wasn't? Who am I to dismiss the cries for help that constantly swarm and echo around me? Even if they are wild figments of my own delusional ego. After all, I help people. That's what I do.

Even if it was a joke, I've always been the type to take a joke just one step too far.

So, Kelly's daughter, whoever and wherever you are, this goes out to you... may it be a first step to ease you, and those unheard millions like you, into untold worlds of culinary delight.

Boiling water. Okay. Boiling water requires three things: water, a heat source, and a vessel in which to hold said water that can be safely applied to said heat source.

Put the water into the vessel. From here on, we'll refer to the vessel as the "pot." If you're getting the water from a sink tap, rather than, say, a river or garden hose, be sure to use cold water. While many figure that hot water makes the most sense, as it will boil quicker, you should in fact never consume or cook with hot tap water.

Why? There are a lot of reasons hot tap water can be harmful, but just to address it quickly: Your pipes may have lead soldering. If so, it is perpetually dissolved into your hot water. Also, water heaters corrode, and this corrosion is also dissolved into your hot water. You won't drop dead on the spot, but you really don't want to ingest this stuff.

So you've filled your pot with cold water. Hopefully, you haven't filled it up all the way, as the food you'll be dropping into it will cause displacement. You know, Archimedes, "Eureka!" and all that. Also, when the water is boiling, it will expand, rise, and bubble, so if your pot is too full, the water will boil over the sides.

Ignite your heat source. The hotter it is, the faster the water will boil. Place the filled pot over or into the heat source.

I can hear you now: "Uch, how loooong is this gonna ta-aake?"

All right, settle down. It depends on a few factors, the most important two being how hot your heat source is and how much water you're boiling. If you cover the pot, the water will boil faster, and as an added bonus, you'll lose less in the form of steam. But it shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

Boiling water is, in case you're unaware, the process of turning water, a liquid, into vapor with heat. Most people know that 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius) is the temperature at which water boils.

If you want to get picky, though, this isn't precisely true. Water's boiling point is rather minutely altered by atmospheric pressure. 212 degrees is the official number at sea level, but as altitude increases, water's boiling point decreases. But not by much.

As an aside--some recipes call for water at a simmer, rather than a boil. This means the water is 190 degrees Fahrenheit. You can (and should) use a thermometer until you learn to tell by sight when water is simmering. Remember to hold the thermometer just under the surface of your water, though; putting it down too far will give you an inaccurate reading as it's close to the heat source. Also, many dully unmasochistic people find scalding their hand to be an unpleasant experience.

You may have heard that adding salt to water makes it boil faster. This is not true. In fact, it's just the opposite-adding salt raises the temperature at which water boils, so it takes longer. However, the hotter water does cook food faster. Sugar or any other water-soluble substance has the same effect. If you want to add salt to your water, the general rule is to use about 1 tablespoon per 4 quarts of water.

Cooks in extremely high altitudes, by the way, usually need to add salt. The water boils, remember, at a lower temperature for them, and it can be inadequate for cooking many foods.

Lastly, how do you know when your water is boiling? At first you'll see small bubbles appear along the bottom and sides of your pot. These are only air bubbles, and have nothing to do with boiling. Slowly, small streams of bubbles will start to rise. Oh yeah, got some momentum now. Getting closer. When these streams and bubbles enlarge and are churning the water, it's at a boil. Yeeee-hah.

That should about do it for how boiling water is accomplished. I can't think of anything else to say about it. I'll save poaching for another article. Give it a shot. Once you've mastered boiling water, you've mastered what is arguably the most important basic cooking technique. Go forth and make bubbles!