Does chlorine evaporate from water when cooking?
Most municipal water supplies in the U.S. include noticeable levels of chlorine or chloramine added to kill microbes, and often adds an objectionable chemical smell.
Does chlorine evaporate when cooking? If so, does it require boiling temperatures? Does it become more concentrated if the water is boiled down? Does it matter when water is added as an ingredient, such as in bread dough?
Best Answer
Water treatment often uses chlorine or chloramine to kill germs or algae. If you are smelling it it's more likely to be Chloramine than Chlorine. Chlorine will dissipate from water over time naturally, but boiling for 20 minute will drive it out. Chloramine will also dissipate naturally, but in a much longer time frame, and would take over a day to boil out.
So boiling water will get rid of chlorine but not chloramine (at least not in a useful time frame), and boiling will concentrate other minerals in the water which is usually undesirable. It will also de-oxygenate the water, making it flat. Flat water isn't great for cooking - compare the flavor of a cup of tea or coffee brewed with flat water as opposed to fresh and you'll see what I mean.
Your best option for water treatment chemical removal at home is an activated charcoal filter unless you want to invest in a UV treatment system, which would seem to be a bit OTT. You could also use a reducing agent from a brewery supply company, but if all you want is some fresh tasting and smelling water then the filter is your best option.
Homebrewing SE has a thread on this which is worth reading.
Pictures about "Does chlorine evaporate from water when cooking?"
Quick Answer about "Does chlorine evaporate from water when cooking?"
Yes, boiling water for 15 minutes is one way to release all the chlorine from tap water. At room temperature, chlorine gas weighs less than air and will naturally evaporate off without boiling.Can we drink chlorine water after boiling?
A properly operated swimming pool will have been treated with chlorine (hypochlorite or bleach actually). When you boil that water the chlorine will become gaseous and depending on the concentration in the water could make you ill or even kill you.Does boiling water remove chlorine taste?
\u27a2A faster way to remove the taste of chlorine from your water is to boil the water for about 15-20 minutes then store in a clean container in the refrigerator.Does boiling tap water remove chlorine?
More answers regarding does chlorine evaporate from water when cooking?
Answer 2
If your are dealing with chloramine, a trick I've used in homebrewing is to add powdered ascorbic acid (vitamin c) while heating the water up to around 170 for 15 minutes or so. This will pull the chloramine out of solution and you'll end up with some particulate solid residue on the bottom of the pot from the reaction, so you'd probably want to decant the water off of it to use for cooking. I have been told that it also works for chlorine, but my tap water uses chloramine so I've never tried it for that.
Answer 3
You can use as ascorbic acid to remove chlorine and chloramine. The cheapest and most useful form is called Ball brand fruit fresh powder found in all canning supply aisles. It is a fantastic product to use as a substitute for citrus juice to prevent browning and is completely tasteless. Benefit is you get a megadose of vitamin C!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Klaus Nielsen, Karolina Grabowska, Klaus Nielsen, Victoria Emerson