Is there a difference between boiling water and almost boiling water?
When cooking noodles (ramen or pasta), recipes often call for it to be thrown in boiling water.
I’m often impatient and can’t wait for the water to go from almost boiling (95C) to full boiling (100C) In some cases, it can be a couple of minutes to go to a full boil.
Aside from extra cooking time is there a difference between almost boiling and boiling viz a viz noodles?
Best Answer
There are two main differences, obviously: five degrees, and no boiling action.
As Cascabel mentioned in a comment, dried pasta will "cook" even in water that's well below boiling temperature. However, a rolling boil serves to constantly stir the contents of the pot, much more than convection in heating water would. Without that mechanical action, pasta is more prone to stick to itself and to the bottom of the pan. So stir a few times.
For fresh pasta, it's more important to use boiling water (and lots of it), because adding the pasta to the water will significantly cool the water below the point where the pasta can actually cook. The sticking concerns apply even more there: fresh pasta has more loose surface starch to cause sticking if you don't stir.
Incidentally, you mentioned in the comments that you assumed it was slow to bring water to a boil "because of the phase change involved". But there is no phase change involved below 100 degrees. In an uncovered pot, it takes a while to push water from a bare simmer to a rolling boil because the evaporation cools the water more quickly as the temperature increases. Covering the pot will significantly decrease the time to come to a full rolling boil (or to return to the boil once you've added the pasta).
Pictures about "Is there a difference between boiling water and almost boiling water?"
Quick Answer about "Is there a difference between boiling water and almost boiling water?"
The difference, unsurprisingly, is the temperature dispensed by the taps. A boiling water tap dispenses water at 100°C. A near-boiling or steaming hot tap dispenses water a shade below – this varies by manufacturer, but our own steaming hot water taps can be set to dispense anywhere between 88°C and 98°C.What temperature is almost boiling water?
Sea Level: Water boils at 212 degrees F. and simmers at 190 degrees F. Tepid Water \u2013 85 to 105 degrees F. \u2013 The water is comparable to the temperature of the human body.Are there different levels of boiling water?
There's less bubbles on the bottom of the pot and more releasing into the water as gentle bubbling. Rapid simmer \u2013 Going from medium to medium-high heat now. There's more aggressive bubbling in the water but the bubbles are still relatively small. Rolling boil \u2013 At high heat now.What is the difference between boiling water and boiled water?
Boiling water is extremely warm or very hot water - it is when water reaches 100 degrees centigrade. You would typically use boiling water when cooking food. Just to extend on Gareth's answer - note that he wrote "boiling water", not "boiled water". Boiled water is sterile.What are the stages of boiling water?
In case you lose your thermometer while brewing tea, you can rely on these five stages of heating water.- Small Pinhead Bubbles. The point where you first start seeing bubbles in the water. ...
- Large Pinhead Bubbles. These are slightly larger bubbles. ...
- Small Pearls. ...
- Streaming Pearls. ...
- Raging Torrent.
Is Twice Boiled Water Really Bad for You and Potentially a Carcinogen?
More answers regarding is there a difference between boiling water and almost boiling water?
Answer 2
From What's Cooking America:
Noodles added to water before it starts to boil gets a head start on mushiness. Noodles quickly begins to break down in tepid water as the starch dissolves. You need the intense heat of boiling water to "set" the outside of the noodles, which prevents the noodles from sticking together. That is why the fast boil is so important; the water temperature drops when you add the noodles, but if you have a fast boil, the water will still be hot enough for the noodles to cook properly.
Though the article specifically focuses on pasta rather than all noodles, the reason stated there is also the reason why we always wait for the water to boil before adding in any sort of noodles at my household.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pixabay, RODNAE Productions, Dave Meckler, Don Barron