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Why?

geeme

geeme

You may have heard a similar story:
It's Easter, and the new bride announces that she is going to make her new husband an Easter ham like her mom makes. The groom watches the preparations, and asks "why did you cut the end off of that ham?" The bride smiled widely and blissfully responds "because that's what my mom always does!" Still curious, the groom inquires "and why does your mom always do that?" The bride's smile fades a bit into puzzlement as she admits "I don't really know!" To settle the question, the bride called to inquire of her mother, who told her "well, I used to do that because I had a small, old oven. But I just replaced it with a nice, new, big one, so I don't do that any more." In short, we may not really know something we think we know. In short, question everything you are curious about and don't have a solid answer to.

I took a pot out of the cabinet this evening and started to fill it with cold water. Why cold water? Because I've always been told that when boiling water for noodles, you should always start with cold water. Hmm.... This is exactly the kind of thing that I would have asked "why?" to at some point earlier in my life. I probably was given an answer, noted it, then decided it wasn't important enough to retain. Living in the south, even the cold water coming out of the faucet in the winter isn't really cold - not like in the winters up in the north where I now live.

So I had pause to consider "why start with cold water for boiling noodles?" I can think of many reasons to do so, but most of them probably have to do with things that were true of old hot water tanks and/or former questionable water filtering by ye olde water company. But what about today? Has hot water tank technology changed to the extent that makes using cold water not necessary? Or does this even go back as far as times when everyone used well water? Or do perfectly valid reasons exist today, regardless of the state of our water source and hot water tanks? Does anyone on this site know a good reason or two that exists today to start with cold water when boiling noodles?

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW!


Ok, and if you also happen to have an unanswered "why?" of your own related to cooking, feel free to post it here.....
 
My understanding is hot water may have sediments from the water heater that you dont want to consume, so cold water is recommended for cooking but hot is ok for showers and stuff like that. But who knows, I never actually checked this out myself.
 
I'm a chef for a living and at my house I always start off with cold water. Not really sure why, I have heard about the hot water heater and sediments. In the restaurants I've worked at we use hot water because of the tight time constraints we are under.
 
Yes, sediment from the hot water heater was one of the possibilities I considered, but that just led me to wonder if that was true in the past but not true now. I have no idea about the technology advancements for water heaters over the past 'x' years, other than even if you have a gas heater, it probably has an electronic ignition switch if it was built in the last 20 years or so. But the tank and storage method itself? I don't know that anything about those has really changed in.... forever. But then, I don't know that it hasn't either.
 
Cold water is fresh water. Hot water can contain a buildup of minerals or sediment from the tank. I always use the cold.

And that was a really long way to ask why you use cold water. :lol:
 
We have a well. Our water comes right out of the ground about 85 feet deep where there is an aquifer that travels down valley like an underground river. Once pumped up it goes into a pressure tank, effectively regulating the water pressure and is easier on the well pump. So our cold water also sits in a tank. I use hot water to start boiling noodles. I reckon there aint nothin worse in the tank for my noodles than my ancestors getting water out of a river to make their indian taco shells.

If the pick-up inside the hot water tank picked up sediment every time you turn on the hot water, you would see it. Especially in your whites. Water is water. hot, cold, it comes from the same place, it's just that one needs less time on the burner to reach 212°.

And here's another tip....

Don't take any wooden nickels. ;)
 
Oh they made tacos too? Cool. I've only see the Navajo ones. Similar to the puffy taco. Called fry bread. Or Navajo tacos.
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Oh they made tacos too? Cool. I've only see the Navajo ones. Similar to the puffy taco. Called fry bread. Or Navajo tacos.
Click to expand...

There's a little Indian taco joint just outside of Yosemite. After backpacking, an old friend and I would stop through - after 4-5 days eating trail food it was like heaven.

On topic, I always toss a pinch of salt in with my boiling water before dropping pasta in. I do not know why. My dad said to always toss in a pinch of salt, and a couple drops of olive oil. The oil helps to keep the noodles from clumping, but what does the salt do?

Who knows. I just do it.
:woohoo:
 
One of the challenger cooks on the original Japanese Iron Chef said that the best noodles come out when you match the salinity of the Mediterreanian. It was really interesting. Not interesting enough to check out what the salinity of the mediterrean actually is, but still interesting.
 
Tossing salt in the water gives the impurities in the water a place to create nucleation sites, gets rid of the chlorine faster as well as season the noodles. I prefer noodles cooked in super salty water rather than plain. The oil helps prevent boilover by lowering the elasticity of the bubbles, they break rather than build on one another. Oil also helps keeps the noodles from sticking :)
 
Oil also keeps your tasty pasta sauce from sticking to the pasta... who wants that? If you have used enough water and remember to stir your pasta regularly as it is cooking, it will not stick together. So there’s no need to add oil.adding salt to the water does not season the pasta. Pasta needs plenty of salt to cook properly. If you leave it out the pasta is likely to cook unevenly and, most importantly, the surface will be slightly slimy. Add roughly a teaspoon of salt per litre of water that you put in the pan
Cold water does not boil faster than hot water. The rate of heating of a liquid depends on the magnitude of the temperature difference between the liquid and its surroundings (the flame on the stove, for instance). As a result, cold water will be absorbing heat faster while it is still cold; once it gets up to the temperature of hot water, the heating rate slows down and from there it takes just as long to bring it to a boil as the water that was hot to begin with. Because it takes cold water some time to reach the temperature of hot water, cold water clearly takes longer to boil than hot water does. There may be some psychological effect at play; cold water starts boiling sooner than one might expect because of the aforementioned greater heat absorption rate when water is colder.

and if using fresh pasta no need for salt
 
pshngo said:
Oil also keeps your tasty pasta sauce from sticking to the pasta... who wants that? If you have used enough water and remember to stir your pasta regularly as it is cooking, it will not stick together. So there’s no need to add oil.adding salt to the water does not season the pasta. Pasta needs plenty of salt to cook properly. If you leave it out the pasta is likely to cook unevenly and, most importantly, the surface will be slightly slimy. Add roughly a teaspoon of salt per litre of water that you put in the pan
Cold water does not boil faster than hot water. The rate of heating of a liquid depends on the magnitude of the temperature difference between the liquid and its surroundings (the flame on the stove, for instance). As a result, cold water will be absorbing heat faster while it is still cold; once it gets up to the temperature of hot water, the heating rate slows down and from there it takes just as long to bring it to a boil as the water that was hot to begin with. Because it takes cold water some time to reach the temperature of hot water, cold water clearly takes longer to boil than hot water does. There may be some psychological effect at play; cold water starts boiling sooner than one might expect because of the aforementioned greater heat absorption rate when water is colder.

and if using fresh pasta no need for salt
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I can't believe that "Cold water boils faster than hot water" needed to be explained to that depth....lol. If you don't realize that cold water boils faster than hot water, you should stay away from the kitchen and any sharp dangerous objects too. (not speaking about you Pshngo, just speaking lol)
 
The Hot Pepper said:
That salt seasons it silly.
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Adding salt seasons it, this is true.

Lucky Dog Hot Sauce said:
On topic, I always toss a pinch of salt in with my boiling water before dropping pasta in. I do not know why. My dad said to always toss in a pinch of salt, and a couple drops of olive oil. The oil helps to keep the noodles from clumping, but what does the salt do?

Who knows. I just do it.
:woohoo:
Click to expand...

There is, however, another reason that has not yet been discussed here.

It is called Boiling Point Elevation. Similar to the effect of Freezing Point Depression, which the people who salt their driveways in the winter are well acquainted with.

Adding salt to water increases the temperature at which it boils, creating a hotter medium in which to cook. Cook things faster in salty water.
 
Wow - ill thank my dad for helping me start a THP pasta-rumble! :rofl:

Re:seasoning, I'm talking about a pinch of salt.
Re: oil, I'm talking about a few drops of olive oil. Sauce sticks to the noodles jut fine. lol

But i really do love the scientific explanations - thanks for the info folks!
 
I throw more salt than I used to in my pasta boiling water. Of course, I am one of those people that really love salt.
 
GETTING BACK TO THE OP!!!!

I've heard the theory for using cold water -v- hot water was due to sediment in hot water tanks.

Another theory I've heard was that the minerals in the well water adhered to the inner walls of the old iron pipes, and as long as cold water was flowing, the sediment/minerals stayed put, but if you ran HOT water, that would loosen the sediment and it would get into your pasta water.

Most new houses that we work on, if they are not on a city water system, have some kind of a sediment filtration system for the well water. Most aren't even plumbed with copper or iron any more. Everything's plastic tubing called PEX.

Someone should do an experiment with how long it takes to boil 2 cups of water! Extra credit for Science Class???
 
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