This article is not a joke
The idea of writing an article about how to boil water started as a joke at our weekly editorial meeting. I even considered saving it for our satirical issue, The Contrarion. But when I started thinking about what an article about boiling water might look like I realized that there are things that I’ve learned over the years that aren’t as obvious as: “Put water in a pot. Put pot on stove. Boil water.”Here are five helpful tips for boiling water that may not be obvious to everyone; I certainly learned them from somewhere and some are pretty recent lessons.
1. PUT A LID ON IT
When boiling water in a pot, putting a lid on the pot will bring it to a boil much faster.
2. PUT SALT IN IT
If you are boiling water for pasta or rice then adding a little salt (maybe half a teaspoon) to the water is a nice way to season your food evenly.
3. PUT A SPOON IN IT
If water in a pot looks like it may boil over, try putting a big metal spoon in the pot. This will help reduce the heat of the water as it is transferred to the spoon and prevent the water (or soup or sauce or so on) from boiling over. The spoon may get very hot so make sure to remove it using an oven mitt.
4. USE MITTS
If the handles on the pot you are using are hot, and you need to remove the pot from the heat source, then use oven mitts. The plastic ones are much safer when dealing with liquids than the cloth ones, but either are better than using dish towels, which are too thin.
5. USE VINEGAR
Guelph water is very hard, meaning that it has a lot of minerals dissolved in it. Even though most homes in Guelph have a water softener, your kettles and pots don’t stand a chance. When you start seeing that mineral buildup, don’t worry.
Add a cup or so of white vinegar, fill the kettle or pot with water, and bring the water to a boil. Depending on the buildup you may need to leave the vinegar in the kettle or pot overnight. It should be good as new (or close) in the morning.
Vinegar is preferable over chemical cleaners because this is something you use in food preparation.
Now, you too can boil water like an expert.
Graphics by Frances Esenwa/The Ontarion