Top Tips

[Seabag]

TopTips?

Died recently in an accident?

Then tell the cold caller that, they'll hang up on you straight away.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

So why do I always add salt to make water boil faster?

[Loz]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> So why do I always add salt to make water boil faster?

Because as well as lowering the freezing point, it also lowers the boiling point. Of course, your veggies will then take slightly longer to cook as the water temp of the boiling water is slightly lower.

[Seabag]

Fed up with miserable Cornish shop keepers?

Well get in the car and head home to London

There's a few there, but not ones you need shop with

[LadyNorwood]

Loz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > So why do I always add salt to make water boil

> faster?

>

> Because as well as lowering the freezing point, it

> also lowers the boiling point. Of course, your

> veggies will then take slightly longer to cook as

> the water temp of the boiling water is slightly

> lower.

Bring water to the boil, then add the salt and vegetables, problem solved. Root vegetables in cold water, bring to the boil, add salt.

[rendelharris]

Loz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > So why do I always add salt to make water boil

> faster?

>

> Because as well as lowering the freezing point, it

> also lowers the boiling point. Of course, your

> veggies will then take slightly longer to cook as

> the water temp of the boiling water is slightly

> lower.

Actually salt in fact raises the boiling point of water from 100 to 102 degrees centigrade, so a dash of salt means water will take longer to boil (this is boiling point elevation, and occurs whenever a non-volatile solute is added to a solvent). The myth that salt makes water boil more quickly comes about because if you add large quantities of salt to water it will boil more quickly, but only compared to the same quantity of pure water. So, if you take two pints of pure water and two pints of 50/50 salt and water mixed, the mixture will boil much more quickly; this is because salt has a very low heat absorption capacity, so nearly all of the energy applied is absorbed by the water. So effectively, you're only boiling a pint of water compared to two pints, which will naturally come to the boil faster. If you took two identical quantities of water and added a lot of salt to one, the salted one would take longer to boil.

Really must get out more...

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

*takes white coat and plastic goggles out of kitchen drawer ...*

[Robert Poste's Child]

What is the chemical process for salt on slugs?

[red devil]

[DaveR]

What is the chemical process for salt on slugs?

Basic osmosis - water molecules moving through a membrane seeking to equalise the concentration on both sides. In plain language, the salt draws water out of the body of the slug, which then dies from dehydration.

[Loz]

rendelharris Wrote:

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>

> Actually salt in fact raises the boiling point of water from 100 to 102 degrees centigrade, so a

> dash of salt means water will take longer to boil

Aaagh! That's what happens when I don't Google something, just in case my memory is faulty. Which it often is.

[Robert Poste's Child]

There's a thread for that, you know.