Question Question for the chemists

[MK Shrimper]

Ok, I've just put some rice on the boil for dinner with my left over chilli, but I've just had a thought. When you add salt to water does it;

a) Lower the boiling point of water so it boils quicker?
b) Raise the boiling point so the food cooks quicker?

I know it's hard to believe but I seriously don't know.

 

[Vange Shrimper]

If you put salt into water, it lowers the freezing point of it, hence why they grit the roads.

Part from that, no idea.

 

[loz]

It raises the boiling point, but not by much to make any real difference to cooking times (unless you like your rice very, very salty)

 

[MK Shrimper]

So, apart from the flavour, why do people do it?

 

[Pubey]

It raises the boiling point, but not by much to make any real difference to cooking times (unless you like your rice very, very salty)

this^^^...

 

[loz]

So, apart from the flavour, why do people do it?

slight bit of urban mythage i think, cookbooks often state that it makes your food cook quicker. which i suppose it does, but then it means your water takes longer to boil, so you don't get fed any sooner. maybe anti-bacterial properties too? not sure.

 

[McNasty]

slight bit of urban mythage i think, cookbooks often state that it makes your food cook quicker. which i suppose it does, but then it means your water takes longer to boil, so you don't get fed any sooner. maybe anti-bacterial properties too? not sure.

and it makes the road outside your house less slippery too.

 

[Lester Bangs]

Adding anything to pure water will both lower its freezing point and raise its boiling point. (Which is the reason we add antifreeze to car radiators, instead of using pure water). So, salt in water should raise the temperature at which it starts to boil. I believe (guessing here) chefs add the salt in order to achieve a higher temp, so that the food itself will cook faster.

I was intrigued about this myself and did a bit of hunting, I hope this answers your query MK.

The bloke who wrote this supposedly has a PhD in Physics so it should be a definitive answer, although I'm not sure as he has no grasp of the concept of a new paragraph.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Thankyou all, just to add that my rice was lovely and fluffy and complemented my quite remarkable chilli wonderfully well. :)

 

[loz]

of course MK, it could be that all the TV chefs are secretly being paid off by salt manufacturers and the more sodium-focused parts of the military-industrial complex... trust no one.

 

[Davros]

IIRC adding salt to water raises the boiling point to 107 Degrees Centigrade.

 

[Mad Cyril]

IIRC adding salt to water raises the boiling point to 107 Degrees Centigrade.

The boiling point of any liquid also depends on atmospheric pressure.

 

[Crabby Shrimper]

So, apart from the flavour, why do people do it?

I always thought it was the same as for potatoes, to help reduce the starch content.

I don't tend to put salt in with the rice when cooking, but soak them in slightly salty water firsty. Then briefly fry them with a knob of butter (and any additional spices), before adding the water. Always get lovely aromatic and fluffy rice this way.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I always thought it was the same as for potatoes, to help reduce the starch content.

I don't tend to put salt in with the rice when cooking, but soak them in slightly salty water firsty. Then briefly fry them with a knob of butter (and any additional spices), before adding the water. Always get lovely aromatic and fluffy rice this way.

Ah, I cooked black rice which takes a good 45 mins boiling.

 

[Crabby Shrimper]

Ah, I cooked black rice which takes a good 45 mins boiling.

I usually use basmati, for a homemade Pilau (last night accompanied by saag bhaji, and Turkey Pathia)

To be honest i don't really know much about the science side of it all, just do a lot of cooking.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I usually use basmati, for a homemade Pilau (last night accompanied by saag bhaji, and Turkey Pathia)

To be honest i don't really know much about the science side of it all, just do a lot of cooking.

Oh yeah, depends on what I was cooking. Just needed some rice to bulk out the remainder of the chilli I cooked and I've had this black rice in my cupboard for months.