heavily salt water ?

In many recipes that involve boiling a starch, potatoes or pasta etc, it calls for salting the water ( sometimes it calls for heavily salting the water ) before adding the starch. I know that salt raises the temperature of the boiling water, but is there another reason for the salted water?

lougord99 wrote:In many recipes that involve boiling a starch, potatoes or pasta etc, it calls for salting the water ( sometimes it calls for heavily salting the water ) before adding the starch. I know that salt raises the temperature of the boiling water, but is there another reason for the salted water?

The amount it raises the boiling temperature is insignificant... a fraction of a degree.

It's purely to season whatever you're cooking. Which is a plenty good reason.

Hmm... I'd thought it more significant, but according to the math on Wikipedia, 10gm salt per kg of water (or about 1 tsp/quart) only raises the temperature of boiling by .17C.

JoelF wrote:Hmm... I'd thought it more significant, but according to the math on Wikipedia, 10gm salt per kg of water (or about 1 tsp/quart) only raises the temperature of boiling by .17C.

If I have my calculations correct, to raise the boiling point by one degree C, you need to add 212.93 grams of salt (0.47 lbs) per gallon of water (Kb of water = 0.52, 1 mol NaCl = 58.5 g, 1 gal H2O = 3.7854 kg)

I'm no expert, but all the cooking shows talk about salting the water, because that is the time to get salt into the pasta.

Among many urban legends related to the effect of ebullioscopic increase, one of them leads to adding salt when cooking pasta only after water has started boiling. The misconception is that if it takes longer for water to boil, then the temperature of the water will increase faster. However, at the approximate concentration of salt in water for cooking (10 g of salt per 1 kg of water, or 1 teaspoon per quart), the ebullioscopic increase is approximately 0.17°C (0.31°F).



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling-point_elevation

There is one legit reason to add salt after the water has started boiling: it disperses and dissolves in the water more quickly, and is less likely to sit on the bottom and possibly corrode your pot.

Consider this experiment -- just do not do it: Bring two pots of plain water to near boiling and then toss salt in one of them. The pot receiving the salt will likely explode into violent boiling because the salt crystals provided nucleation sites that would allow the water to vaporize as the salt fell through the superheated liquid. Same thing would happen is you used fine sand. Under those conditions, the salted water wins. However, that is not (or should not be) the way things are done.

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/g ... n01021.htm

gjdad wrote:Consider this experiment -- just do not do it: Bring two pots of plain water to near boiling and then toss salt in one of them. The pot receiving the salt will likely explode into violent boiling because the salt crystals provided nucleation sites that would allow the water to vaporize as the salt fell through the superheated liquid. Same thing would happen is you used fine sand. Under those conditions, the salted water wins. However, that is not (or should not be) the way things are done.

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/g ... n01021.htm

What is this experiment supposed to show?

Mhays wrote:There is one legit reason to add salt after the water has started boiling: it disperses and dissolves in the water more quickly, and is less likely to sit on the bottom and possibly corrode your pot.

This is correct, but the discoloration at the bottom of a pot is easily washed off and is harmless.

Darren72 wrote:

gjdad wrote:Consider this experiment -- just do not do it: Bring two pots of plain water to near boiling and then toss salt in one of them. The pot receiving the salt will likely explode into violent boiling because the salt crystals provided nucleation sites that would allow the water to vaporize as the salt fell through the superheated liquid. Same thing would happen is you used fine sand. Under those conditions, the salted water wins. However, that is not (or should not be) the way things are done.

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/g ... n01021.htm

What is this experiment supposed to show?

See above, boiling water splashing around your kitchen is typically considered a bad thing to happen.

I thought the line "The pot receiving the salt will likely explode into violent boiling" was meant as hyperbole.

When you add salt to boiling water, you do get a quite noticeable boil-up, but I've never experienced any of the boiling water actually leaving the pot.

Darren72 wrote:I thought the line "The pot receiving the salt will likely explode into violent boiling" was meant as hyperbole.

When you add salt to boiling water, you do get a quite noticeable boil-up, but I've never experienced any of the boiling water actually leaving the pot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAqqpDF4bVw

1. I think you've misunderstood what is happening in that example. That explosion is large because it uses distilled water and because it was heated in the microwave and the there was no place for bubbles to form. When the sugar was added to the water, you create those nucleation sites. (This is why there is the common advise not to boil water in the microwave without putting a spoon or something in the water.)

The "explosion" on the stove is much smaller because (a) you wouldn't be using distilled water, (b) there are already plenty of bubbles allowing the steam to escape and keeping the temperature at 212, and (c) you'd likely be using a pot that is much wider than it is tall.

2. The fact that the boil-up could happen doesn't imply that you shouldn't add salt to boiling water. As I said, I've never had that boil-up come out of the pot. Is that happening to you? If so, I'd suggest you use a wider pot, don't fill it so high, and give the water a stir when you add the salt.

The bottom line is that it really doesn't matter when you add salt to water. If you add it before the water is warm enough, the salt will sit on the bottom and can discolor the pot (which you then have to wash off) unless you stir the water to help speed the process. If you add the salt to rapidly boiling water, you get that boil-up, which means you need to be a little careful.

Well, and the answer to that is that you should be cooking in a deep enough pot, because it's probably going to happen once the pasta starts boiling, anyway.

I'm not that worried about it - I toss the salt in when I remember to.

Darren72 wrote:

Mhays wrote:There is one legit reason to add salt after the water has started boiling: it disperses and dissolves in the water more quickly, and is less likely to sit on the bottom and possibly corrode your pot.

This is correct, but the discoloration at the bottom of a pot is easily washed off and is harmless.

Not if you use aluminum cookware.

LAZ, I don't know what you are saying. Are you saying that salt spots on aluminum are different from salt spots on other surfaces? Or are you saying that salt spots cannot easily be removed from aluminum?

Darren72 wrote:Or are you saying that salt spots cannot easily be removed from aluminum?

Yes.

I always add the salt (not as much as the "salty like the sea" advocates advocate, but enough to flavor the pasta) and a bit of oil (to prevent boilovers) when the water is cold. I just do it that way because it's my routine and I don't have to worry later about whether or not I added the salt and have to try to taste boiling water to figure out if it already has salt in it. Personally I've never noticed any problem with salt not being completely dissolved by the time the water was boiling and ready for the pasta, no matter what type of pot is used.

LAZ wrote:

Darren72 wrote:Or are you saying that salt spots cannot easily be removed from aluminum?

Yes.

I've never had this problem, so I am not speaking from experience. But you might try Bar Keeper's Friend.

As far as I know, one shouldn't salt the water in aluminim cookware until after it's boiling because the undissolved concentrated salt can cause pits in the aluminum, not just stains.

I always thought that adding salt had more to do with changing the electrolytic properties of the water.

lougord99 wrote:In many recipes that involve boiling a starch, potatoes or pasta etc, it calls for salting the water ( sometimes it calls for heavily salting the water ) before adding the starch. I know that salt raises the temperature of the boiling water, but is there another reason for the salted water?

A high BTU burner will make your water boil quicker, a lid will make your water boil quicker, I use salt to add consistent seasoning into pasta and other foods. To heavily salt your boiling water add enough salt until your water tastes like the ocean, no more...no less. You'll taste it when it gets there. That's right...taste your water. All that salty water goes right into the pasta right? If you season pasta after it's cooked, the salt can easily come off of the pasta in a sauce.

I don't add oil to my pasta water either. In order to stop your pasta from sticking together I add the pasta to an easy boil. Then I give the pasta a stir to ensure the pasta is separated in the water and reduce to a light boil. Once the pasta is done I either finish it in the dish or sauce it immediately. When you leave the starches on the pasta the sauce clings to the pasta much better. Same with adding oil...the sauce doesn't seem to cling as well.

just a few of my thoughts on yummy salty water
dan

d4v3 wrote:I always thought that adding salt had more to do with changing the electrolytic properties of the water.

Is there a benefit in changing the electrolytic properties of the water?

imsscott wrote:

d4v3 wrote:I always thought that adding salt had more to do with changing the electrolytic properties of the water.

Is there a benefit in changing the electrolytic properties of the water?

I spent many years trying to change the electrolytic properties of water to no avail. If only I had known.

Santander wrote:

imsscott wrote:

d4v3 wrote:I always thought that adding salt had more to do with changing the electrolytic properties of the water.

Is there a benefit in changing the electrolytic properties of the water?

I spent many years trying to change the electrolytic properties of water to no avail. If only I had known.

You know what I meant, smart a**. Adding salt to water makes it an ionic solution. As far as I know, salting water changes the rate that moisture is absorbed (or released) by objects it comes in contact with. I am not a chemist, but my mother has been one for over 50 years. I will ask her if I am FOS or if salting water changes the way moisture is absorbed by food cooking in it.

update: Well, my mom said I was FOS. She said the only reason to salt water is to distribute the salt flavor evenly.