Hot Water

[Wombat]

I'm sure that the responce from some a least will be - Well Duh! but I thought I would put it down anyway -

We use the reflecting solar cooker to boil a couple of litres of water then put it in an "airpot" - an insultated jug that has a push-pump on the top to deliver the water. The water can be used for washing up, hot drinks etc.

Now if the issue with boiling the kettle and/or jug is that it goes cold again and needs to be reboiled - get my drift? Boil one load at the start of the day, put it in the airpot and Bob's your auntie for the rest of the day.

Nev

[Chickpea]

That's a good system for many uses, Nev. But it's no good for making tea (water has to be boilING for decent tea, the widespread failure to understand this is why I have never had a decent cup of tea outside the UK) which is the main reason I ever boil a kettle.

I think I used up all my green credentials for a year last night by keeping a kettle boiling continuously for several minutes on three separate occasions - the kids have all got terrible coughs and keep waking in the night, retching from coughing so much. I dread to think how much leccy I used. And to cap it all Ed is away in France so there's only me doing "waking up in the middle of the night to calm distressed kids" duty. Today I feel glassy eyed - haven't had an unbroken night's sleep in a week and a half :tard: . It's like having a newborn all over again.

[Shirley]

Sounds good - I'm with CP on this one... water has to be boiling for a good cuppa... and I only have a couple per day... making sure I boil exactly the right amount of water, so for me it's got to be just right ;) fussy cow eh!

CP I hope the chickpealets are feeling better soon - and that you get a good night sleep!! I hope you at least managed a cuppa from all that kettle boiling.

[Muddypause]

The difficulty with assuming that boiling water is at 100C is that this assumes 1 bar atmospheric pressure. In reality, as atmospheric pressure is always fluctuating, 'boiling point' may be some way above or below 100C. During periods of low pressure (barometer says 'Stormy'), it doesn't matter how hard you boil the water, it'll never get to 100C. But when the barometer says 'Fine', you may not need to get it boiling it to get to 100C. Similarly, the higher above sea level you are, the lower the boiling point will be.

To confound all this anyway, I read the other day that the 'ideal' temperature for tea is one or two degrees below 100C. That, apparently, is the point at which all the essential 'tea qualities' are released into the water.

But, back to the issue. I know people who boil the kettle for a morning cuppa, and any excess water from the kettle goes into a thermos flask. It won't be any good for making another cup of tea with, but it can go back into the kettle, where it will take less energy to re-boil it.

[Andy Hamilton]

I always thought that water boiled at 100c is it the same for freezing? Do things not always freeze at 0c.

98c that is the best temperature for making tea. At work we have one of those machines fitted to the wall that gives you hot water constantly (very wasteful) , now I imagine there is a market to make a solar equivalent.

[goldy1]

I use my "airpot " (only we call them "pump pots") all the time when camping, saves so much hassle. Keeps water hot for hours some times all day depending on how full. I fill mine at night befor we go to bed then the water is hot enough to have a morning brew and a wash. I just recently bought a camping solar shower and boy! does that work ( better if I put it in the Car). At home I use just the right amount in my kettle. It has a measure ont he side.

[Ranter]

Muddypause:

I know people who boil the kettle for a morning cuppa, and any excess water from the kettle goes into a thermos flask. It won't be any good for making another cup of tea with, but it can go back into the kettle, where it will take less energy to re-boil it.

That may be fine for coffee, but not tea. Don't know why, but tea made with hot water boiled in the kettle is absolutely revolting.

[Muddypause]

I always thought that water boiled at 100c

Think pressure cooker - raising he pressure inside raises the boiling temperature, so food cooks above 100C, up to 120C, I think.

is it the same for freezing? Do things not always freeze at 0c.

Pressure does affect the temperature which water freezes at, but it is much less significant; a lot of pressure = a small change in temp (double the pressure, freezing point lowers by a fraction of a degree). But this is how ice skates work - the high pressure that the narrow blade exerts on the ice causes a thin layer of water to form between ice and blade - you actually skate on water.

[cir3ngirl]

I boil kettle in the morning to make my coffee then for the rest of the day I use mircowave to heat up the remaining water for my drinks.

[Muddypause]

Don't know why, but tea made with hot water boiled in the kettle is absolutely revolting.

For some reason, people can get very testy about tea. I've heard a lot of people say you shouldn't use twice boiled water - personally I can't tell any difference. And nor do I mind about teabags. My tastebuds are obviously undeveloped.

But I do draw the line at chucking a teabag into a mug. A pot it has to be, where it can steep for a while. I have been known to hand back a teabag-in-mug effort at certain eateries. They have all sorts of expensive gedgetry to make an impressive cup of coffee, may have a carefully assembled wine cellar, and will even serve tapwater in nice jugs with ice and lemon. But for some reason the classic beverage is prepared with disdane.

At work, once, a long time ago now, I snuck into the kitchen, located the box of one-cup teabags, and tied all the string tags together (it didn't solve the problem, but it had mildly amusing consequences).

[Shirley]

Muddy - you wee rascal... that's really funny. I'd love to have seen the person trying to take a teabag out

I'm a heathen... I chuck a teabag into a mug most of the time... but I do use freshly drawn and boiled water.

[dibnah]

I boil the kettle in the morning then fill up a thermos with the rest and use this for the rest of the day or untill it runs out, it is fine for me and I use tea bags more than once, that is something thats left over from student days.

[Wombat]

Well that got some good discussion going........

Tea as a drink I rank slightly better than radiator cleaner, I drink coffee and it works for me!

Nev

[ina]

water has to be boilING for decent tea, the widespread failure to understand this is why I have never had a decent cup of tea outside the UK

Protest, protest! For an average German like myself, it's Britain that has no tea culture. We would never have had tea made with bags in Germany. Everybody knows that teabags just contain what's swept up at night in the tea factory... (At least, that's what we believed!)
And we certainly would never have used water from a boiler that keeps the water hot all the time... Which is, as somebody said earlier on, revolting. (Oh, we would never have used instant coffee, either. But I must admit, I've acclimatised so much by now that I not only use teabags and instant coffee here, but I miss them when I'm on holiday in Germany! )