According to popular belief, boiling water makes it suitable for drinking or using in the kitchen. This method is one of the traditional home water purification methods. It seems obvious to us that boiled water can be given even to children without any worries. But is it really so? The answer may be surprising.
What are the benefits of boiling water before consumption ?
Boiling water brings it to the boiling point, i.e. 100 degrees Celsius. Boiling inactivates any bacteria or viruses that may be present even though some can survive much higher temperatures. In general, heating water to kill microorganisms is a fairly effective solution. But what about the chemical compounds that are in the liquid? They are not removed and do not precipitate out of the water in any way. As we already know, they can be extremely dangerous to humans.
Effects of cooking on water quality
However, that’s not everything! If we talk about the chemical composition, then boiling water not only does not change it, but actually harms its quality. Why? During boiling, water evaporates intensively. But only water evaporates and other chemical compounds dissolved in it remain. With the steam, pure water is lost from the pot and other harmful compounds thicken. Therefore, in chemical terms, heated water is less healthy than unboiled water. The longer we boil water, the more bacteria and viruses are killed, but also the more chemically polluted our water becomes.
CONCLUSION
Instead of boiling tap water before drinking it, it is better to use a proper filter that will remove both microorganisms and harmful chemical compounds. The best solution will be a combination of ultraviolet filtration, which removes biological contaminants, and filtration with an osmotic membrane, which removes chemical contaminants. In addition, the water we use to prepare soups and other dishes should be filtered before cooking. Otherwise its chemical composition will change to the detriment of our health.
If you are more interested, I’m recommending 5 ways to make water boil water faster.
