Does warm water really boil faster?
For years, I’ve been putting warm water in the pan or kettle on the assumption that it would boil just that little bit faster. But is that actually true?
My father insists it isn’t. Something about CO2 and heat conduction. But a brief online investigation reveals: boiling with warm water really is always faster. Take that, Dad!
Okay, he wasn’t completely wrong: heat transfer is indeed faster with a greater temperature difference, so a cold pan of water absorbs heat faster than a warm pan of water. Still, it takes less time to boil warm water because it doesn’t first have to heat up from cold to the warmer starting temperature.
Cooking food in warm or cold water
Now, for impatient people like me, it’s tempting to always start cooking with warm water. But don’t do that with everything, because not all foods taste better that way.
Firm vegetables such as potatoes are better started in cold water, which prevents the outside from becoming tender before the inside. It’s also best to cook eggs starting in cold water, as this gives you the smallest chance of them cracking.
Pasta and rice should only go into the pan once the water is boiling, otherwise they sit in the water for far too long and become mushy. The same goes for leafy greens and other vegetables that only need a short cooking time.
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