When salting water for cooking use 1 tablespoon of salt for every 4 quarts of water

October 26, 2007 11:45 AM

The only recipe for boiling salted water you'll ever need. Well, the reviews are entertaining, anyway.
posted by dersins (56 comments total)

That's a good recipe. I've got a better recipe for dry toast. Feel free to mail me if you want it.
posted by dios at 11:49 AM on October 26, 2007

Personally I don't think that's enough salt for properly cooking pasta. I use more like 1 Tbsp per quart. It looks like a lot of salt going in, but most of it doesn't end up in the pasta.

But honestly, although having it as a "recipe" is stupid, salting the water makes a vast difference in boiled foods, particularly starches (pasta, gnocci, spaetzel, etc.).
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:53 AM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

mbarnstein writes: I am unsure what type of salt to use. Sea. kosher or another that i am unware of? Also, pictures , diagrams and maybe even a video could be useful in making this easier to understand..

I totally agree. This recipe is usless without more details! Why there must be at least two types of salt in my supermarket alone? Sould my boiling water be Kosher? How would I know if it was tref or not?
posted by bonehead at 11:55 AM on October 26, 2007 [3 favorites]

I need a recipe for salting boiled water and this is no help at all. Flagged.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:56 AM on October 26, 2007 [3 favorites]

They omit cooking time! How will I know when it's done?
posted by lekvar at 12:00 PM on October 26, 2007 [5 favorites]

Bonus points if someone can dig up a clip of Rachel Ray drinking it and then saying, "Mmmm!" or "Ohhh!" or "Delish!"
posted by cog_nate at 12:03 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

You copied the entire recipe, dersins. What if the copyright police come after mathowie? Flagged.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:06 PM on October 26, 2007

or vomiting, I guess.
posted by cog_nate at 12:06 PM on October 26, 2007

I tried this recipe and it came out very moist. Was the center supposed to thicken up? Please advise.
posted by rmless at 12:09 PM on October 26, 2007 [4 favorites]

Wow. Epicurious users have more sarcasm than I ever would have suspected.
posted by Tehanu at 12:10 PM on October 26, 2007

You copied the entire recipe, dersins. What if the copyright police come after mathowie?

That's why I left out the punctuation.
posted by dersins at 12:10 PM on October 26, 2007

That's a good recipe. I've got a better recipe for dry toast. Feel free to mail me if you want it.

I'm a big fan of raw toast, myself.
posted by inigo2 at 12:11 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

And right after I posted here I found the best one:

Ohhhhh, I wish there was a picture. I'm not sure if mine turned out right.
posted by Tehanu at 12:12 PM on October 26, 2007 [3 favorites]

Man, this totally ruins Family Circus for me.



wait, what?
posted by GuyZero at 12:12 PM on October 26, 2007

Who has time to make their own salted water? I just order takeout.
posted by brain_drain at 12:14 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

Mario Batali says that your salted cooking water should taste as saline as seawater. I don’t think 1 tbsp per gallon will satisfy him.
posted by breaks the guidelines? at 12:16 PM on October 26, 2007

Take that, Neiman-Marcus!
posted by PlusDistance at 12:16 PM on October 26, 2007

I love those reviews.
posted by NationalKato at 12:20 PM on October 26, 2007

Bonus points if someone can dig up a clip of Rachel Ray drinking it and then saying, "Mmmm!" or "Ohhh!" or "Delish!"
Actual cash money if anyone can dig up a clip of Rachel Ray drinking it and then saying "OMFG IT'S BOILING WTF 3RD DEGREE BURNS?!"
posted by Wolfdog at 12:25 PM on October 26, 2007 [2 favorites]

Jesus. Lawsuit waiting to happen. The site should really warn people about the health hazards associated with dihydrogen monoxide.
posted by cortex at 12:30 PM on October 26, 2007

I have a stupid question. Is this salt being added for flavor or to speed up boiling? I often see recipes that call for a pinch of salt with water that one intends to boil, and I've long wondered if that salt is to help the water boil faster. If it does, it would make me very happy. If it's just for flavor, well that's okay too.
posted by Danila at 12:38 PM on October 26, 2007

Harmony Central members review a 9-volt battery.
posted by sourwookie at 12:39 PM on October 26, 2007

Is this salt being added for flavor or to speed up boiling?

Salting water would raise its boiling point and so make it take longer.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:41 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

Is this salt being added for flavor or to speed up boiling?

Salting water would raise its boiling point and so make it take longer.

It raises the boiling temperature of the water, so it will take longer to get to that point but the food (or salt) will cook at a higher temperature than possible with water alone.
posted by xorry at 12:43 PM on October 26, 2007 [3 favorites]

For a salt free alternative, one could cook their water at higher altitudes.

You will could also have the benefit of extra exercise if you have to move up an incline or hilly surface to increase your altitude.
posted by xorry at 12:46 PM on October 26, 2007 [2 favorites]

"Salting water would raise its boiling point and so make it take longer."

Yeah, but the change is something on the order of a few seconds.
posted by 517 at 12:53 PM on October 26, 2007

When I was a kid my mom would make my favorite dinner every Friday night. I'd sit down with a tray table in front of the T.V, watch The Brady Bunch, and dine on Burnt Crisp and Boiled Water with just a pinch of salt.

Good times.
posted by Floydd at 12:55 PM on October 26, 2007

Harmony Central members review a 9-volt battery.

Tastes like vag.
posted by Durin's Bane at 12:56 PM on October 26, 2007

I know I first saw this right here on MetaFilter, but damned if I can find it. Maybe it was in a comment.
posted by yhbc at 12:56 PM on October 26, 2007

Why did the water file a lawsuit against the cook?

Because it was a salted.

I'll be appearing at the Guffawditorium next thursday, come check it out.
posted by jefbla at 12:58 PM on October 26, 2007

In Soviet Russia, water boils you!
posted by cortex at 1:01 PM on October 26, 2007

I have to confess that I'm really lazy about this and usually just use one of those "just add water" mixes. A little more expensive but very convenient.
posted by tyllwin at 1:07 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

This completely ruined my Kraft Dinner.
posted by Bearman at 1:08 PM on October 26, 2007

I had a roommate who was something of an amateur cook. He suggested that you need double-to-triple the amount of salt if you substitue sea salt for regular salt in a recipie.

This seemed to work out for him. Anyone know if there is truth in this?
posted by jeffamaphone at 1:19 PM on October 26, 2007

Do they have a recipe for hot ham water?
posted by wowbobwow at 1:22 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

I had a roommate who was something of an amateur cook. He suggested that you need double-to-triple the amount of salt if you substitue sea salt for regular salt in a recipie.

It depends on the size of the crystals, but yes, generally speaking, you want twice as much (by volume) sea salt as table salt. The smaller crystals in table salt pack more tightly, so you get more salt in a given volume. Assuming, of course, that your sea salt comes in big, irregular crystals.
posted by uncleozzy at 1:28 PM on October 26, 2007

I had a roommate who was something of an amateur cook. He suggested that you need double-to-triple the amount of salt if you substitue sea salt for regular salt in a recipie.

This seemed to work out for him. Anyone know if there is truth in this?

That's about right, and same goes for kosher salt. Something to do with the shape of the crystals or something like that.
posted by padraigin at 1:28 PM on October 26, 2007

Now that's entertainment. The comments, I mean. Especially from the alcohol-happy epicurious readers. Who would have guessed that salted water gets them to let their hair down?
posted by bassjump at 1:30 PM on October 26, 2007

OK, I've put the salt in the water. Now, how do I get it to do this thing called "boiling?"
posted by cerebus19 at 1:34 PM on October 26, 2007

OK, I've put the salt in the water. Now, how do I get it to do this thing called "boiling?"

Take yourself or a more pustulent acquaintance, and drain your boils into it. That's why they call it "boiling."
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:42 PM on October 26, 2007

I had a similar question, cerebus19. The recipe's called "salted water for boiling," but hello I searched the whole site and nowhere do they tell you how to make "boiling." I guess that's why they call it epiCURIOUS? Very disappointed right now.
posted by Don Pepino at 1:42 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

"boiling" is just an archaic variant of "broiling". Take the salted water in its pot and put it in your oven, bottom rack. Set to broil, three hours.
posted by cortex at 1:45 PM on October 26, 2007 [4 favorites]

this is thoroughly meh
posted by oddman at 1:55 PM on October 26, 2007

Actually, cooking at high altitude would have the opposite effect--lower pressure depresses the boiling point. So, for the same effect without salt, try making it in an autoclave?
posted by agentofselection at 1:56 PM on October 26, 2007

Thank you all for some much-needed Friday afternoon bellylaughs. Carry on.
posted by Hobgoblin at 1:57 PM on October 26, 2007

Do they have a recipe for hot ham water?

I know a recipe for hotdog water.
posted by jefbla at 2:39 PM on October 26, 2007

Is there a freeze-dried version of this? I'd like to include it in my earthquake emergency kit.
posted by rtha at 3:55 PM on October 26, 2007 [2 favorites]

Anyone have a wine recommendation for boiling salt water? If it makes a difference, I used tap water and iodized salt.
posted by arcticwoman at 4:12 PM on October 26, 2007 [3 favorites]

Before the intarweb, people used to have to learn the secrets of boiling salted water from their parents. Many orphans starved to death. It was truly the dark ages.
posted by tommasz at 4:23 PM on October 26, 2007

Goddamn this opaque French terminology.
posted by oflinkey at 9:03 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

"Too many flavours competing with each other... would not make again."

brilliant.
posted by Dillonlikescookies at 9:03 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

Okay, I finally convinced myself I wasn't going crazy by, ironically enough, going through all the archives until I found where this site was mentioned before on MetaFilter.

It was way back on July 11, 2002 by Slithy_Tove, who even said it was O/T in the thread in which he was commenting. I remember reading this before on MeFi, so I must have read the comment, followed the link, laughed, laughed, and never thought to actually make it an FPP.
posted by yhbc at 9:13 PM on October 26, 2007 [2 favorites]

I know a recipe for hotdog water.

This is the perfect opportunity to ask this: which is the true definition of hot dog water?
posted by Locative at 9:18 PM on October 26, 2007

sourwookie: "Harmony Central members review a 9-volt battery."

Along the same lines, Amazon members review a gallon of milk. (Yeah, this link was hot Internet shit like 9 months ago.)
posted by Plutor at 5:46 AM on October 27, 2007

I hate Acme (the pop up ad on that site).

They spend megadollars in image advertising but when you go there, it's the same "Shop Rite"or "Pathmark" -level of quality.

It's the food equivalent of what J.C. Penny or Kohl's tries to pull-off.

I hate "pretend upmarket" retailers.
posted by wfc123 at 11:02 AM on October 27, 2007

J.C. Penney, as opposed to what, Macy's? The latter is the low-quality one.
posted by oaf at 8:30 AM on October 29, 2007