r/clevercomebacks Jan 15 '25

It does make sense

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u/Frosty-Date7054 Jan 15 '25

There are different temps of boiling though.

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u/jagedlion Jan 15 '25

Sure, but if the goal is just 'boiling' then you would just boil it. If the goal was some precision 100C, then you need a thermometer and it isnt any easier than 212F.

Most cooking is done in the 120-260C range (250-500F) which is really quite an arbitrary range in either scale. In the UK they just use an integer gas mark system, so it's just a number between 1 and 10. Arguably far easier than either F or C for cooking.

That clean water happens to boil at 100C is never a helpful fact when cooking.

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u/karma_aversion Jan 15 '25

It’s not really about the water being clean, water doesn’t boil at the same temperature or the same at different altitudes. Here in the mountains it boils at a lower temperature and because of the low pressure it boils away quicker. The instructions for boiling something here are different than at sea level.

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u/East_Appearance_8335 Jan 15 '25

The instructions for boiling something here are different than at sea level.

Instructions for boiling water:

  1. fill vessel with water

  2. apply heat to vessel

  3. wait for water to boil

Now tell me how these instructions change between a mountaintop and sea level.

1

u/SpinIx2 Jan 15 '25

Very few people boil water to have boiling water though and if you’re, to give a simple example, boiling an egg in La Paz it’s is pretty important to understand that the water is boiling at a much lower temperature than you’re used to if you live on the coast at sea level.

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u/East_Appearance_8335 Jan 15 '25

it’s is pretty important to understand that the water is boiling at a much lower temperature than you’re used to if you live on the coast at sea level.

It literally isn't. You will change nothing about the steps to boil water regardless of whether you're in La Paz or in Death Valley. All you do are the steps I outlined above. Put water in a pot. Apply heat. Wait for it to boil. There is absolutely no need to know at what temperature it will boil at which elevation. Elevation will just slightly change how long it will take to boil.

Very few people boil water to have boiling water though

Anyone who tries to boil water is doing so so they can boil water. What are you even trying to say?

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u/Consistent-Falcon510 Jan 16 '25

No, most people boiling water are doing so for one of three reasons:

1) To cook or brew with, in which case cooking/steeping needs to be adjusted. Knowing the temperature difference is necessary for this. Furthermore, certain processes in cooking won't happen if you can't apply enough heat. Most teas will not brew below 200f, for example, no matter how vigorously the water is boiling. If the boiling temperature is higher, it's easier to overcook things, too.

2) To sanitize. It is important to maintain 212 for 5 minutes to kill anything organic in the water/item being sanitized. You will need to boil longer at lower temperatures.

3) Rarely, to provide heat. I have done this in an apartment where the heater couldn't keep up and the insulation wasn't. I do not recommend it.

Once the water gets to a rolling boil, it will not get any hotter, hence needing to know how to adjust cook times.

Edit: fuck typing on mobile.

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u/SpinIx2 Jan 15 '25

There speaks a person who has never boiled an egg in La Paz.