Seriousely how many of you do that? Sincearly a european
No. I put it in the air fryer
I do, water is water.
I live in the US and I heat my tea water in an electric kettle. It probably isn’t as fast as yours, but it is still close to microwave speed. And I can heat up enough for several cups of tea and have it keep the rest hot. I usually drink more than one at a sitting.
Unless I’m misunderstanding your statement, you’re saying it’s faster to boil water in the microwave than the kettle? How’s that possible? I would think the microwave has more wasted energy
My microwave can boil a single cup of water faster than my kettle. My kettle can boil four cups of water a lot faster than my microwave. It all depends on the microwave and kettle (and the voltage available).
Huh. I guess the kettle has some thermal mass to it making it less efficient for small amounts
Microwave is blasting radiation at 100% efficiency as soon as you turn it on. Kettles heating elements need to heat up before they can heat the water.
I wonder what the efficiency of absorption is, though. Does 100% of emitted radiation get soaked up by the cup, or does some escape into the surroundings?
It doesn’t get absorbed so much as excite the water particles as it passes through. I’d imagine it would be more effective in the beginning when they’re standing relatively still.
Electric kettles are a waste of space for many people. Limited use, fills up the counter. So then either you use the store or the microwave. We both know which one is faster.
I honestly don’t know which is faster since I’ve never used a microwave to boil water. An electric kettle is essential for me. It also boils water that can then be used for cooking so for me it’s versatile enough to justify the space. Toasters imo have much more limited use and those seem to be common in US households too.
Electric kettle is used more frequently than the coffee maker, and takes up less space. It’s faster too. I think it’s 2kw, while microwave is 800w. There are more powerful kettles too, up to 3kw i think.
American electric kettles are also quite a bit slower to boil because our mains voltage is so low. https://youtu.be/_yMMTVVJI4c
I am an American. I got a stovetop kettle to boil water for my tea. My fiancée hates it and refuses to use it. My friends think it is weird that I don’t just use the microwave like a normal person.
You are the only normal person there
PSA: Microwaving water can actually be super dangerous because it’s possible to superheat it. When the surface is disrupted, it can violently boil all at once and hurt you.
Generally you need super pure water though, so if you don’t have a distiller and brand new unused dishes, it’s probably not an issue.
I use distilled water for espresso and tea… Thankfully I started because of my electric kettle and espresso machine. Keeping the machines cleaner.
Never microwaved distilled water.
Well, I think it also needs to be in a pristine dish with no scratches. Basically it can only happen if there’s nothing in the water to create bubbles and disrupt it, then it could possibly heat up without visibly boiling.
I’ve doon thot several times now. And so I -almost always- remember to check that the left digit on the timer is one.
I use an electric kettle but remember that in the US outlets are 120V, so they take a lot longer to heat water than in countries with 240.
So the microwave isn’t much less efficient than the electric kettle, mainly because some of the energy is heating the mug/container. The least efficient is a stovetop kettle on an electric stove.
But I’m curious, why are Europeans so horrified by the idea of heating water in the microwave? Is it related to power consumption, or is there some other reason?
But I’m curious, why are Europeans so horrified by the idea of heating water in the microwave?
Not op. But I’m really curious about the whole “microwave water” thing.
For me it’s just a completely foreign idea. Maybe because electric kettles are so ubiquitous over here. Like everyone has one, including office kitchens and hotel rooms.
I’m also curious over the practicality. Doesn’t it spill over? What kind of container do you use to hold the water? For example if you want one cup of tea, do you just put a cup of water into the microwave? Depending on the container, do you watch it the whole time?
I understand why one may use the microwave to heat water, I also understand it works, but the idea of actually doing it is… mystifying.
Most people would just put water in the mug (ceramic/microwave-safe of course) that they’re going to make the tea in and microwave it until it boils or bubbles just short of a rolling boil, which takes 2 or 3 minutes, depending on the microwave’s power–you’d learn the time yours takes and set the timer for that. At that point I don’t see the difference between that vs. if you poured it into the cup from the kettle. Either way you now have a cup full of boiling-hot water to steep your tea in. No, it won’t spill over if you don’t fill it all the way up to the brim.
Why would you? Have some class!
And if you need such a small amount of warm water to cook. Then take warm water from your tap.
For everything else? Use a kettle!
Oh, now I see! You don’t understand that a microwave can boil water, you think it can only warm it up a little. Thank you for clearing up my confusion.
Have some class!
Whenever I hear Europeans accuse Americans of being arrogant, I can only laugh. Feeling superior about something like how you boil water is hilarious.
Not once in my life.
Wait, you guys have microwaves?
Sincerely, Someone who does not own a microwave
So you heat a whole oven or stove every time you want some leftovers? cries in planet
Not by choice, but unfortunately that is my only option. cries in wallet
What is the difference on environmetal impact for running a gas burner for 5 minutes vs. running an electric microwave for 30 seconds?
It turns out gas stoves are wildly inefficient and spew most of their heat into the atmosphere instead of the food. This video comparing has been making the rounds again lately.
Just eat them cold.
We just have an instant hot water tap. Can’t live without it, haha.
Im not against it, but an electric tea kettle is no slower, and less hassle. Seriously, 2 cups of water boils in under 2 minutes, it’s insane.
Never we have a Quooker. (Instant boiling water out of the kitchen faucet)
We have a spigot in the kitchen that only puts out boiling-hot water, so I use that. If that’s not working, I’d just boil it in a pan on the stove.
I absolutely don’t heat water in the microwave! I have a kettle like any other good god-fearing man.
However as a person who recently got into tea I’d love to hear recommendations on tea. I recently got a box of Yorkshire gold that’s been pretty good to me
So, I like loose leaf when I can, but will totally use bags, I grew up with Tetley so that’ll always be the tea I’ll use for some basic iced tea. Yorkshire gold reminds me a lot of Red Rose, which is the other really common bag tea (and I swear is what my grandmother uses for her water intake). Recently, have some bags from Genuine Tea, it’s a Canadian brand and some of their blends are pretty good, there’s an elderberry hibiscus one that’s great to just toss a few bags in a pitcher and cold steep.
Going to mention more types of teas rather than brands that I’ve liked in the past, there’s a lot of variety and tea (like quality coffee) can totally have a wide range of flavours depending on region, age, processing etc. By no means an expert, I just like trying things.
I like Lapsang Souchong sometimes, can have a strong smoky flavour, don’t have any more but we had some first flush Darjeeling tea that was fantastic. I had some nice white tea as well, but you need to be careful, turns super unpleasant if you over steep it or have the water too hot, should be floral and lightly fruity, not pine needles.
Otherwise, I personally like oolong and pu’erh tea the best. I tend to brew tea quick with an excess of leaves, but you’ll use the same tea leaves multiple times. Pu’erh can have some earthy subtle flavours, and apparently totally changes as it ages (it’s fermented if I recall).
Definitely going to give the lapsing a try. Ty for the rec!
What kind of tea experience are you looking for? A sweet and fruity herbal good hot or cold? Something refreshing and subtle to enjoy with a touch of lemon? Something dark and complicated? Smokey and earthy? There are so many options you should probably think about what you want from your cuppa.
Definitely darker. I’ve been digging the straight black teas. I don’t hate green tea, but I’ve been gravitating towards the breakfast blends.
I’d honestly recommend seeing if you have any local brick and mortar tea vendors so you could go get your nose in some tins. If you already know you like breakfast blends, you will get such a better experience from your tea if you can really smell the leaves and let your nose lead the way. Tea doesn’t always taste how it smells but a lot of the major notes will be there. If you are unfortunate enough not to have a local place, then if you’re in the US, Adagio has lots of samplers and they’re usually my go to.
I just looked and it turns out I do have a tea store in town! Just opened in the last few months. Gonna stop in and sniff around a bit
