Should I Boil Water on the Stove or in the Microwave?

Regarding boiling water– Is it true that water heated to boiling in a microwave cools faster than the water boiled on the stove? It seems that I barely get the milk and teabag in my cup before the tea is lukewarm. I usually just heat the water in the microwave in the same cup I will be using. Would it stay hotter if I did it in a saucepan on the stove? A friend suggested I also heat the milk. That seemed like a good idea.

      -Maggie

 

Jill: It does make a difference. It is better to heat on the stove or in an electric tea kettle. When water is boiled on the stove the water boils evenly and all of it boils. In the microwave the water only boils where the microwaves have hit it so you can have cold spots throughout the water. These hot and cold spots are also what causes the water to bubble up and foam over sometimes when you add your instant coffee.

Yes you do need to heat the milk because it will cause the tea to cool down quickly. You might try boiling your water on the stove, making your tea, adding the milk and then placing it all in the microwave for about 10 seconds or so to warm it up, milk and all.

Here are some other things I found that help to keep my tea or coffee really hot. I have a mug with a lid and I place the lid on it while it is steeping. I was so surprised how much hotter my coffee and tea was. You could use a small saucer or plate in place of the lid. Using a tea cozy on a mug helps too.

Because my house is cold, especially in the winter, my mugs are cold and I lose a lot of heat into the cold mug. I place just a little water in my mug and pour some of the boiling water into it for just a couple of seconds to heat the mug. Then I dump that out and make the tea with boiling water in a warmed mug.

This may seem like a lot of work for a cup of tea or coffee but you don’t have to do all of these suggestions all and they go faster and easier than you might think once you start doing them.

Using an electric tea kettle to boil water is much faster, boils evenly and saves on energy so it is the best way to go, but before you think you have to go out and buy a new expense electric kettle, the savings is so small it isn’t worth buying something new. Boiling the water in a small pot on the stove works just fine.

 

Photo By: Scott Akerman