Heating Water

[TacoBell]

Ray,

I have the Panasonic, I think on Jim's recommendation, and I love it. As a matter of fact I just filled it and put it on the 6hr timer. Should be ready for me when I make my morning tea. I have heard regarding the Zojirushi, that it consumes the same amount of energy as an alarm clock, not sure that is true but like saying it. And as noted above, the Panasonic is half the price of the Zojirushi and seems to do the same thing. The Zojirushi may have a filter, but I use filtered water.

Good luck

 

[_JP_]

What model Panasonic did you get? I've been looking at them as well.

 

[Trius]

Ray: I use a T-Fal Vitesse, 1.7L. It's a discontinued model, and I haven't explored the new models which have built-in filtration. It seems to be efficient, the design is nice wrt eye appeal and size. The only problem I have had was that one of the hinges on the lid broke ... a bit of an engineering issue, but also user error.

Edit: Just saw on Amazon that the new T-Fal Vitesse has temperature select!

 

[TacoBell]

What model Panasonic did you get? I've been looking at them as well.

Here is a link to one that is similar:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-NC-...1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1231307476&sr=1-1

Mine is the Panasonic-NC-EH22P. The only difference I can see between mine and this one is that mine was $5 less.

 

[MotoMike]

Ok, two things that come to mind.

First, having read a great deal on this topic, I see that some people feel that plastic imparts a flavor to the water. can someone talk about their experience on that topic.

the other thing is that most brewing technique I have read advises you to draw fresh cold water and bring it to a boil or very nearly so depending on the tea and then immediately pour it over the tea to steep. they say that over boiling removes the oxygen from the water leaving a dull or flat tea. wouldn't the thermo pots that bring to temp and hold produce this undesirable effect?

 

[Howard Newell]

I've used a Rival electric kettle for about three years for making tea and I've never noticed any kind of plastic taste in the water or tea. I'm not sure how the plastic's made but it seems pretty stable and built to take the heat, and quite frankly I'd like to see the people who claim to taste plastic in the water undergo a blind taste test.

The pots that keep the water at the same temperature would eventually make most of the dissolved oxygen come out of the water, but that'd probably depend on the temperature and duration of the pots' heat. Overall, I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you let the water sit out for a day or two or use hot water from the tap to begin with.

 

[MotoMike]

thanks howard.

any further discussion? concuring or dissenting opinions?

 

[leighton]

Ok, two things that come to mind.

Firs, having read a great deal on this topic, I see that some people feel that plastic imparts a flavor to the water. can someone talk about their experience on that topic.

the other thing is that most brewing technique I have read advises you to draw fresh cold water and bring it to a boil or very nearly so depending on the tea and then immediately pour it over the tea to steep. they say that over boiling removes the oxygen from the water leaving a dull or flat tea. wouldn't the thermo pots that bring to temp and hold produce this undesirable effect?

It really depends on the plastic. The taste is more prominent from things like coffee mugs, esp. when you brew in it.

Not sure about the second question. Seems to me that the technique is to make sure you don't overboil the water.

 

[joyfulwoogie]

I try to avoid plastic if I can especially if heat is to be applied.

For boiling water, no matter how the plastic or what kind it is made of, I have this superstition that the plastic substance will seep into the water. Well, I guess the tea leaves will absorb considerable amount of that. Still, why plastic when there are clay, class, iron cast alternatives.

I used to use glass kettle on alcohl burner. It brews standard tea. I now use tetsubin which makes heavier, thicker tea with stronger huigan. After about a year's use, the bottom is covered white fro mthe mineral deposit. The huigan and aftertaste is getting stronger with more mineral build up. At times, too much though.

Lately, I am getting a bit tired of water boiling process. It takes quite a while for my tetsubin to boil up. Those Zuri or Panasomic hot water dispensers are very tempting these days. It's just that everything here in Canada costs 30-50% more compared to the south.

 

[MotoMike]

I was in Target and decided to give this one a try.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...|B000KDVTJI&CPNG=kitchen&ref=tgt_adv_XSC10001

All stainless inside. boils water pretty quick. about a minute per cup.

 

[mk-ultra]

I don't mean to offend the aficionados here. This is a serious question.

Is boiling tea water in the microwave a bad idea?

I use a pyrex measuring cup and in 6 minutes, I have boiling water, but no idea of the temperature.

I used to use a stainless steel whistling tea kettle, but got tired of cleaning the residue.


Thank you,

 

[Jim]

More Kamjove designs.

JP did you get one of these?

I was in Target and decided to give this one a try.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...|B000KDVTJI&CPNG=kitchen&ref=tgt_adv_XSC10001

All stainless inside. boils water pretty quick. about a minute per cup.

Hows it working out Mike?

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Ahhh....the glories of French Press. Almost as good as Vacuum Coffee! When cooking up some French Press coffee, we use an old fashioned tea pot to heat the water...thats it!

 

[joyfulwoogie]

Is boiling tea water in the microwave a bad idea?

I am not so sure about the details but I have heard that the radiation wave/ray isn't good for the body. It was something about the way microwave heats up the stuff inside. The fact that the water is hot means the water is affected by the wave length of some sort and it is not good for the body.

My wife is firm on not using microwave for the reason above.

But a lot of people warm up their food and water using microwave and I agree with her.

Occasionally would be okay, I guess but I wouldn't recommend.

 

[leighton]

On the topic of whether to buy the constant heated water v. the turn it on and wait version. I got a tiger pot a while ago, so I've never had the need to buy a new water heater. I have found it makes some great hot water to make my shave bowl really hot.

 

[whodat]

JP -- that thing is great. Had one in Japan -- bought it at a recycle shop -- and been kicking myself for not bringing it back to the States.

What he was talking about:

 

[Howard Newell]

I don't mean to offend the aficionados here. This is a serious question.

Is boiling tea water in the microwave a bad idea?

I use a pyrex measuring cup and in 6 minutes, I have boiling water, but no idea of the temperature.

I used to use a stainless steel whistling tea kettle, but got tired of cleaning the residue.


Thank you,

No, it's not a bad idea overall. Microwave ovens work by emitting energy waves which are absorbed by water molecules which begin to rotate. This rotation creates friction which heats up the water overall. That doesn't mean this makes the water "radioactive," or harmful in any way, but I'd be careful heating water in the microwave since it can be heated past 212 degrees and boil spontaneously if you jar the container holding the water.

 

[_JP_]

JP did you get one of these?

No, I have not picked up the Kamjove yet. But I really want one. I also really want the Panasonic. I might have to settle for having both.

I had a chance to see a few models of the Zojirushi at the local Teavana shop, so I have a better grasp on them. For the price of one of those I can have both the Panasonic and Kamjove.

 

[_JP_]

I am not so sure about the details but I have heard that the radiation wave/ray isn't good for the body. It was something about the way microwave heats up the stuff inside. The fact that the water is hot means the water is affected by the wave length of some sort and it is not good for the body.

My wife is firm on not using microwave for the reason above.

There has been this ongoing misconception about microwave cooking for years because people don't understand how it works. There is one point to grasp here and that is that there isn't any sort of radiation involved, and certainly nothing that is nuclear in nature. It is all electrical. The energy that actually cooks the food is high powered radio waves in the microwave spectrum. The radio energy is not absorbed by the food because it passes right through it while heating it up. There isn't any residual energy left in it at all.

Microwave cooking has been proven to be more healthy than other forms of cooking, such as frying or grilling. People who object to boiling water in a microwave for tea do so because they think it makes the water taste flat. Personally, I can't tell the difference between that and boiling it on the stove top.

 

[joyfulwoogie]

There has been this ongoing misconception about microwave cooking for years because people don't understand how it works. There is one point to grasp here and that is that there isn't any sort of radiation involved, and certainly nothing that is nuclear in nature. It is all electrical. The energy that actually cooks the food is high powered radio waves in the microwave spectrum. The radio energy is not absorbed by the food because it passes right through it while heating it up. There isn't any residual energy left in it at all.

Microwave cooking has been proven to be more healthy than other forms of cooking, such as frying or grilling. People who object to boiling water in a microwave for tea do so because they think it makes the water taste flat. Personally, I can't tell the difference between that and boiling it on the stove top.

Yes! yes! yes!

Thank you so much. We can finally have a microwave!!!!!

That makes sense. I mean there can still be effects that are not measurable with the current scientific models/experiments but what you share makes good sense.

I really like popcorn, those extra buttered ones that you microwave but haven't had those for almost two years. Dang, I miss them.

Thanks for the note.