Boiled Water

Eau bouillie

Makes
1 l41/4 cups
Prep
1 min
Cook
8–10 min
Total
9–11 min

A family classic. It's vegan, gluten-free and nut-free, it can be made ahead, and nobody has ever sent it back. Master this one and every pasta recipe in the collection is within reach.

Ingredients

  • 141/4lcupscold water, from the tap
  • 1pinchsalt, optional

Equipment

  • medium saucepan, with a lid or kettle
  • stove

Steps

  1. Pour the water into the saucepan, leaving at least 3 cm11/4 in at the top. Water that boils over does not apologize.

  2. Cover the saucepan. A watched pot never boils, so find something else to look at.

  3. Heat over high heat for , until the water reaches 100°C212°F and large bubbles break the surface without stopping. Small bubbles at the edges don't count: the water is only thinking about it.

  4. Add the salt, if using, and pretend it made a difference.

  5. Take the saucepan off the heat and use the water right away, for tea, pasta or bragging.

Storage

Keeps indefinitely, but only as water. Boiled water turns back into ordinary water in about 20–30 minutes. To serve it boiled again, go back to step 3.

Notes

  • Altitude: water boils at a lower temperature the higher up you are, about 95°C203°F in Denver. It still counts.
  • Salt: doesn't make water boil noticeably faster. It's there for morale.
  • Scaling: water is usually a cooking medium, and cooking media don't scale. Here it is the dish, so it does.

Variations

Simmered water: stop at the first small bubbles and turn the heat down to medium. Popular with people who find boiled water too intense.

Steam: keep going.

Source: Handed down through every generation that has owned a pot