16

Most municipal water supplies in the U.S. include noticeable levels of chlorine or chloramine added to kill microbes, and often adds an objectionable chemical smell.

Does chlorine evaporate when cooking? If so, does it require boiling temperatures? Does it become more concentrated if the water is boiled down? Does it matter when water is added as an ingredient, such as in bread dough?

hiergiltdiestfu
  • 103
  • 3
Jeff Axelrod
  • 4,940
  • 29
  • 60
  • 81
  • 1
    This doesn't seem to be cooking related to me, so OT. Could you edit this to be more relevant? – GdD Mar 02 '16 at 15:36
  • 3
    I don't follow your line of thought. Please elaborate. – Jeff Axelrod Mar 02 '16 at 15:47
  • You are asking about Chlorine's properties in water, that's a chemistry question. If you want to know how cooks get rid of chlorine taste and smell then that's the question I'd ask. – GdD Mar 02 '16 at 15:49
  • 14
    I personally think this is fine as is. – Jay Mar 02 '16 at 16:03
  • 1
    The question might be fine as it is, but it's got nothing to do with food safety. – Chris H Mar 02 '16 at 19:51
  • 4
    @GdD It's the smell that's the cooking-related part. I've never lived anywhere with enough chlorine in the water to notice it, but I guess if your tap water smells like a swimming pool it'd be an issue. – Cascabel Mar 02 '16 at 20:46
  • 2
    Houston and Chicago water absolutely smell like swimming pools if unfiltered. – Jeff Axelrod Mar 02 '16 at 21:32
  • 1
    I've lived in Houston - either you got some weird water or you're used to under-chlorinated swimming pools, because the water there is nowhere close to as strong a smell as a pool, and while it does have chlorine, the distinctive taste is much more local mineral content than chlorine. – Cascabel Mar 03 '16 at 06:20
  • 1
    @ChrisH You think concentrated chlorine in food has nothing to do with food safety? Because the question partly asks that. – Matthew Read Mar 03 '16 at 09:42
  • @Matthew. No it doesn't. It talks about the low levels present in drinking water when used for cooking. – Chris H Mar 03 '16 at 09:58
  • 1
    Chlorine readily evaporates at room temperatures, though higher temperatures of course make this faster. If your specific concern is just with the smell, why not just give it a try? Make a double-blind test, and see the results. I don't think there's a lot of people here with experience with drinking water that has a noticeable amount of "chlorine smell". – Luaan Mar 03 '16 at 12:48
  • As a bit of extra evidence: my wife grew up on unchlorinated well water, and when she visited Houston, she didn't notice chlorine or a swimming pool smell, just the different mineral taste. So... while it's certainly possible that the chlorine is the issue for you here and the answers will help, it's also possible that you're noticing things besides chlorine that you're not used to and the answers won't help as much (but filtering will, as you've already noticed). – Cascabel Mar 03 '16 at 15:21

3 Answers3

19

Water treatment often uses chlorine or chloramine to kill germs or algae. If you are smelling it it's more likely to be Chloramine than Chlorine. Chlorine will dissipate from water over time naturally, but boiling for 20 minute will drive it out. Chloramine will also dissipate naturally, but in a much longer time frame, and would take over a day to boil out.

So boiling water will get rid of chlorine but not chloramine (at least not in a useful time frame), and boiling will concentrate other minerals in the water which is usually undesirable. It will also de-oxygenate the water, making it flat. Flat water isn't great for cooking - compare the flavor of a cup of tea or coffee brewed with flat water as opposed to fresh and you'll see what I mean.

Your best option for water treatment chemical removal at home is an activated charcoal filter unless you want to invest in a UV treatment system, which would seem to be a bit OTT. You could also use a reducing agent from a brewery supply company, but if all you want is some fresh tasting and smelling water then the filter is your best option.

Homebrewing SE has a thread on this which is worth reading.

Community
  • 1
GdD
  • 74,019
  • 3
  • 128
  • 240
  • 3
    If you look at the solubility curves for chlorine (or other gases) in water, you'll see that just bringing the water to the boil drives off the gas. You don't need to hold it at boiling point. – Chris H Mar 02 '16 at 19:50
  • 1
    ... A link: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/gases-solubility-water-d_1148.html – Chris H Mar 02 '16 at 20:13
  • 7
    Have you actually tried the coffee/tea thing? Heating water to close to its boiling point essentially drives off all dissolved gases so regardless of whether water is "flat" before you made tea or coffee with it, it's flat by the time you're brewing. – David Richerby Mar 02 '16 at 21:25
  • 2
    @DavidRicherby I'm also sceptical, perhaps this merits a separate question? –  Mar 02 '16 at 21:59
  • @ChrisH: It's not an instant thing. Keep in mind that water has a very significant surface tension. All the chlorine that no longer is dissolved forms bubbles which initially aren't even microscopic. IOW, that chlorine isn't dissolved, but still physically located within the fluid. As the water boild, steam bubbles form and fluid currents become significant, causing chlorine bubbles to merge and be carried off. – MSalters Mar 03 '16 at 12:10
10

If your are dealing with chloramine, a trick I've used in homebrewing is to add powdered ascorbic acid (vitamin c) while heating the water up to around 170 for 15 minutes or so. This will pull the chloramine out of solution and you'll end up with some particulate solid residue on the bottom of the pot from the reaction, so you'd probably want to decant the water off of it to use for cooking. I have been told that it also works for chlorine, but my tap water uses chloramine so I've never tried it for that.

user132278
  • 950
  • 6
  • 8
  • 2
    170F I assume, not 170C (which would be pressurized). Makes sense, though. Ascorbic acid is a well-known _anti-oxidant_ which actually means it's preferentially oxidized, and chlorine is a strong oxidizer. – MSalters Mar 03 '16 at 12:10
-1

You can use as ascorbic acid to remove chlorine and chloramine. The cheapest and most useful form is called Ball brand fruit fresh powder found in all canning supply aisles. It is a fantastic product to use as a substitute for citrus juice to prevent browning and is completely tasteless. Benefit is you get a megadose of vitamin C!

Mocha Falls
  • 183
  • 1
  • 6
  • What happens to the chlorine/chloramine? It must still be there in some form... and since you say the ascorbic acid is tasteless, presumably you aren't convering up the taste. – Cascabel Mar 20 '16 at 01:05
  • 2
    @Cascabel Years later, but, according to https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/water-knowledge , the chlorine compounds will be reduced to chloride ions and possibly some other debris (H+ or NH4+) and the ascorbic acid becomes the dehydrate; the only one of these products with any flavor or smell is the ammonium, and not at drinking-water-disinfectant concentrations. – zwol Apr 03 '18 at 18:10
  • 1
    "megadoses" of vitamins are not a benefit. That you need only small amounts is a defining characteristic of vitamins. Huge amounts are at best useless and in some cases dangerous. Ascorbic acid is safe compared to some other vitamins but it can have unpleasant side effects if you consume enough of it: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/vitamin-c/faq-20058030 – smithkm Nov 21 '18 at 21:04