It’s never been easier than it is now to install a professional-grade water filtration system in your home. Clean water for drinking and bathing are goals we can all agree on, but another area where filtered water can benefit you at home is in your cooking. Water is involved in every stage of the cooking process, so whatever contaminants the water brings in will end up in your bread, vegetables, and sauces–unless you filter them out first.
The Benefits of using Filtered Water in Cooking Food
Water is known as the universal solvent, meaning that it has the power to dissolve nearly anything it touches over time. Water can contain trace amounts of anything, from minerals like iron, copper, chromium, and lead, to organic matter from decaying plants and animals, to human-made synthetic materials like microplastics and PFAs. All material on this planet eventually ends up in the water table, and from there, to our homes and faucets.
In most parts of the United States, you can safely cook with your tap water, as most American municipalities have good water treatment. However, water treatment is a fickle business, and conditions change swiftly. Even if you are on city water, you may still have elevated chlorine or chlormaine levels, high sediment content, or other contaminants. Check your local water quality report to determine what is in your water, and what filters to buy to reduce your target contaminants.
Enhances flavor
Cooking with filtered water will allow your ingredients to shine on their own, giving their full range of flavor and health benefits. Most city water is treated with chlorine and/or chloramines, which are powerful disinfectants designed to kill microorganisms. These chemicals keep us safe, but they taste bad, and can ruin subtle flavors in vegetables and fruits, as well as impart a bad flavor to baked goods.
Reduces contaminants
Filtering your water before cooking with it will do more than protecting the flavor of your ingredients–it will also help to reduce harmful contaminants in water. Specific filters are geared towards particular problems and water contaminants, so speak with a local water dealer to determine what filters will serve you best. In broad terms, however, you can’t go wrong with sediment and activated carbon filters for broad contaminant coverage. You may consider reverse osmosis in cases of high TDS (total dissolved solids), or to get the purest water possible for coffee and specialty drinks.
Preserves nutrients
By removing harmful contaminants from water, you protect the healthful nutrients in your food that may be damaged by contact with harsh chemicals, heavy metals, or disinfectants. Don’t lose nutritional value to low-quality water. A small investment into a home filtration system will help you get the most out of your food.
Improves texture
Contaminated water affects more than taste and health–hard water can change the texture of sauces, deserts, specialty coffee drinks, candies, and so on. Most recipes don’t call for calcium and magnesium, so it’s best to get the hardness out before trying to make finicky dishes. Clean water also makes clearer, tastier ice, whereas hard water creates cloudy and opaque ice cubes.
Reduces scaling
Many water treatment options can help to protect against limescale on your kitchen appliances, and in your food. If you have high water hardness, a water softener is the conventional solution, though it will put additional salt in your water. Many people opt for a whole-home softener installed in the basement, paired with a reverse osmosis system under the kitchen sink to remove the additional sodium.
How to Pick the Right Water Filter
Different filters have different functions. Sediment filters, which are universally used at the beginning of multi-stage filtration systems, remove physical particulate matter from water, and water treatment using carbon filters out unwanted chemicals such as chlorine. Reverse Osmosis is a more aggressive form of mechanical filtration. Speak to a local water dealer to determine the best setup for your water.
How Does Filtered Water Affect the Taste of Cooked Food?
Inasmuch as water is involved in nearly every stage of cooking and baking, the quality of your starting water has everything to do with the quality of the results. Whatever is in the water will go into your meals, dishes, drinks, or desserts.
Is Filtered Water Better for Cooking All Types of Food?
Generally speaking, yes. There may be regional dishes that garner unique flavor from mineral-rich local water, but as a rule, filtered water is best for cooking.
Can Filtered Water Shorten Cooking Times?
Generally speaking, filtering your water should not change it significantly enough to need to alter cooking times. In cases of extreme water contamination or hardness, however, switching to soft or filtered water may change cooking times in subtle ways.
Is Filtered Water Necessary for Both Cooking and Drinking?
If you are on municipal water in a developed country, then filtered water may not be necessary for your drinking and cooking needs, but a filtration system is always a good investment, as water conditions are always changing.
The Bottom Line
A home filtration system is a great way to improve the quality of the water you drink and cook with in your own home. Enjoy health and aesthetic benefits, and savor the subtle flavors in your fruits, vegetables, and baked goods. You can’t go wrong with sediment and carbon filtration to improve water’s taste and flavor.