Water in Cooking

[crupp]

Ok...I'm still trying to learn water for brewing, but the shitty water at my new house has me wondering about water in my cooking. This really came about from listening to the Beer and Tattoo session when Colin and Paxton were talking about cooking, and Colin’s knowledge of water kept coming up.

We've started buying RO water at the grocery store. What affect, if any, would using RO water have on cooking? Like brewing, will I find myself needing to add additional salt, etc to recipes to make up for the lack of minerals in the water. I'm also concerned about baking. I know that baking can be quite finicky...will using RO water have any impact there?

Thanks in advance!

[kal_ale]

When it comes to water for cooking, I ask myself the same question that arises with choosing brewing water: would I drink a glass of this? Water chemistry is important in brewing because of things such as sodium's effects on water hardness, and these interactions with the pH levels in malt, and accentuating alpha acids in hops. Since balancing flavors (salty, sweet, etc.) in food is key, it's best to eliminate factors such as salt in cooking water, so as to have control over the saltiness of a dish. It's sort of like using salted butter: it has it's places, but unsalted is generally preferred to be able to control salt levels. So, IMHO, use RO water w/out any types of salt/mineral additions.

[Ozwald]

I'd agree with Kal, the minerals in water when it comes to brewing has more to do with pH, enzyme activity in the mash, etc. When cooking, the general rule is the cleaner the water the better. Certain minerals can provide certain assistance in certain dishes. This is partially why food can be very regional - some cities are known for their sourdough due to regional bugs in the air, or why a Belgian beer tastes so differently if it's brewed in Belgium versus California. Minerals can help in limited cases, but otherwise using your RO water is generally going to be the best choice.

[crupp]

That makes sense. Thanks for the feed back!

[Bugeater]

Here in eastern Nebraska the water is extremely hard. Everyone here is used to the taste, so no one bothers using anything else for cooking. Being a professional cook, the only thing I use RO water for at work is for coffee and tea and for drinking water on the tables. People remark on how good the coffee is even though the same brand is used at most restaurants in the region. I don't tell them that it is just the water.

Wayne