How does salt make water boil faster?

Question

I know it lowers the boiling point, but HOW?

Answer 1

Actually, any solute added to a solution RAISES the boiling point. It makes a certain sense, if you think about it: Things dissolve because the solvent LIKES to have the solute nearby... why would something then boil away or freeze away from something that it likes to have nearby?

Here's a relevant quote from wikipedia:

"A common mis-attribution of the use of boiling-point elevation is adding salt when cooking foods to elevate the temperature of the water before it boils. However, the temperature increase caused by the amounts of salt added when cooking is generally not enough to raise the temperature by a single degree. The salt is added simply to season the food and prevent pasta from sticking."

Hope that helps! Happy cooking!

Answer 2

Where did you hear that salt makes water boil faster? I put salt in boiling water so that when I put noodles in the water, it doesn't boil over. It won't do this because the boiling point is actually higher.

You see, it is kind of physics in a way I suppose. The salt that is added to the water makes the density of the water go up, resulting in a higher boiling point, and a lower freezing temperature.

Maybe you meant how does salt make boiling water cook noodles better? lol

Well I hope that I helped you a little.

Answer 3

I'm not sure that it makes water boil faster. When I've used salt in boiling water, before, it seemed like it accelerated the boiling time, so I'm interested in this.

Salt definitely lowers the freezing temperature of water. It's the property that makes salt melt ice. I'll try to make some educated guesses about boiling water, based on the ice and salt properties.

Water, when it freezes to ice, has to bond with itself (water bonding to water) in a solid crystal structure. If you introduce salt to ice, it breaks the bonds. Now, water is always bonding to itself; it's just that it's a weak bond, so the water molecules are free to move around.

For water to boil, it has to break the little weak bonds with itself. If salt does indeed do that, then it would make the water molecules easier to leave eachother, like steam does, when it flies away.

Basically, my hypothesis is: Does the weakening of bonds, in water, by salt, allow the water to boil, and turn into steam, faster?

Answer 4

Everyone who says salt raises the boiling point gets a gold star. It actually takes longer for the water to boil...but whatever it is that you're cooking in it will cook faster as the temp is higher.

Cheers.

Answer 5

Salt does not make water boil faster. This is a self perpetuating myth of some kind. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Answer 6

Salt added to water makes the water boil at a higher temperature, thus reducing cooking time. (It does not make the water boil faster.)

Source(s):
http://www.saltinstitute.org/29.html

Answer 7

This was in a science book of my sons. They boiled to pot of water. same pot same amount of water, same level of heat. One had salt.. I think the salt actually boiled slower nor faster. Check out the Mythbusters new book. This is were it came from.

Answer 8

The salt decreases the boiling point

Answer 9

No, it boils at a higher temperature (You get hotter boiling water)

Answer 10

I lowers the boiling point of water, just as it lowers the freezing point of water.