Living · 6 pages · 12 min
Why a rolling boil is not hotter than a simmer in an open pot
Past the boil, extra heat makes more steam, not hotter water.
When the purchase is complete, return to the original window. It will refresh.
From the opening
A rolling boil is not hotter than a true simmer in an open pot because both are water at its boiling temperature. A bigger flame feeds latent heat, turning more liquid into vapor, instead of raising the temperature of the water that remains. The opening covers boiling is a temperature plateau, extra heat leaves as steam, and pressure and altitude move it.
The rest of the brief — the later sections and the reading notes — opens after Stripe confirms payment.
Inside
- Boiling is a temperature plateau
- Extra heat leaves as steam
- Pressure and altitude move it
- Oil is not on this plateau
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Latent heat at a constant boiling temperature
- Joseph Black on sensible heat and latent heat