Guessing temp after boiling water by time elapsed??

Is there a way you can guess what temp the water is by timing it after boiling? For example… if you wait seven minutes, the boiled water would be 192 degrees? I have no idea if this is right, I just needed an example! I have an electric tea kettle that I just let boil all the way, but no way to tell what temp it is.

19 Replies

That would probably depend on how much water is in the pot.

I’ve heard a general rule that 10 minutes waiting on a full kettle of water will get the water down to 180 F degrees. I haven’t tested that though.

For using 8oz of water out of a kettle full of water from a stove top. I do a slightly higher up pour into a measuring cup then slightly elevated pour into a mug. That turns out to be exactly 180 F degrees every time I’ve tried it.

I recommend getting a candy or meat thermometer. They are only a couple bucks and well worth the investment.

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Zoltar said

it would be hard since the kind of cup is important some lose temp fast like glass some keep it longuer if you just keep it in the kettle it will take time to cool down .

a trick ( from den’s tea or teafrog i dont remember sorry ) is to put water in a cup then using that cup to pour it in another one the paper says each cup transfer cool it for near 20 degree F ( i did not try it since i use a thermometer )

Yes, the method of cooling it by pouring it cools the water by 10 degrees celcius, although it’s not so accurate.
I wrote a post about it in my blog, http://www.myjapanesegreentea.com/how-much-does-water-cool-when-pouring
By the way, I use a thermometer too!

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I haven’t got a thermometer small enough to fit my mug, so I usually just tap the water (with clean hands!)
Over time, I’ve learned to determine appropriate temp.
Not the most reliable method but that’s all I have at the moment :)

Zoltar said

the best still is something like this http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/8024/?srp=2 ya it’s cost a lot for a thermometer but you can bring it easy anywhere with you some day i will get one

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Lucy said

Personally, before I got a thermometer I would watch the bubbles to gauge what temperature the water was at. I never had a problem with burning the leaves this way in all honesty (and looking back now..the tea really tastes the same as it did when had no thermometer).
Here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling
Scroll down and look at the “levels of boiling.” Hopefully that helps!

Zoltar said

with time we learn to do that but that only work when having a clear kettle that not always the case

Lucy said

I don’t have a clear kettle.. I watch the bubbles form from the top of the kettle. It really didn’t take me that long to learn.

Zoltar said

i always keep the top closed the water heat faster but ya i could open it and check since i already know how to get the right temp from the bubble for me the thermometer was coming with a kit i got i don’t know if i would have bought one otherwise but since i already got it i mostly use it since the water where i leave not really good for tea so i nearly always boiled it

Love this method! Never used the bubbles technique before, gonna give it a go :)

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thanks everyone for the info! I understand a bit more about it now.

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thermometers cost a couple of dollars – and make the world of difference

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jones5874 said

Here is a comment from a few years ago about this topic on Steepster: http://steepster.com/discuss/1265-what-is-the-best-type-of-teapot-to-steep-in scroll down to the comment by “Tea Addiction.”

“Tricks for Knowing Water Temperature Without a Thermometer

160-170 degrees F: Light to moderate amount of steam rising from the water. No bubbles will be present.

170-180 degrees F: Column of steam steadily rising. There will be tiny bubbles forming on the bottom of the pan.

180-190 degrees F: Many bubbles will appear and seem to dance across the bottom of the pot. A few tiny ones will begin to rise to the surface of the water.

190-200 degrees F: You’ll see strands of bubbles extending from the bottom of the pot to the surface of the water.

200-212 degrees F: This will be a full boil. The surface of the water will be very active."

As a side note, that trick only works if you are at sea level.
I live in Bogota and boiling temperature is much lower.

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where do you buy a thermometer?

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K S said

I am always in too big of a hurry to wait for the water to cool after waiting for it to boil. I used to use the method mentioned by Lynne-tea and Wokeupfuzzy. After a while I got really good at judging just by the sound and steam level from the kettle. Now I have an inexpensive adjustable temp kettle (Hamilton Beach). As long as you grab it as it hits the desired temp and pour it works great. If you wait until it kicks into stay warm mode, you may have to wait for it to cool down 5-10 degrees.

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Brent said

I went for years without a kettle with a thermostat. As others have suggested, it is easier to tell the temperature as it is warming than as it is cooling.

Best thing to do is get a thermometer and practice recognizing certain temperatures by sound alone. It’s actually quite easy. To me, it’s just as reliable as a beeping alarm.

Keep in mind, however, that atmospheric pressure affects this. So, when traveling to a different altitude, it will be a bit different.

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