Do you have Filtered Water in Your Kitchen? If not, maybe you should.
Many people consider the importance of drinking filtered water, but fail to realize that a simple filter pitcher may not be sufficient for their needs. Of course, drinking good quality water is important and here are three reasons you might want to seriously consider filtered water for your kitchen.
Better Tasting Tea and Coffee
If you live in Nebraska, you either have hard water or your water supply has been chlorinated by municipal water treatment facilities. Either way it is likely that you have noticed an odd taste in your tea and coffee. You may have dismissed this and changed the brand of morning tea or coffee… if you actually did; you also probably also noticed this it did not get all that better.
The truth is it’s less about your brand or variety of coffee and tea, and more about your water. In fact by changing to filtered water in your kettle or coffee maker you will immediately improve the taste of your favorite beverage. Filtering your water will remove water hardness particles, like calcium and magnesium, and any chlorine disinfectant to ensure that all of your drinks have a better flavor. Regardless of whether you prefer to sit down with a relaxing cup of tea or enjoy a strong espresso in the AM to get you going, filtered water will allow you to savor your beverage of choice the way it was intended.
Better Pasta and Bread
If you are an avid and dedicated amateur cook, you may have noticed that your homemade breads and pasta are… shall we say a little lackluster? This may be less about your baking or pasta-making skills and more about the presence of chlorine in your tap water.
Contaminants in your water used to make bread and pasta can, not only affect their taste, but also have a significant effect on the yeast used. Yeast is particularly susceptible to temperature and chemical interference, meaning that your bread may not properly rise or have a compromised texture if the water chemistry is off. This is especially a problem in sourdough recipes.
Pasta boiled in chlorinated tap water will have a less palatable taste compared to pasta cooked in filtered water, ask ANY professional chef. Whatever you are cooking in your kitchen, if you need water you are likely to find that using filtered water will improve the taste.
Cleaner, Tastier Vegetables and Fruits
Most people are aware that washing fruits and vegetables is important in removing any dirt, pesticide residue and other potential toxins. Unfortunately, using chlorinated tap water can actually contaminate your fruits and vegetables with chlorine byproducts found in your water supply.
You may notice that if you have washed your salad ingredients in chlorinated tap water, it has an unpleasant aftertaste and has lost some of the natural sweetness. If you switch to washing your fruits and vegetables with filtered water, you should immediately notice an improved taste and have the assurance that you are not contaminating your produce with chemicals like chlorine and chloramines found in your tap water.
Although a whole house or under countertop system may seem like a significant investment for your home, in actual fact an R.O. (Reverse Osmosis) filter system in your kitchen, can actually cost less, in the long run, than buying bottled water from a store.
There are of course cheaper alternatives as well, such as cartridge pitchers you can buy in any BIG BOX store, but their filtering capabilities are very limited and they may not be sufficient to meet your family’s drinking water and kitchen preparation needs anyway. Since most pitchers have a limited capacity of only several cups, with even the largest pitchers offering only 10 cups, you may not find this to be a practical option for any family over 2.
Since it is recommended that adult men and women drink anywhere between 8 to 10 glasses of water each day, you may find it also frustrating needing to keep refilling a pitcher over and over each day, even if you do not have a big household. Fortunately, whole house and under counter systems ensure that you have an almost limitless supply of good quality water every time you need it.
About The Author, Terry Reeh, EcoWater Systems of Nebraska:
With more than 25 years experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Terry is a WQA (Water Quality Association) certified water specialist, LEVEL 3, as well as a WQA certified sales representative. EcoWater Systems of Nebraska is one of the biggest water treatment and water delivery businesses in the state and Terry currently sits on EcoWater Systems (a Berkshire Hathaway Company) national Peers committee, as a water treatment expert advising other water professionals with less experience on best trade and technology practices.