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Burning Question: Does Cold Water Boil Faster Than Hot?

YumSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:15:31 -0700

No — that's a myth. The myth may have arisen from the fact that cold water does absorb heat faster than hot water. However, once the water gets to a hotter (not yet boiling) temperature, it absorbs heat at a slower rate, and from that point it takes just as long to bring the water to a boil as it would if the water were hot to begin with. And because it takes cold water some time to reach the temperature of hot water, cold water actually takes longer to boil than hot water does.

It makes sense: The hotter the water, the closer it is to boiling, therefore, the hotter the water, the faster it boils!

Source

The Secret's Hidden in the Lid

YumSugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Although bottled water isn't great for the environment, it seems like there's a new kind out each week. We've had holy water, vitamin water, mint water, flavored water and even fiber water. While it seems like you couldn't add another kind to the mix, Los Angeles based Activate is doing just that.

The new ~~marketing gimmick~~ trick is that the vitamins and herbs in their vitamin and herb-infused water are stored in a chamber inside the cap. When you twist the cap clockwise, the chamber is cut and the powder drops into the water below. The founders of the company came up with the idea because they had a hard time remembering to take their daily vitamins. Storing the ingredients in the cap will keep them fresh until they're released.

If you're interested to see how Activate tastes, the purified water is currently available in four flavors — Fruit Punch (Vitamin), Orange (Immunity), Berry (Antioxidant), and Lemon-Lime (Energy) — and claims to have no syrupy taste. There's no sugar — although it is lightly sweetened with Splenda — and it does contain caffeine.

So tell me, are you going to try Activate?

Yummy Links: From Enhanced Water to SXSW Showcases

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:57:39 -0700

Confused by all the enhanced water choices out there? Check out the results to this seven bottle taste test. — Al Dente
Learn the secrets of Top Chef as told by their Chicago neighbors. — Time Out Chicago
Get a unique recipe for Easter Egg Challah. — Baking Bites
Not into Easter eggs? Try these fabric ones instead. — CasaSugar
Chefography is returning to Food Network, including one on itself. — Food Network Addict
Is there a cure for chocoholism? — Slashfood
Learn the pros and cons of decaf. — FitSugar
How did I miss out on Macaron Day? — Serious Eats
How did Rachael Ray's SXSW showcase turn out? — Chow

Would You Pay For Tap Water?

partysugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 06:01:59 -0700

In order to provide safe drinking water to underprivileged societies, the Tap Project is asking diners to pay for tap water that would normally be offered for free. Many restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area are taking part in the project, which asks diners to donate a minimum of $1 for the tap water. The fundraiser started on March 16th and lasts through World Water Day, March 22. If you happen to be dining at a participating restaurant, would you be okay with buying tap water?Source

Would You Pay For Tap Water?

Yes, of course. This is a great charity.

No, I don't think I should have to pay for something that is normally free.

Other — see my comment below.

Simply Fab: Christian Lacroix Evian Bottles

YumSugar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:45:31 -0800

Simply Fab: Christian Lacroix Evian Bottles
It's cool when designers branch out into other fashion categories — like sunglasses and swimwear — but when a designer breaks the mold and translates their vision to another category all together, now that's cool. Evian has teamed up with French designer Christian Lacroix to create two special water bottles.

Perrier Gets a Fashionable Makeover From Paul & Joe

partysugar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:15:31 -0800

Coveted sparkling-water label Perrier has joined forces with the popular French fashion house Paul & Joe to launch a limited-edition collection of bottles and cans. Set to be released this Summer, the three-piece collection is undeniably chic with fun and festive prints. Paul & Joe's designer Sophie Albou is extremely excited about the partnership. She states:

Perrier is well known throughout the world and it's also a French drink, just as Paul & Joe is a French brand. On top of that, Perrier evokes freshness, which is the key word for Paul & Joe — it's the perfect combination!

Known for their innovative ad campaigns and ingenious packaging, Perrier has been around since 1793. There are three designs to choose from: an adventurous safari-inspired motif; a retro gold print; and a classic French lady. I love them all and plan on filling my fridge with these fashionable bottles. How about you? What are your thoughts on the collaboration?

Source, Source, and Source

Come Party With Me: New Year's Day Brunch — Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:28:31 -0800

After a long night of New Year's Eve parties, there is only one thing that will make guests feel better: Bloody Marys. Nothing beats the classic hangover drink's power to make a headache disappear. If there is leftover champagne, mix it with orange juice for mimosas. Have lots of sparkling and still water on hand, and make a refreshing nonalcoholic water cocktail with pineapple and rosemary. For these recipes,

Blessed Be Thy Water

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:15:39 -0800

I love pure drinking water just as much as the next person. However, I think California-based Wayne Enterprises might be taking the whole water trend a step too far with their new Holy Drinking Water. They claim that the water — which is blessed by priests in the company warehouse — makes you good. They also have a disclaimer for sinners:

Warning to sinners: If you are a sinner or evil in nature, this product may cause burning, intense heat, sweating, skin irritations, rashes, itchiness, vomiting, bloodshot and watery eyes, pale skin color, and oral irritations.

If you think that Holy Drinking Water is the only product on the market, then you may be surprised to hear that they actually have some competition. Spiritual Water — is it just me or does their website look thrown together? — is offering well-designed bottles that contain full-colored images of holy persons and symbols, along with prayers in English and Spanish. There are 10 different versions — each with its own message and image — including Balance Water, Focus Water, and my own personal fave: Formula J' Water. Spiritual Water also donates ten cents from every bottle sold to The Spiritual Foundation for children in need.

What do you guys think? Is it really necessary, or is it just some folks who found their niche market?

Recall Warning: Metromint May Not Be So Minty Fresh

YumSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:15:39 -0800

Attention Metromint fans, the Soma Beverage Company — makers of Metromint — are recalling all bottles of Metromint flavors Peppermint, Spearmint, Orangemint, and Lemonmint that have a best before stamp of 2008/12/21 and were produced at its California facility (letters KSA located in the lower right-hand corner).

Why the recall? Turns out the bottles may be contaminated with Bacillus cereus, a type of food poisoning. If you've got your mitts on a recalled bottle return it to the place where you purchased it, and don't drink it as it could cause a wide range of symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting.

Uh oh, sounds like someone's got a PR nightmare on their hands. The water is normally pretty refreshing; it's bottled water with a splash of minty freshness. The company is pretty young and is still building a fan base. I hope this recall doesn't set them back too far.

If you're concerned and would like to speak with someone, Soma Beverage can be contacted at 415-979-0781, ext. 101.

What Temperature Do You Prefer Your Drinking Water?

partysugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:13:39 -0700

Source

What Temperature Do You Prefer Your Drinking Water?

Super cold, on ice

Very cold, fresh from the fridge

Room temperature

Hot

Other - see my comment below.

Reader Tip: Add a Splash of Lime To Your Water

YumSugar — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 02:03:31 -0700

TeamSugar member aistea311 recently posted one of my favorite tips. I live by this one every day and definitely think it's worth mentioning.

To spruce up an ordinary bottle of water, add fresh squeezed lime juice. For extra kick, do like aistea311 and add a few packets of Splenda and a splash of club soda.

While it is a super simple tip, it's definitely one worth keeping in your repertoire. If you don't have fresh lemons or limes on hand, you should consider keeping a bottle of 100% lime or lemon juice on hand. I personally have both, and find that it's a nice treat to be able to spruce up my water. Plus, guests are usually wowed when they ask for water and you say, "plain, with lemon, or with lime?"

Diet Coke is 99% Water

YumSugar — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 12:01:31 -0700

These days we're supposed to drink more water and drink less soda. In fact, the bottle water industry is a bajillion dollar business and growing. Evidently the soda industry is worried about water encroaching on their business, and have decided to market their products a little bit differently. Steven Levitt of Freakonomics recently mentioned a new Diet Coke print ad that shows a picture of a Diet Coke can and the words "99 Percent Water."

The implication is that if Diet Coke and water are almost the same thing, but Diet Coke tastes better, you might as well drink Diet Coke. Which is a pretty sensible point of view, as long as the 1% that is not water isn’t hurting you.

It's interesting to note that this ad follows on the heels of one that shows a Diet Coke can and the words "Sparkling or Sparkling?" Do you think it's healthy to suggest that Diet Coke replace your water intake? Personally I know I'd rather have the water. I mean, 99% water isn't bad, but what exactly is in that other 1%?

Source: Freakonomics
Image Source

Scared of Tap Water? Get an iStraw!

YumSugar — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:31:18 -0700

I know a lot of folks who won't go near tap water. They are terrified of dirty water and need to make sure it's filtered. While that's not an unreasonable request, it's sometimes difficult. What if there is no water filter? Or what if you're traveling? This is where the geeky iStraw comes in hand. This compact, portable device purifies water and reduces up to 99.99999% of all waterborne bacteria. It's good for up to 500 liters of water and supposedly leaves no after taste.

I think this is pretty fantastic and can see where it would come in handy. Sure your friends might laugh at how over-cautious you're acting, but who'll be laughing when they get sick from drinking the water and you don't? Available for £19.99 (approximately $40).

Source: TrendHunter

Flavored Filtered Water

YumSugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 10:48:31 -0700

I've got good news for those of you who think water is too plain. Pur water filter systems have come up with a new way to add flavor to your water. With the new Pur Flavor Options, you can now add a splash of strawberry, peach or raspberry to each glass. The flavor cartridge fits into the Pur filters like a regular cartridge and if you're not sure which flavor to try, there's a helpful quiz to determine what your flavor is.

Each flavor cartridge is good for 75 servings of flavor with no added sugar, calories or dyes. Sounds pretty interesting, but I have to ask, what is wrong with plain water?

Source: Cooking Gadgets

Do You Drink Hot or Cold Water?

YumSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 05:57:32 -0700

Yesterday I told FitSugar that she was crazy for drinking hot tea on such a hot day. That prompted some people in the office to say that they prefer hot water over cold water. My mom is one of those people, she thinks cold water is terrible. I, on the other hand, think it's amazingly refreshing. So how about you, do you drink hot or cold water?

Do You Drink Hot or Cold Water?

Hot

Cold

I don't drink water.

Other - let us know below

Do You Drink Sparkling Water?

partysugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 11:13:58 -0700

Do You Drink Sparkling Water?

Yes.

No.

Undecided.

Other- tell me your thoughts below.

Hot Rice, Just Add... Cold Water?

YumSugar — Mon, 07 May 2007 06:58:31 -0700

Oh how I love science. Or should I make that, oh how I love Japan. How about, oh how I love Japanese scientists... An environmental consulting firm based out of Tsukaba, Japan has come up with an amazing new product called "Hotto! Raisu." The product, which amazingly turns cold water into hot rice, is a non-perishable food pack that could be put to good use during a natural disaster.

So how'd they do it?

By subjecting rice to 4,000 times normal atmospheric pressure, the developers were able to preserve rice for long periods in a soft form that holds moisture. When water is poured over an exothermic agent in the pack, steam warms the rice contained within, and after about 15 minutes, the dish is piping hot.

Right now the product is decently priced, (10,000 yen for 30 packs, or approximately $85 for 30), but I don't know if that's cheap enough to be ideal for natural disaster zones. Either way it's still absolutely awesome.

Source: Mainichi News via Boing Boing

What Kind of Water Do You Drink?

YumSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:31:02 -0700

Today is World Water Day (in fact, it's the 15th World Water Day to be observed). And unlike other random days, I can actually tell you a little bit about this one. World Water Day was started by the UN (they adopted the resolution in 1992 and it's been observed since 1993) in order to promote the public awareness about the issue that not everyone has clean, safe drinking water available to them.Thinking about water led me to the (obvious) observation that our society definitely takes water for granted. We have sparkling water, filtered water, tap water, flavored water, calcium water and so on. With all these types of water available (and I know we're lucky to have all the choices), what kind of water do you drink?

2007 Winter Fancy Food Show - Part 4 (Waters and Sodas)

YumSugar — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:15:22 -0800

PartySugar and I don't always agree, for example, she's not a fan of pre-flavored water (preferring to flavor it herself), whereas I sometimes enjoy the convenience of buying pre-flavored water. So when we saw bottle after bottle of flavored or "enhanced" water at the Fancy Food show, she was definitely more skeptical than I. Yet, after the first few booths, my skepticism was almost as high as hers. It seemed like everyone is getting into the "enhanced water" business. And, if they weren't doing enhanced water, then they were marketing soda to adults. Either way, we drank a lot of beverages. Some of them were good, others not so much.

One of the more interesting waters was Nature 101's (a subsidiary of Sugar Bowl Bakery "Vitamin+Fiber Water." I tasted both the guava and the peach flavor and was pleasantly surprised. I also sort of knew what I was getting into since the "80mg of Invisible Dietary Fiber" looked (and tasted) like a lot of Asian jelly drinks, except that the fibers were clear and chopped up to be really tiny. It looks and seems like a sports drink, but beware, there are 120 calories per bottle, so it's not like it has the same caloric content as water. Since I am pretty familiar with Asian jelly drinks, I wasn't that surprised. PartySugar, on the other hand, didn't know what she was getting into. She "liked the magical invisible aspect of it," but it still didn't win her over. It's a new product with limited distribution at the moment, but if you can find it, I'd say it's at least worth a try.

To check out more "enhanced waters," as well as sodas made for grownups,