Most people are incredibly thoughtful about what they eat, balancing health and affordability in their grocery shopping, often choosing the freshest produce, shopping organic when possible, or visiting local farmers' markets.

But there's one ingredient that often gets taken for granted, even though it's used in nearly everything you eat or drink: water. The quality of your water doesn't just affect taste; it can have a real impact on the nutritional value and safety of your carefully prepared meals.

That's why more people are asking: is it safe to cook with tap water?

When To Boil Tap Water

In emergencies like fire hazards, flooding, earthquakes, and similar events, the city or county will often issue a public safety water advisory and direct the public to boil water. This practice, meant to sanitize water from your tap, has become a habit for some.

Here are the facts:

• Boiling kills biological organisms like bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella), viruses, and parasites (like Giardia) which is why boil-water advisories are issued after water main breaks in municipal water supplies or major contamination events.
• But boiling does not remove chemical contaminants such as lead, PFOA and PFOS, pesticides, nitrates, or heavy metals, and can actually concentrate them as water evaporates.¹

So while boiling can be important in an emergency for disinfecting biohazards and microbial contamination scenarios, it does not make tap water safe for everyday cooking.

What Boiling Tap Water Doesn't Remove

Tap water can carry a range of chemical contaminants that boiling does not address:

• Chlorine and chloramine, used to disinfect water
• Heavy metals, like lead and copper, often from aging pipes
• Industrial and agricultural chemicals, including pesticides
• Microplastics and nanoplastics, tiny plastic particles that researchers are finding in the environment
• PFAS, also called forever chemicals

Boiling doesn't reduce PFAS levels; if anything, cooking methods like simmering and reduction techniques can concentrate these chemicals in your food as water evaporates. Even worse!

PFOA and PFOS: What Are They?

PFOA and PFOS (also known as "forever chemicals") are a type of synthetic chemicals used in everything from firefighting foams and waterproof fabrics to non-stick surfaces and food packaging. They're called "forever chemicals" because they do not break down naturally in the environment or the human body, ever.

Research shows that PFAS:

• Accumulate in the body over time;
• Are associated with health effects such as hormone disruption, immune suppression, liver function, and potential developmental impacts in infants and children²; and
• Not only are these contaminants not biodegradable, but a large U.S. Geological Survey study found detectable levels of PFAS in all treated public tap water samples.³

Cooking With Bottled Water: A Safe Alternative?

You might assume bottled water is a safer choice, but research challenges that assumption too.

In a recent study, scientists detected hundreds of thousands of microplastic particles per liter of bottled water, tiny enough to enter the body's tissues and cells.⁴

Microplastics have been found in human blood, lungs, gut, and other organs, and although their exact health effects are still being studied, early evidence suggests they may contribute to cellular stress and inflammation.5

So while bottled water may reduce some chemical contaminants, it introduces concerns of microplastics that may carry unclear health risks. Not to mention, the costs that could add up and the horrendous environmental impact of endless one-time use plastic water bottles piling up in landfills.

Hot Tap Water: Why It's Riskier for Cooking

Wanting to boil water quickly by using hot water straight from the tap? Think again. Using hot water straight from the faucet because it's convenient may seem harmless, but according to the EPA, it can actually make the water more contaminated.

Hot water:

• Dissolves metals (like lead) more readily from pipes than cold water does, increasing the amount of metal contaminants in your water before cooking.
• Is not recommended by health authorities for consumption, especially for preparing baby formula. This is why experts advise starting with cold water always, and then heating it for cooking or drinking.⁶

How Everyday Cooking Methods Are Affected by Contaminants

So now that we know what's hiding in our tap water, let's look at the different ways unfiltered water can sneak into our food and drinks.

Simmering & Braising

When making broths, soups, stocks, or sauces that are simmered and reduced over time, water evaporates. However, contaminants like PFAS and heavy metals remain, meaning what's left behind is denser with those substances.

Absorption Directly into Foods

Grains, pasta, rice, beans, and legumes absorb most of the water used to cook them. Any contaminants in that water can become part of the final dish itself.

Baking

Tap water can even interfere with baking chemistry. Hard minerals and chlorine can affect yeast activity, dough structure, and flavor, leading to less consistent rise, texture, and taste compared to using filtered water.

Washing & Steaming Produce

Even washing or steaming produce like vegetables with tap water can leave trace amounts of chlorine and other disinfectant byproducts on the produce, which can transfer into your meals. Using purified water helps ensure your ingredients and the dishes you prepare are as clean and healthy as possible.

Brewing or Steeping

Trace amounts of chlorine in tap water used while brewing coffee or making tea can tarnish the delicate flavors. It can leave a dull metallic aftertaste that can ruin your morning coffee or green tea, which are otherwise full of health benefits.

Why Reverse Osmosis Filtering Is the Gold Standard for Chemical Contaminant Removal

The simple solution is reverse osmosis water filtration, scientifically proven to reduce a broad range of contaminants. And luckily it's more accessible for in-home use than ever before.

Reverse osmosis (RO) filtration systems found in high quality water purifiers (like AquaTru), are one of the most rigorously studied and effective methods for reducing contaminants in water used for drinking and cooking, purifying water on a molecular level so that it's clean, safe and ready to drink!

In fact, in a recent survey, 96% of AquaTru customers reported that their coffee and tea taste better with AquaTru water.

The Bottom Line

Boiling water won't remove harmful chemicals, heavy metals, or "forever chemicals". In fact, cooking with tap water can actually concentrate them in your food. Using clean, purified water is essential in transforming and ensuring every meal and drink you consume is healthier and more flavorful.

1) https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/emergency-disinfection-drinking-water

2) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7906952/

3) https://www.usgs.gov/programs/environmental-health-program/science/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfass-detected-source

4) https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/plastic-particles-bottled-water

5) https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/microplastics-and-nanoplastics-foods

6) https://www.epa.gov/lead/why-cant-i-use-hot-water-tap-drinking-cooking-or-making-baby-formula