How to boil water
Put water in a pot and turn the heat up as far as it will go. To make it boil faster, put a lid on the pot, but leave the lid off by a crack to allow steam to escape. How do you know when the water is boiling? Bubbles will rise from the bottom of the pot! See how easy cooking is? The bigger the bubbles, the more intense the boil! For pasta, add a pinch of salt to the pot before boiling. See “tips and terms for measuring” if you don’t know what a pinch is. After you add anything to the pot (eg. pasta or vegetables), the bubbles will stop temporarily. Leave the heat on until the big bubbles reappear. A “rolling boil” is when large bubbles are rising from all over the pot, not just the sides. A “simmer” is when the pot is boiling, but very slowly; small bubbles will rise to the surface from the sides of the pot. Often recipes will ask you “boil then simmer.” This means bring the water to a rolling boil, add your food, then let it return to a rolling boil and turn it down to simmer.