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"You poured the hot water directly into the sink again?"
Watching her husband pour a pot of hot water into the sink, his wife was a little angry, but Mr. Huang disagreed, "What does it matter?" Hot water can be rinsed anyway. ”
The wife sighed, "You forgot last time the water pipe was blocked?" There is grease and pesticides in this kind of water, and it is not only the water pipe that is blocked for a long time! ”
Mr. Wong paused, remembering the problems the plumber had told him last time, but he still felt that it was a trivial matter.
In addition to clogging the water pipes, what bigger hidden dangers will be caused by the pouring of these hot waters?
Shouldn't the hot water for blanching be poured?
Mr. Huang lives in an apartment in the city, and although the kitchen at home is not large, it is very functional.
This weekend, the sun was shining through the windows in every corner of the kitchen, and Mr. Huang was humming a relaxing tune while preparing lunch.
He took out the vegetables he had bought from the fridge, including emerald green broccoli, bright red carrots, and crispy snow peas.
These vegetables are specially selected by him in the morning to ensure freshness and quality, and Mr. Huang has a set of preparation procedures, and he always blanches the vegetables before cooking.
He fills a large pot of water, heats it on the stove, and when the water boils, he quickly puts the cut vegetables into the boiling water and blanches them for a few minutes.
The vegetables change rapidly in the hot water and become more vibrant, so Mr. Huang quickly scoops them out with a colander and then rinses them in ice water to lock in the color and texture.
Then came the action he was accustomed to – pouring the blanched hot water directly into the kitchen sink, a process he had repeated countless times without ever thinking much about the problems it might bring.
Just as he was about to pour the second pot of water, his wife walked into the kitchen.
"You just poured the water down again?" She looked at him with a frown, "You forgot to block last time?" ”
In fact, this is not the first time that Mr. Huang's house has had a clogged water pipe, a few months ago, the sink at home was blocked, and it was necessary to hire professional maintenance personnel to deal with it, which cost a lot of maintenance costs.
The maintenance worker reminded him at the time that the blockage of the kitchen sink might be related to the hot water he often emphasized, and the grease and food crumbs in the high temperature were easy to solidify on the inner walls of the pipes.
So, what is the effect of the seemingly harmless blanched water and pouring it out?
Hidden dangers of hot water for vegetables
Many families, like Mr. Huang, tend to ignore the potential risks of this daily habit and don't start looking for solutions until the problem becomes apparent.
Pouring blanched hot water can cause a problem of clogged household water pipes far more serious than it seems, the oil contained in hot water is liquid at high temperatures, but when they are poured into the water pipes with hot water, they will quickly solidify when cold.
This grease is deposited on the inner wall of the pipes and accumulates over time to form grease that is difficult to clean, posing a long-term challenge to the drainage system of the home.
Kitchen pipes and drainage systems are often made of PVC or other plastics, which may accelerate aging and deformation when exposed to high temperatures for a long time.
The hot water used for blanching is usually between 80-100°C, and if it is often poured directly into the sewer, such high temperatures will have a thermal shock to the water pipes, causing the inner wall material of the pipe to become brittle, increasing the risk of water leakage or rupture.
In addition to plumbing injuries, the act of dumping hot water also involves wasted energy, and the amount of water used to blanch vegetables is large each time, especially if multiple vegetables need to be processed.
This not only consumes a lot of tap water, but also consumes considerable energy to heat the water to a boil. Throwing away the water that still has heat is actually a huge waste of energy.
If you can use this hot water, you can at least reduce the unnecessary consumption of energy, such as preheating dishwashing water or washing kitchen floors.
The problem of environmental pollution should not be ignored, although Mr. Huang's family uses commercially available pesticides and low-residue vegetables, some of the residual pesticides and other water-soluble chemicals may still be washed away during the blanching process.
These chemicals are poured into the sewer with hot water and can eventually flow into the city's sewage system or even reach natural water bodies.
Although the sewage treatment technology of modern cities is quite advanced, not all chemicals can be completely treated.
The accumulation of these residues, in the long term, may have potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems, as well as indirectly affect human water security.
Many environmental organizations and resource conservation guidelines recommend separate management of kitchen wastewater.
For example, oily water and water containing chemicals can be pre-treated, such as through simple methods such as sedimentation and filtration, and then treated or utilized.
Improving water management in the kitchen not only reduces the burden of maintenance on the home, but also makes its own contribution to the environment. These actions are small, but they are important steps towards a sustainable lifestyle.
Eco-friendly treatment of hot water for blanching
In order to ensure the health of the family and reduce the damage to the environment, it is necessary for us to understand the possible hidden dangers in the hot water of blanching vegetables and take corresponding treatment measures.
In order to reduce the impact of blanching hot water on the family and the environment, it is recommended that families can adopt some simple and effective treatment methods.
First, consider letting the hot water cool and filter out the grease and food crumbs before pouring the water down the drain.
Second, there are some domestic sewage treatment plants on the market, which can effectively filter out chemical residues and impurities in the water.
The use of these devices can help families better handle the hot water for blanching, ensure that harmful substances in it do not enter the sewer, and protect the natural environment and water security.
In short, the treatment of hot water for blanching should not be underestimated, and we need to be more cautious from the point of view of health, home maintenance and environmental protection.
By using water wisely and treating wastewater, families can not only reduce potential health risks, but also contribute to environmental protection and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
Vegetables suitable for blanching
In everyday cooking, blanching is a common method of handling vegetables, which refers to the process of briefly putting ingredients in boiling water and boiling them before quickly removing them and submerging them in cold water.
Doing so will not only remove impurities and bitterness from the vegetables, but also make the vegetables brighter in color, here are some of the vegetables that usually need to be blanched.
1. Spinach: Spinach contains more oxalic acid, which can combine with calcium, magnesium and other minerals in the body to form insoluble crystals, affecting the absorption of these minerals. Blanching can effectively remove some of the oxalic acid and reduce this effect.
2. Kale: Kale (i.e., kale) contains glucosinolated, a natural plant compound that imparts a certain bitter taste. Blanching reduces the bitterness and makes kale more suitable for consumption, while also partially removing pesticide residues.
3. Pea seedlings: Pea seedlings have tender leaves, but their characteristic grassy flavor may affect the taste. The blanching process can alleviate this taste and make the pea seedlings more tender and tasty.
4. Bamboo shoots: Bamboo shoots contain cyanogenic glycosides, which are bitter-tasting substances that are slightly toxic. Blanching can break down some of the cyanogenic glycosides, reducing their potential adverse effects.
5. Bitter gourd: The bitter taste in bitter gourd mainly comes from substances such as alkaloids and saponins in it. Blanching can effectively reduce the bitterness and improve its eating quality.
The scientific basis for blanching is mainly to change the properties of some water-soluble substances in vegetables through short-term high-temperature treatment, such as decomposition and dissolution of some harmful or indigestible substances.
However, this method also has its drawbacks, as high temperatures during the blanching process can lead to a significant loss of water-soluble vitamins in vegetables, such as vitamin C and B vitamins, as well as some minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
This is because these nutrients are less stable in high temperatures and water, and are easily dissolved in water and discarded.
Secondly, after vegetables are boiled at high temperatures, their structure will change, and the cell walls will be damaged, resulting in easier loss of nutrients between cells.
Blanching may also lead to a decrease in the antioxidants in vegetables, which play an important role in human health, helping to defend against free radical damage and slow down the aging process.
Although blanching can help improve the taste and safety of vegetables, over-reliance on this cooking method may result in a decrease in the nutritional value of vegetables.
Therefore, in practice, the time and temperature of blanching should be controlled as much as possible to achieve the effect of reducing harmful substances and retaining nutrients as much as possible.
Blanching is an effective pretreatment method that can make some vegetables more suitable for consumption while removing or reducing some harmful substances. Proper blanching not only enhances the taste and appearance of the dish, but also contributes to the health of the eater.
epilogue
Mr. Huang's story shows us the chain reaction that can be triggered by a simple habit - from clogged pipes to energy waste to potential pollution to the environment, the treatment of hot water for blanching cannot be ignored.
This is not only a matter of daily maintenance of the family, but also involves environmental protection and public health. Learning how to use hot water for blanching vegetables, such as filtering residues for reuse, or installing household sewage treatment equipment, are all effective improvements.
Information sources:
What does blanching mean mass diet
Household PHS: Remind everyone: Don't pour the "hot water" of kitchen blanching into the drain again! There are at least 3 points of harm