Your municipality is likely adding chlorine or chloramines as a general disinfectant. And while its safe to drink, the extra chlorine in your water can leave behind an unpleasant taste and odor, discolor your produce and affect the performance of some ingredients, including yeast. Excess chlorine in municipal water can change the gluten structure of dough, making it tough or slowing the fermentation process.

Temporary Solutions for Municipal Water
• Use bottled water
• Boil your water

Permanent Solution with Filtering
If you’re concerned about your baking this holiday and want to ensure your water’s taste by removing the contaminants from the city water, you might want to consider the benefits of a water filtration system. Water filtration systems provide great tasting water at significantly less cost than bottled water. A whole home filtration system can provide fresh, filtered water throughout your home with no filters to replace for the life of the system (10+ years) and you can eliminate the need for those expensive refrigerator filters or pitcher filters, saving you hundreds of dollars.
By installing a whole home water filtration system or a 2-in-1 water softener and whole home filter, you can easily filter out chlorine and other impurities from municipal water while improving the taste of your food.
To learn more about selecting the best system for your home, use this handy checklist.

The post Don’t Let Hard Water Minerals Ruin Your Holiday Bundt Cake appeared first on HomeWater 101.

But did you know that your water might be affecting the taste of your food?

Hard water can leave you with spotty, filmy dishes, but you may not be aware that high levels of chlorine often found in municipal water supplies also affects your cooking and baking. Here are the top three reasons filtering hard water makes a big difference in the kitchen:

Taste the Difference

Does your tap water have a foul odor or taste? The culprit could be chlorine and impurities in your water. When you use tap water to wash your fruits and vegetables or cook pasta, the undesirable taste of the hard water doesn’t disappear. Instead, it’s absorbed into your food and affects the flavor. By filtering your hard water, the impurities and chlorine are removed and you’re left with higher quality, better tasting water for washing your produce or preparing family dinners. Specifically, you’ll notice that your pastas and rice will cook faster and have a creamier texture.

Baking and Hard Water

Are you frustrated with your baked goods not turning out right? Before you place blame on your culinary skills, know that your hard water may be the problem. Hard water minerals such as calcium and magnesium or chlorine-rich tap water affect the performance of some ingredients, including yeast. Minerals in your water change the gluten structure of dough, making it tough or slowing the fermentation process. Filtered and softened water gets rid of unwanted minerals in your water, so you can bake better bread and have softer cookies for the school bake sale.

Dull Food

Are your veggies losing their vibrant color? The high chlorine level in your hard water is likely the culprit. Why? Chlorine is an ingredient in bleach, so it makes sense that it would strip the colors from your food, leaving them a faded, yellowish color. Filtering hard water removes chlorine, so your food maintains its vibrant color.

Don’t let your hard water prevent you from creating the winning bake sale cookie. By installing a 2-in-1 softener and whole home filtration system, you can easily remove chlorine and other impurities while improving the taste of your food and the appearance of your home.

To learn more about selecting the best system for your home, visit EcoPureHome to view water softener solutions or test the water in your home with our free water quality test strip here.

The post It’s Not Their Taste Buds, It’s Your Water appeared first on HomeWater 101.

Hard water can give you spotty, filmy dishes, but you may not be aware that it also affects your cooking and baking. Here are 3 reasons to use filtered water and how it gives a boost to your kitchen creations:

1. Purified Taste

Chlorine and impurities can infiltrate your home’s tap water at any time, making for a foul odor and taste pouring out of your kitchen’s faucet. Using filtered water can eliminate the bad taste and smell.

The undesirable taste can be detrimental to your food prep. When your water smells bad, the foul odor and taste can latch on to the fruits, vegetables and cooked pasta you’re washing in the sink.

If you’re cooking bigger dishes with pasta or rice, you’ll start to notice a creamier texture to your food when you use filtered water. A filter can cleanse your water, remove the bad taste and leave you with overall better tap water.

2. Bake Better Bread

An entire meal can be ruined if your baked goods turn out poorly. Even if you followed directions word-for-word, triple-checked the measurements and actually placed the rack in your oven correctly, they can still turn out incorrect. Don’t be hard on yourself — it’s your water’s fault.

Minerals such as calcium, magnesium and chlorine that find their way into your home’s water affect the performance of ingredients like yeast. The minerals in your water change the gluten structure of dough, impeding the fermentation process.

Filtered water stops the issue at the faucet. Using cleaner water will lead to improved baked treats.

3. Bright and Festive Food

Washing your vegetables after you buy them is always a smart idea. But are you starting to notice your fresh produce losing color after every wash? Chlorine in your water could be the reason.

Like bleach, chlorine strips color away from whatever it comes in contact with. If there are high levels of chlorine in your water, your vegetables could be in danger.

But fear not. Filtering your water from excessive levels of chlorine will solve the issue. Keep your vegetables looking vibrant and delicious with a home filtration system.

If you’re making multiple dishes for the holidays, be sure to use filtered water. It’s as easy as installing a 2-in-1 whole home filtration and water softener system. This will make your water chlorine free while providing great taste that is optimal for cooking.

View our water checklist to learn more about choosing the right system for you and your family.

The post 3 Surprising Reasons to Use Filtered Water appeared first on HomeWater 101.