A recipe for passive-aggressiveness

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August 14th, 2012 · 72 comments

Michael in California stumbled across this bit of passive-aggressive pedantry on Food.com.

P.S. The reviews = 5 stars.

extra credit: Jim Gaffigan on Bottled Water

FILED UNDER: ice · most popular notes of 2012

72 responses so far ↓

#1 meeee

Hot water freezes faster though.

Aug 14, 2012 at 9:38 pm rating: 90

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- #1.1 Jenn
  
  Apparently there was a study recently that said using hot water for drinking means you’re more likely to ingest lead and such from your pipes? So I just use cold water now.
  
  Aug 14, 2012 at 10:05 pm rating: 90
- #1.2 Lee
  
  Well, that depends. Do you have lead pipes or PVC pipes? The water coming into your house comes in at one temperature, and you either heat it or you don’t…but if you don’t have lead pipes in your house, how can the water pick up (and you ingest) lead?
  
  Aug 14, 2012 at 10:14 pm rating: 90
- #1.3 skreidle
  
  Utter bunk, that. There is no physics that supports that false assertion.
  
  Aug 14, 2012 at 10:17 pm rating: 90
- #1.4 Palomon
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpemba_effect
  
  Aug 14, 2012 at 10:25 pm rating: 90
- #1.5 Ash
  
  African swallow or European swallow?
  
  Aug 14, 2012 at 10:29 pm rating: 90
- #1.6 Lau
  
  i was always taught not to drink out of the hot tap because it’s been through the boiler, so while it’s fine to wash in, it’s not hygienic enough to drink.
  
  Aug 14, 2012 at 11:21 pm rating: 90
- #1.7 Rob
  
  If your water is heated by a hot water tank, there is a sacrificial anode that is placed in the tank that dissolves to keep the tank from rusting out. These are usually made out of aluminum or magnesium. Which means that your hot water contains a measurably greater concentration of heavy metals – I don’t know how much more, but it is more. Meaning you’re exposing yourself to more dissolved heavy metals than you have to, some of which have been linked to Alzheimers and other neurological conditions.
  
  This is why there are not many pots/pans made of aluminum any more.
  
  Aug 14, 2012 at 11:42 pm rating: 90
- #1.8 Pit Pat
  
  What if your water is heated by a cold water tank?
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 9:00 am rating: 90
- #1.9 redheadwglasses
  
  NOT TRUE. Hot *distilled* water MIGHT freeze faster than cold undistilled water (depends on the freezer), but otherwise, no, hot water does NOT freeze faster than cold water.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 11:55 am rating: 90
- #1.10 redheadwglasses
  
  “heavy metals than you have to, some of which have been linked to Alzheimers and other neurological conditions.”
  
  BUNK. Where do you get your junk science? This is from new agey folks years ago who don’t want to use antiperspirant. Scientists researched this for YEARS and found absolutely no link between Alzheimers and metals.
  
  NONE.
  
  Also, your claims about the “heavy metals” used in water heaters also are untrue. First of all, aluminum typically is used with salt water, so there goes your household water heater theory. Second, no, they don’t leach into the water.
  
  Is no one else here an engineer?
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm rating: 90
- #1.11 redheadwglasses
  
  “This is why there are not many pots/pans made of aluminum any more.”
  
  WRONG. The reason aluminum pots and pans have decreased in sales is the public prefers nonstick pans with Teflon and other nonstick coatings. That’s it. Serious cooks (such as myself) keep a variety of pans for various purposes. Including aluminum.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 12:01 pm rating: 90
- #1.12 redheadwglasses
  
  AND:
  
  If you have an old house with old pipes, they very well could be lead, and not only do you need to drink only cold water from the taps (water can soften the lead and make it enter the water easier), you need to run the water for a minute or two to get whatever lead particles that have settled out of the water.
  
  “i was always taught not to drink out of the hot tap because it’s been through the boiler, so while it’s fine to wash in, it’s not hygienic enough to drink.”
  
  This is not true if you live almost anywhere in the U.S. or much of Europe. Your household water is fine for drinking.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 12:15 pm rating: 90
- #1.13 kermit
  
  Scientists researched this for YEARS and found absolutely no link
  1976: http:_//_ukpmc_ac_uk/abstract/MED/963531/reload=0;jsessionid=GAGvpB5x7O4VjUQr4PK7.12
  
  1991: http:_//_md1_csa_com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=ENV&recid=2800014&q=aluminium+alzheimer%27s&uid=791980483&setcookie=yes
  
  2008:
  http:_//_www_ncbi_nlm_nih_gov/pubmed/18228200
  
  And I don’t know how you define “serious cook”, but most serious cooks I know of do their cooking in pots and pans made of copper and cast iron because of the even heat distribution they provide.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 12:19 pm rating: 90
- #1.14 redheadwglasses
  
  Those links are unuseable. They don’t copy and paste.
  
  I’ve read plenty of research for 20+ years. Even when scientists were TRYING to find a causational link, they failed.
  
  And most serious cooks *I* know use aluminum pans with copper on the bottom. Not solid copper pans.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 12:38 pm rating: 90
- #1.15 kermit
  
  Scientists researched this for YEARS and found absolutely no link
  1976:
  “Aluminium, neurofibrillary degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease” , Brain: A Journal of Neurology
  http:_//_ukpmc_ac_uk/abstract/MED/963531/reload=0;jsessionid=GAGvpB5x7O4VjUQr4PK7.12
  
  1985: Relationship of aluminum to Alzheimer’s disease.
  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1568482/
  
  2002: The Potential Role of Aluminum in Alzheimer’s Disease
  http://ndt.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/suppl_2/17.full.pdf
  
  2008: “Aluminium exposure induces Alzheimer’s disease-like histopathological alterations in mouse brain”
  http:_//_www_ncbi_nlm_nih_gov/pubmed/18228200
  
  And I don’t know how you define “serious cook”, but most serious cooks I know of do their cooking in pots and pans made of copper and cast iron because of the even heat distribution they provide.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 12:39 pm rating: 90
- #1.16 kermit
  
  Crap that didn’t post well at all. Let me try this again with just the titles and you can find your own link:
  
  1976:
  “Aluminium, neurofibrillary degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease” , Brain: A Journal of Neurology
  1985:
  Relationship of aluminum to Alzheimer’s disease – NIH / PubMed
  
  2002:
  The Potential Role of Aluminum in Alzheimer’s Disease – Oxford Journals; Journal of Neuphrology, Transplantation 2002 (17) Supplement 2, 17-20
  
  2008: “Aluminium exposure induces Alzheimer’s disease-like histopathological alterations in mouse brain” NIH again
  
  And the links are unusable because they get caught in spam filter.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 12:44 pm rating: 90
- #1.17 DaveGI
  
  It’s true that there’s no solid proof of any causual relationship between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease.
  
  However there is a issue with lead in hot tap water. It’s not so much due to lead in the copper pipes themselves, but in the solder used to join the pipes. Yes, the lead will leach into cold water as well – especially if it sits long enough. That’s why they recommend letting even the cold water run for a short time to flush out any lead. But it leaches much more easily into hot water than cold water.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 2:01 pm rating: 90
- #1.18 Lita
  
  Seconding the thing about aluminum pans with copper bottoms – my mum’s a chef and that’s what she mostly uses. And if I could find any to buy, I’d probably use them myself.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 2:21 pm rating: 90
- #1.19 kermit
  
  Some pans only have copper bottoms because copper is expensive. When LeCreuset or Mauviel start making aluminium pans with copper bottoms, perhaps then I will reconsider my stance. My bet is that you (and most people) can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on top of the line cooking equipment. That’s understandable and legitimate choice to make for people who don’t inherit their cookware from their grandmas.
  
  We have “solid” proof of very few things. Tobacco companies have been legally able to to get away with selling their products precisely because there is no solid causal definitive proof that cigarettes were/are responsible for people getting cancer. If there were, people could still be suing them for every time a smoker gets cancer.
  
  The problem with the aluminium studies is that the results have been hard to reproduce for various reasons. There are however plenty of studies published in reputable journals (far more than I listed) that do make you (or at least some people) think twice about it. Just like there’s enough evidence for people to think twice about using Teflon pans at high temperatures where it melts into your food.
  
  It’s insulting and baseless to say that it’s some hippy junk science of people who don’t want to use deodorant or antiperspirant. The Lancet, NIH, and Oxford journals don’t publish crap, let alone have that crap cited hundreds of times by other scientists in other papers.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 2:45 pm rating: 90
- #1.20 juju_skittles
  
  I was told not to drink from the hot water tap growing up for these reasons:
  1. it’s HOT water
  2. if you want a hot shower, don’t drink it, bathe in it
  3. it tastes like crap.
  I think they’re all valid. Sorry, don’t have any links to support this.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 8:27 pm rating: 90
- #1.21 Drew
  
  Actually, that’s an urban legend (and really makes no sense, if you think about it)
  
  Aug 18, 2012 at 2:57 am rating: 90
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#2 shwo!

That’s not the correct recipe:

1) Take O’Shea Jackson.
2) Add attitude.

Aug 14, 2012 at 9:56 pm rating: 90

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#3 skreidle

Be *sure* to read the reviews of that recipe — they’re even more fantastic than the recipe itself!

Aug 14, 2012 at 10:18 pm rating: 90

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- #3.1 Lil'
  
  You are so right. My personal favorites “Do you have a crockpot version? I work long hours” and “I doubled the recipe and had enough for leftovers.” Priceless.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 9:53 am rating: 90
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#4 m

Empty the ice into the bin? Why not the sink? Surely that’s a better place to put water.

Aug 14, 2012 at 11:10 pm rating: 90

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- #4.1 Pit Pat
  
  Probably means the ice bin in the freezer, not the garbage. I had the same thought at first.
  
  Aug 14, 2012 at 11:25 pm rating: 90
- #4.2 Pit Pat
  
  Oh lord, did I do that thing where someone asks a joke question and I don’t get it, so I answer it? I assumed m is a brit and only associates “bin” with garbage cans.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 9:01 am rating: 90
- #4.3 Rattus
  
  I’m Canadian and I thought that bin meant garbage can, and I too thought that was a ridiculous way to dispose of ice. But then, I have no idea what a freezer bin is, so…
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 10:14 am rating: 90
- #4.4 redheadwglasses
  
  I’ve never heard of “bin” for garbage can! I love the word usage differences between three English-speaking countries. : )
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 12:16 pm rating: 90
- #4.5 Jami
  
  The “bin” is just a box to hold extra ice. It can be anything made of plastic like an old Tupperware container or even a plastic shoe box.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 2:48 pm rating: 90
- #4.6 Pit Pat
  
  Omg Redhead, hello! It’s Roma.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 3:16 pm rating: 90
- #4.7 Pit Pat
  
  My favorite is “dirt tray” (litter box). The dirt part makes more sense than “litter,” but I prefer a box to a tray. Well, my cat does.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 3:21 pm rating: 90
- #4.8 vhmckenzie
  
  My husband is Jamaican and always refers to the garbage container as “deh gah-bedge pan.” Which makes me think of cake pans. Which is hilarious.
  
  Also — I’d like to see a “recipe” like this for changing the toilet paper roll. I am, apparently, the only person in a household of 2 adults and 2 teenagers who understands how to do this.
  
  Aug 16, 2012 at 8:10 pm rating: 90
- #4.9 Gwan
  
  I wondered why you needed to throw away the old ice at all (also reading “bin” as “garbage”), but now I get it. Multiple countries (you can add New Zealand to the list) separated by a common language and all that
  
  Aug 19, 2012 at 5:39 am rating: 90
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#5 Lily

this is hysterical!
I have a recipe for boiling water. for those of you who afraid to drink water from faucet LOL. Folks you either drink from your faucet or not Hot or cold.

Aug 14, 2012 at 11:30 pm rating: 90

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- #5.1 Kwyjor
  
  The Epicurious reviews for the “boiling salted water” recipe are also classics.
  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salted-Water-for-Boiling-105591
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 9:59 am rating: 90
- #5.2 L
  
  My house has a water softener so you can’t actually drink from our taps.
  
  Aug 19, 2012 at 1:10 am rating: 90
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#6 Dan

What happens if you keep the existing ice cubes instead of throwing them away ( I never do, not sure what the point is )?
Also, how do I find out if they are still ok for human consumption or they have expired?

Aug 15, 2012 at 3:02 am rating: 90

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#7 Kaz

I favour the cleaner version of ice. That’s why I fund monthly expeditions to the Arctic to chip away ice from the source.

Aug 15, 2012 at 3:54 am rating: 90

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- #7.1 kermit
  
  Bah, you’re missing out, citizen. Ice from the South Pole is sooo much better than ice from the North Pole.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 7:48 pm rating: 90
- #7.2 JK
  
  I dunno, the North Pole doesn’t have penguins crapping on it.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 11:26 pm rating: 90
- #7.3 kermit
  
  It doesn’t have penguin crap in it, of course. But North Pole ice has reindeer crap on it and Santa’s crap on it.
  Penguins are much cleaner and healthier than reindeer or Santa. And they’re classier since they wear tuxes all the time.
  
  It’s this cleanliness that makes South Pole ice have no calories and no preservatives. Morgan Freeman can testify to this!
  
  Aug 16, 2012 at 2:35 pm rating: 90
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#8 ANkh

What? Don’t empty ice-cubes into the bin! They’ll melt. Why would you want liquids in your bin?

Just put the unwanted cubes into the sync or throw them into the bushes.

Aug 15, 2012 at 4:19 am rating: 90

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- #8.1 JT
  
  They meant the ice tray bin inside the freezer, not the trash.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 7:21 am rating: 90
- #8.2 Cyberjar88
  
  It’s SINK, not SYNC. Idiot.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 8:27 pm rating: 90
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#9 cmz

I like to take the opportunity to wash the ice cube tray before refilling it. And I agree with the cold water choice – hot water sometimes has softening salts in it, or minerals that have accumulated from sitting in the hw tank too long.

Aug 15, 2012 at 6:57 am rating: 90

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#10 Ganjumbo

What is this ice tray that is being talked about? Welcome to the 21st century where ice cubes are magically dispensed by using a cup to push the button on the front of the refrigerator.

Aug 15, 2012 at 7:25 am rating: 90

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- #10.1 aliceblue
  
  So says the person who can 1. afford the more expensive fridge and 2. Has room for one of those huge things.
  
  Aug 16, 2012 at 12:17 am rating: 90
- #10.2 Gwan
  
  Wait, now I have to feel behind the times for not having a fridge that dispenses ice cubes? And I thought not having a smartphone was shameful!
  
  Aug 19, 2012 at 5:41 am rating: 90
- #10.3 Jamie
  
  But doing that causes my red plastic cups to split :C
  
  Aug 22, 2012 at 6:40 pm rating: 90
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#11 Dane Zeller

My grandmother made the greatest ice cubes. She never told her secret. At geemaa’s funeral, her sister Elba confessed: grandmother used bathroom water.

Aug 15, 2012 at 7:43 am rating: 90

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#12 havingfitz

When I was a child, I used to LOVE to wait until the ice-cube trays just started to freeze so I could peel off the top thin layer of ice and eat it. Of course if you keep doing that you’ll never end up with ice cubes, and as a bonus you’ll have a mother convinced the freezer has died..

Aug 15, 2012 at 8:19 am rating: 90

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- #12.1 Me
  
  I’m glad someone else did this.
  
  Aug 16, 2012 at 7:51 pm rating: 90
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#13 Tesselara

Seriously, the comments are what make this post a real gem. If you’ve ever read the reviews on an on-line recipe (where frequently someone does a substitution for the recipe which any experienced cook knows will cause the recipe to bomb, and then give the recipe poor reviews), the comments are even funnier!

Aug 15, 2012 at 8:39 am rating: 90

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- #13.1 Jami
  
  Sometimes you have to do substituions because you might be allergic to something in the original recipe. And I alter recipes all the time without them bombing. Sometimes I even make them better.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 2:49 pm rating: 90
- #13.2 youjik33
  
  I think Tesselera specifically meant that sometimes people make substitutions that are obviously not really going to work and then complain in the reviews when it doesn’t turn out well, as though it was the fault of the original recipe that they didn’t even follow. I’ve seen that happen on recipe reviews before and it always leaves me scratching my head a bit.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 4:21 pm rating: 90
- #13.3 kermit
  
  This is why I loove Alton Brown. He doesn’t only tell you how to make the thing his way; he explains how stuff works so that you know what you can substitute without ruining it. And unlike most other chefs, I have yet to see him shell his own line of products. The only things he sells on his website are books, “epidermal repair kits” (i.e. band aids) and sometimes salt shakers.
  
  Aug 15, 2012 at 4:26 pm rating: 90
- #13.4 Laura
  
  @Jami, how do you know you’re making them better if you never even tried the original recipe?
  
  Aug 16, 2012 at 2:41 pm rating: 90
- #13.5 kermit
  
  If you’re confident that you hate say figs, but you like apricots instead, then a recipe that calls for figs will probably taste better to you if you put in apricots instead.
  
  Aug 16, 2012 at 4:02 pm rating: 90
- #13.6 Jami
  
  How do you know I haven’t tried the original? I simply said I make substitutions or additions that make them better. Not that I didn’t try the original.
  
  Aug 18, 2012 at 2:24 pm rating: 90
- #13.7 Ruth
  
  you said you were allergic to the original, though
  
  that’s not really much of a leap
  
  Aug 19, 2012 at 7:06 am rating: 90
- #13.8 saffronica
  
  My favorite recipe review was for Alton Brown’s Tres Leches cake. The reviewer gave it five stars, but he substituted a box mix cake for Alton’s scratch cake…and Cool Whip for the whipped cream on top. So basically the only part of the recipe he followed was to mix the three milks together and pour them over the cake! But apparently it was delicious.
  
  Aug 24, 2012 at 10:37 am rating: 90
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#14 redheadwglasses

Ice never freezes more slowly as when you’re in dire need of a cocktail.

Aug 15, 2012 at 12:17 pm rating: 90

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#15 girl_with_all_the_yarn

OMG… 14 pages of reviews. I couldn’t stop laughing.

Aug 15, 2012 at 2:09 pm rating: 90

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#16 Kittymama

Things that are soluble in water are more soluble at a higher temperature. So if you want fewer of whatever non-water substances might be available dissolved in your water, cold water is the way to go.

Aug 15, 2012 at 3:14 pm rating: 90

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#17 Lin

Uh, neither aluminum nor magnesium are ‘heavy metals.’ Vaccinate your kids, drink dihydrogen monoxide and take off the tinfoil hats. Worry about REAL threats like climate change and scientific illiteracy.

Aug 16, 2012 at 9:43 am rating: 90

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- #17.1 kermit
  
  Worrying about climate change does absolutely nothing to change it or alleviate the threat.
  
  Some people are concerned precisely because they are scientifically literate, and do read scientific journals. The fact that you equate this with vaccination or homoeopathy only betrays your own illiteracy on the subject. The fact that no reputable journal has withdrawn the numerous studies they published on the matter makes speaks to their merit.
  
  If you disagree with their findings, that’s your prerogative. Your disagreement doesn’t make it junk science. That you seem to think it does suggests to me that perhaps you should get your neurons checked. Or if you happen to be a scientist, perhaps brush up on what’s actually getting published instead of what gets media play.
  
  Aug 16, 2012 at 2:31 pm rating: 90
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#18 IamFuckingDelish

Lead flavored ice cube are f’n delish, everyone should try one!

Aug 17, 2012 at 1:20 pm rating: 90

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#19 Jami

Bah, if so many of you are so paranoid about heavy metals in your drinking water go get a reverse osmosis filter for your sink.

Yes, the water actually does have a cleaner taste than unfiltered tap water. I even use it for cooking. But we have it because the water tastes better filtered. Not because of any supposed heavy metals in there.

Aug 18, 2012 at 2:27 pm rating: 90

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#20 Janelle

I read somewhere, once that if you want CLEAR, not cloudy ice, you need to use HOT water. If you don’t mind cloudy ice, use cold. Something about the cold and air being forced out of the water …

Aug 23, 2012 at 10:17 pm rating: 90

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#21 john

Erm, the Lancet published Dr Wakefield’s MMR-Autism link ‘research’. Just sayin’.

Of course nothing can ever be proven beyond all doubt, but we accept that the earth orbits the sun because the evidence is sufficiently robust to prove it. Likewise, the FDA and EC ban ingredients that are proven carcinogens in food for example. Surely if there was a sufficient level of proof, Aluminum cooking pans would be banned too? I accept that regulators don’t always act as fast as they should, but this isn’t a new theory.

Aug 24, 2012 at 8:23 am rating: 90

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