Cooking with tapwater?

Frankie

New member
Nov 28, 2006
79
0
0
I know that the tapwater is not safe to drink but is it okay to use in cooking? I am not sure exactly what the problem is with the water here, I presume that if it is just not very clean then cooking is no problem as it would be boiled? Somebody told me that there are amoebas in the water, if this is the case would they be destroyed by cooking?
Seems a bit of a silly question I know but would be interested in any comments!
Thanks
 

Mirador

On Permanent Vacation!
Apr 15, 2004
3,563
0
0
I know that the tapwater is not safe to drink but is it okay to use in cooking? I am not sure exactly what the problem is with the water here, I presume that if it is just not very clean then cooking is no problem as it would be boiled? Somebody told me that there are amoebas in the water, if this is the case would they be destroyed by cooking?
Seems a bit of a silly question I know but would be interested in any comments!
Thanks

At least five minutes of a rolling boil will make the local tap water safe for drinking.
 

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Apr 4, 2002
13,993
208
0
111
www.rockysbar.com
I know that the tapwater is not safe to drink but is it okay to use in cooking? I am not sure exactly what the problem is with the water here, I presume that if it is just not very clean then cooking is no problem as it would be boiled? Somebody told me that there are amoebas in the water, if this is the case would they be destroyed by cooking?
Seems a bit of a silly question I know but would be interested in any comments!
Thanks
Am not a scientist, but I do know this.
Bottled water by the 5 gallon pot is not very expensive, and your food will taste better cooked in the purified water, plus you will not get all the mineral build up on your pots, and finally, I remember seeing warnings about bad water, where the authorities warned that tap water should be boiled for 20 minutes.
When I was a kid in school, they taught us that boiling water, instantly killed everything.
Evidently, that is not true.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
A lot depends on just where you are. Along the coast i am under the impression that the water supply is kind of iffy, to say the least. I know along the South Coast it is salty, and virtually unusable.
However, in places like Mao, Moncion, la Vega, most of Santiago and other towns, the water is great. In fact, a couple of beer companies used to tank water from La Vega to Santo Domingo to make their brew!!
A good boil of five minutes is sufficient. It will not remove impurites such as metals or silt, but the nasties that can eat up your insides...are deader than doornails.

this is one reason you can safely drink coffee almost anywhere in the DR....

HB
 
A

apostropheman

Guest
what about washing fruit and vegetables...and the dishes? is it safe to do in tap water?

i've always assumed that whatever is in the water that harms you doesn't thrive once dry...then again i haven't gotten traveler's revenge so i may be way off base:paranoid:
 

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Apr 4, 2002
13,993
208
0
111
www.rockysbar.com
what about washing fruit and vegetables...and the dishes? is it safe to do in tap water?

i've always assumed that whatever is in the water that harms you doesn't thrive once dry...then again i haven't gotten traveler's revenge so i may be way off base:paranoid:
Fruits & veggies, bottled water.
Dishes, tap water.
 
A

apostropheman

Guest
Fruits & veggies, bottled water.
Dishes, tap water.
thanks...going to have to work on that. i've never seen fruit and veggies washed in anything but tap water, in a dominican household...and figured that was just begging for problems
 

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Apr 4, 2002
13,993
208
0
111
www.rockysbar.com
thanks...going to have to work on that. i've never seen fruit and veggies washed in anything but tap water, in a dominican household...and figured that was just begging for problems
That's a fact, which is why I won't eat that food.
Dominicans are brought up in those conditions.
If they survice infancy, they have a higher resistance than us gringos, brought up in a sterile world.
 
A

apostropheman

Guest
That's a fact, which is why I won't eat that food.
Dominicans are brought up in those conditions.
If they survice infancy, they have a higher resistance than us gringos, brought up in a sterile world.
i confess...i brush my teeth with tap water:surprised
 
A

apostropheman

Guest
my new diet plan, gonna make a million with this one :D, get a parasite...lose 30 pounds:cheeky:
 

vince1956

On Vacation!
May 24, 2006
1,117
0
0
Buy the water

Buy the bottle water as rocky said i spent a night in a clinic at the cost of :bunny: ?220.00 ladrone doctor see a gringo a mile off ,the last time i was there i was sick ,now my wife buys the bottle water for me malow agua:cool:
 
C

Chip00

Guest
I know that the tapwater is not safe to drink but is it okay to use in cooking? I am not sure exactly what the problem is with the water here, I presume that if it is just not very clean then cooking is no problem as it would be boiled? Somebody told me that there are amoebas in the water, if this is the case would they be destroyed by cooking?
Seems a bit of a silly question I know but would be interested in any comments!
Thanks

I recommend boiling as noted in the previous posts.

However, you can also sanitize the water by adding clorox as an additional measure for when you are washing dishes or brushing your teeth or rinsing veggies. Do a web search under clorox+purify+water and you sould give you a link to get the right amount to add per gallon. Then you will need to estimate you cistern size.

Also, if you find the link and estimate the cistern size send it to me and I'll calculate it for you as I'm a civil engineer and do this type of stuff all day long. If you tell me how many people live in your house I can estimate your water usage and from that tell you how often you need to add Clorox to the cistern.

And to boot I won't charge you a dime!
 

Lambada

Gold
Mar 4, 2004
9,478
410
0
80
www.ginniebedggood.com
my new diet plan, gonna make a million with this one :D, get a parasite...lose 30 pounds:cheeky:

Ah the giardia diet :laugh: Had it a couple of times myself even though I'm not obese............

I use tap water for washing veggies (but we do put chloro in the cisterna and probably have been here long enough for some sort of immunity). However I won't cook veggies which absorb water in tap water, nor things like pasta. I gather the rolling boil eliminates a lot of bugs but not chemicals and some new tummies react to the chemicals already in the water.

If you're in any doubt, use bottled water. As the others have said, it doesn't cost much.
 

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Apr 4, 2002
13,993
208
0
111
www.rockysbar.com
i confess...i brush my teeth with tap water:surprised
So do I, but I have trained myself to never swallow (take it easy out there. I know what you're thinking), and I spit it ALL out after.
Furthermore, as I have my own cistern, I put a certain amount of chlorine into it, once in awhile, to help keep the water potable.

PS: I guess I should have read the whole thread, as I would have seen others mentioning chlorinating their water supplies.
Anyhow, it confirms that it's worth doing, but for someone out in the country at someone else's house, he might do better keeping some Twinkies in his pocket, until he/she can get to a safe food supply.
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
I've never had a problem with tap water here - I wouldn't actually drink it but I brush teeth, wash veg and do most of the cooking with it. I use botell?n water for coffee, for that after all is sacred, and certain food preparations.

I grew up in the Mediterranean region and I've hardly ever had water-related stomach problems in tropical countries. I even used to bath my son in tap water when he was a baby. No-one told me that most Dominicans use botell?n water for the first six or twelve months. The poor kid did get giardia once, and now I know why.

Rocky, even if you don't swallow ;) the bugs are small enough to remain in your mouth and get into your system. I still think people who've only just arrived and aren't as immune as old-timers like us should use bottled water for brushing their teeth.
 

Squat

Tropical geek in Las Terrenas
Jan 1, 2002
2,239
168
63
Never had a problem with tap water...
I use it for coffee, washing everything, shower, brush the teethes...

I only use "botellon" water to drink...

But I also put some cloro in my cisterna...
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
i brush my teeth and clean my veggies in a tap water.
admittedly i look at my hmm... "waste product" to see whether i have any parasites...
the problem is my body does not take well washing in tap water here....