Coffee makers are an essential part of every household these days. Until curious and daring people like you exist, there is no scarcity of questions and queries. So do coffee makers boil water?
Aren’t you curious?
Cool, you got to the right place!
If you are wondering if coffee makers can be used to boil water, you will get the answer by the end of this disclosure with complete clarification.
Curious people cannot wait. We will be considerate and take you right back to your primary question.
Do Coffee Makers Boil Water?
Unfortunately, NO.
Coffee makers cannot boil water since it is not one of their functionalities.
“Wait….what?? Then how come coffee is served hot from coffee makers?”
Stick around; we’ll get all your confusion and questions cleared.
The purpose of coffee makers is to brew coffee to bring out the best possible flavour, aroma and delicacy.
Boiling the water can make this goal a nightmare since it can significantly affect the taste of the coffee (obviously, not in a good way).
Therefore, coffee makers do not boil water. Instead, they heat the water to the ideal temperature for the best coffee, around 93 degrees Celsius or 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Note that the temperature of boiling water is 100 degrees Celsius/ 200 degrees Fahrenheit, which cannot be achieved by a coffee maker.
Thus you cannot use a coffee maker to boil water.
Why Don’t Coffee Makers Reach a Boiling Point?
Pretty frustrating?
You will change your mind once you know why coffee makes deny to boil water.
Two reasons can be given as to why a coffee maker does not boil water.
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It Affects the Quality of the Coffee
The best flavour and aroma are extracted from the coffee grounds when brewed around 93 degrees Celsius/ 200 Fahrenheit. Suppose the temperature exceeds the optimal level, and the water starts boiling. In that case, it is terrible for your cup of coffee.
Boiling water can burn the coffee grounds and exhibit a bitter taste in the outcome. It will also hinder the coffee grounds from reaching their peak flavour.
The over-extraction will result in a complete alteration in the taste.
I believe you do not want your morning cup of happiness (yes, coffee) to taste like a burnt piece of wood, do you?
Well, it’s for a good reason that coffee makers do not support boiling water.
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It Cannot Handle Steam
Even though we treat our coffee makers as beloved buddies for pouring us the best cup of coffee every time we need one, it is a machinery device, after all.
Devices are designed in a way that can perfectly accomplish the intended task while restricting them from doing anything that goes beyond the scope of the job.
It is a COFFEE MAKER! Not a pressure cooker.
So it is not designed in a way it can support and handle steam or vapour.
When the water reaches its boiling point, 100 degrees Celsius / 200 degrees Fahrenheit, it starts to vaporize and produce steam.
If that happens inside a coffee maker, the steam will get trapped inside, causing internal problems as there are no mechanisms to resist or deal with steam.
Can Coffee Makers Heat Water?
“No-brainer! Of course, they do. Or how else will they brew coffee in them?”
You’re right. Coffee makers can heat water up to 93 degrees Celsius (200 F), which is very close to the temperature of boiling water which is 100 degrees Celsius (212 F).
That means there is no drastic difference in the temperatures of boiling water and hot water from the coffee maker.
The good news is that you can still use coffee makers to heat water if you are not looking for boiled water for sterilizing and cooking purposes.
Water heated through a coffee maker can be ideally used to make tea, cup noodles and for any other purpose that does not demand boiling water.
Can a Coffee Maker Sterilize Water?
Again, this is such a common misconception!
Sterilization is the process of removing/ killing microbes from water to purify it and make it suitable for drinking.
It is a known fact that bacteria and other harmful microbes in water can be killed upon heating. While it is true, note that to completely destroy all the threatening foreign bodies in it, the water must boil up to 100 degrees Celsius (200 F), which does not happen in coffee makers.
Being said that, it is clear that coffee makers will not sterilize water. However, they will purify it to some extent, as some weak micro-organisms can be destroyed within the range of 93 degrees Celsius (200 F).
It does not imply that it’s safe to do so.
The remaining microbes that are not destroyed can threaten health in many ways. Since it is not advisable to use coffee makers as water sterilizers.
Moreover, attempting to sterilize impurities in water through coffee makers can result in mineral build-ups on its walls. This can affect the function of the device over time.
The taste of the coffee made using it will also have an impact due to the set minerals.
What are the Alternatives to Boiling Water?
So your electric kettle is broken out of the blue?
What alternative can you use to boil water since you cannot use coffee makers?
Well, you can try using the microwave oven. It will take around 2 minutes for a cup of water to reach its boiling point in a microwave oven.
Or you can try using a pot/ regular kettle on your stove. IT will take around 3 minutes to boil a cup of water if set on high flames.
Takeaway
Coffee makers CAN NOT boil water as they are not designed to perform such a task.
Brewing coffee only needs a temperature that is below the level of the temperature of boiling water.
However, you can use coffee makers to heat water for tea, cup noodles, etc., as the water can heat up slightly less to the temperature of boiling water.
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