Please settle a difference of opinion!

[DoubleNegativePanda]

Last week adult DD was at her dad's house, and her stepmother went to make tea. She just opened the kettle and checked there was water, then set it to heat. DD was and said "Don't you fill it with fresh water first? to which stepmother took the hump and said no, you just top up with more water as needed.

Now, in my house, I heat as much as I think I need and pour any excess out, so the kettle is filled with fresh water each time.

Obviously my wonderful DD knows that my way is the right way , but what do you lot think?

Stepmother

As long as theirs no drip feed about DP pissing in the kettle.
Stepmother.
Soz.

Stepmother

I empty it out at least once a day, usually first thing. If the water is cold, then I'll tip it all out but if it's just been boiled then I won't waste it! I do try and put exactly what I need in though, DH has still not got this message.

I don't know why people keep water in their kettle that's been boiled countless times! We don't even have hard water.

Your way - only boil what you need, wasteful to boil more.

Plus oxygenation and all that - makes the tea taste shit!

Well, the ideal is boil what you need, but if there is water in the kettle left, I’d just top it up. Seems really wasteful to chuck it, unless you’re some rare tea purist who only uses leaves from single estates, or whatever. As we just use bog standard bags for a builders cuppa, I don’t care about twice-boiled water.

Your way, of course.

If it has not been used for a few days then I would change the water but ours is used daily and empty frequently enough I just top it up.

Such an odd thread, are you looking for a reason to criticise the stepmother? We top up here, but don't overfill either.

Mainly stepmothers way. Occasionally do change the water completely though.

Kind of both.

I once heard a tea expert describe how to make the perfect cup and they insisted on fresh water, as it becomes de-oxygenated with boiling and tea reacts well with oxygen. So fresh water, poured as soon as it's boiled.

In real life though, I'm not going to waste hot, or even tepid water, so I top it up.

Your dd is gaining the great benefit of spending time in other people's homes - the realisation that other people do things differently and some even do different things. That there are choices in life and you can make your own. It's a revelation.

Stepmother

I only put ‘fresh water’ from empty first thing in the morning. Otherwise during the day I just top up.

Interestingly @DoubleNegativePanda I’ve recently started emptying the kettle before filling with fresh water to boil, as I’d read about what reboiling can do. Not that this freaks me out, but just FYI....

“...Leaving water to sit and then reboiling it can increase the concentration of certain chemicals such as: arsenic, flouride and nitrates...”

I knew already from school that it changed the chemical compounds but thought I’d start doing this from now on. I’ve also noticed that tea tastes weird when I use recoiled water.

Ffs *reboiled not recoiled !

You're just wasting water. Stepmother's way

Stepmothers way

As long as theirs no drip feed about DP pissing in the kettle. Good lord, I didn't even think of that. Ick!

Such an odd thread, are you looking for a reason to criticise the stepmother? No, but I did realize that at least one person would say something like this. I started wondering which way was more common and decided to ask.

Clearly, although a couple have said they do it my way, the majority tops up the kettle. I honestly couldn't even give a good reason why I do it the way I do, just always done it that way.

Your way

Another vote for step mum. Your way is too much work.

I've always done stepmothers way.

Step mum way.

Fresh water every morning, but top up the rest of the day.

Step mother’s way.

Your way. In fact I ditch any drips of water left and boil fresh each time. I'm good at judging how much I need for one cup though. I don't like the idea of re boiling the same water over and over.