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?

High limescale content here and reboiled water in tea is disgusting so I tend to empty and refill. Unfortunately I do overfill as we sometimes get some of the limescale from the base. This is even though I regularly descale with vinegar. I'm with you OP.

Step mother, why waste water?

Stepmother

I put fresh water in every time. I only put in the amount I need but if there is any excess I use it to rinse out the cups so not wasteful.

Step mother is right

Stepmother's way here too. I hate wasting water.

Your way.

Stepmother’s way.

Except when my DC were babies. Then I always boiled fresh water so that fresh cooled boiled water was always available for eye bathing or drinking. If you keep boiling it the minerals in the water become more concentrated which is bad for babies.

Stepmothers way until we went to antenatal classes recently and were told about chemicals building up in reheated water etc being dangerous when making formula for baba. .. So now I never reboil and do it your way.

Stepmother is the way I do it

Stepmother

I'm with you. I don't like the chemical residue getting more and more concentrated with each boiling.

I always put fresh water in but do only fill up to required amount. When I refill I just empty the leftover water into washing up bowl to use later.

I live in a hard water area and re boiled water tastes odd.

Your way!! I don’t even drink tea anymore but when I’m making noodles at work I always empty out and refill. Think it stems back from boiling water for baby bottles and it needing to be fresh each time.

Hard water in London so limescale builds quickly, plus I don’t make hot drinks every day so always empty completely and refill.

I do it your way, I only boil the water once.

Stepmother, don't waste water. Occasionally completely empty and chuck out limescale flakes

SM is right.

Boiling a full kettle of water is so energy draining and you should be using freshly drawn water for the perfect cuppa.

I use a water dispenser that just heats one cup of water at at time.

I fill it when it needs it - 1 litre so approx once a day but don't refill until onto the last cup. Each time the water has been boiled exactly once and dispensed immediately.

Prior to buying this though definitely Stepmums way although trying not to boil any more water than is needed

This must be the only thread in MN history where so many posters agree with the step mum
That includes me too.
I have a small hob top kettle, when I have the central heating on it sits on the radiator and gets / keeps the water warm.

( The rad is a substitute aga that I long for )

Stale water makes foul tea. If I used a kettle I would tip it out, but only fill with enough water for the requirement. Most people fill a kettle to the top, heat it all and then make 2 cups of tea. Waste of power and water if you chuck it, or stale water if you don't.

I only use a kettle if I need a lot of hot water to rinse rice or pour on weeds instead of poisons.

I have a hot water dispenser that boils one cup at a time, and is filled with one cup at a time. Uses less power as it only heats one cup and no need to worry about throwing the stale, multiple heated water away.

Stepmother's way

Your way, op. Fresh water every time.

Your way. Fresh water every time otherwise the tea tastes vile. Reboiled water gives you an upset stomach according to my Gran and she was right about everything.

You're way. Water is not safe to drink if it's been boiled more than once.