Can I use reverse osmosis water for cooking?
I am considering buying an in-line reverse osmosis (RO) filter for our new house, as #1 , I like to drink good water, and #2 , I like to brew with good water. Somewhere in between those two, however, is I also like to COOK with good water.
I feel like a water report is like a snapshot of a single point in time, when the composition of the municipal water can change throughout the year to match rainwater pH/composition, so I'm likely going to start building from RO up.
I can't seem to find any information on the webs about cooking (baking, bread-leavening, etc.) with water that is good for brewing, that is, good for brewing after some salt/acid/base additions. The last thing I need is to be adding CaCl to my wife's shortbread cookies.
Will plain RO water work for cooking as well as brewing, or will I need to make similar additions?
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A good RO system costs about 0,000 as advised to me by a hydrologist. You may be better off with a good 3-filter (10 micron) setup. RO is usually used for high volume of consumed water and doesn't get everything out (unless you have the 0k system).
Before you spend the money, I would recommend consulting a local hydrologist and lab about other local tests they've performed over the recent times and what they've found in the water.
You can also walk into the nearest Starbucks as ask them about the filters on their lines. Regardless their coffee taste, they are usually strict about their water being good. You may be able copy their set up and be happy with it.
As far as cooking and brewing with 'over filtered' water goes, it may be a better problem to have than unwanted stuff in the water left behind. Some bottled waters such as Dasani have everything removed, then they add back some minerals to satisfy taste profiles [sales].
For cooking and brewing, you're unlikely miss the taste of the minerals in the water and more likely be happy about crispness.
Any water that is safe and tastes good for drinking (and is not highly mineralized) will perform well for cooking and baking, except possibly in the most unusual and fringe circumstances which I will not venture to guess at.
Most mineral waters will work most of the time as well, but who wants to pay the cost?
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