does salt make water boil faster?

In junior highschool chemistry class we were taught that the addition of salt cooks your food faster, not because the water boils sooner, but, because the salt raises the boiling temperature of the water - therefore making the water hotter at the boil, thusly cooking the food faster.

Adding salt will actually increase the time it takes to boil, because salt increases the water's boiling temperature. The reason it is often added when boiling pasta is: because the salt water boils at a higher temperature, the pasta can cook faster. It also adds flavour and helps prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Salt added to water makes the water boil at a higher temperature, thus reducing cooking time

It's a myth dear. The water boils the same speed with or without it.

Hi stailgate. According to my cooking instructor, salt actually delays the boiling of water. That;s why when you cook pasta, boil water first before adding salt and oil/ :)

Its supposed to..but I dunno. I just do it.

I don't remember where I heard this but some cook on the food channel said that it takes longer to boil if you add salt. I still do it anyway cause Emeral does it.

I'm glad you asked this. I've done it for years also, having heard it makes it boil faster. However, I just searched the net and found the opposite is true. It actually raises the boiling point so it takes longer to reach the higher temperature needed to boil. I read that it's better to add it after the water has begun to boil if you want to add salt for flavor.

I believe it to be true because I have done it for years also

A myth. Salt added to water makes the water boil at a higher temperature, thus reducing cooking time. (It does not make the water boil faster.)

yes it is the reason why water boil fast.