What makes new york bagels so good

Caption: Bagels being poached before baking. This is a crucial step in making NYC bagels. Next, they sent samples of both waters they used in their bagels to the lab. They found that there was indeed a difference in pH levels. New York water, reports Gizmodo, has lower levels of calcium carbonate and magnesium.

This explains why in other metropolitan locales with harder water, the bagels come out tougher -- the hardness of the water toughens up the gluten. Caption: Bagels left out to ferment. Lastly, America's Test Kitchen tested the pH levels in the bagels after they'd fermented yes, their recipe leaves the bagels out overnight to ferment -- this in fact is actually one of the reasons New York City bagels are so great and the difference was miniscule.

All that information led them to conclude that New York water can't take the credit for the finished product of the bagel. So what is it then that makes NYC bagels so glorious? According to America's Test Kitchen, it's all about the recipe. They have a great one to check out. Too Sober See All Drinks. Dining Hall Dorm Lyfe Perfect for when you're Broke See All How To. See All Videos. That email doesn't look right. Photo by Sara Tane. In fact, the production techniques are likely what makes these signature New York items taste better.

But first, the water. According to a recent feature in the New York Times , that system is in serious need of repairs. The water takes anywhere from 12 weeks to a year to travel from the watershed to the city. Before arriving however, it lands at Hillview Reservoir what the Times calls a million gallon bathtub where the water is treated with a variety of chemicals - like chlorine, phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide - to disinfect and raise pH levels.

Along the way, the water can pick up a variety of minerals, elements and components , not to mention the added minerals from Hillview and the natural deposits from the Catskills. This could include sulfate, radium, thorium, radon, fluorine, magnesium, lead, bromine, calcium, chlorine, bromate and chloramines. This makes a difference on several levels.