/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>11298158
If the pot is at less than a rolling boil (like if you're simmering), the temperature is actually slightly less than 100 degrees Celcius (assuming 1 atm pressure). A small amount of particles gain enough energy to undergo a phase transition regardless of temperature; raising the temperature increases the proportion of particles with enough energy. Temperature is directly proportional to the AVERAGE kinetic energy of particles, after all. The not-rolling boils do create bubbles because a lot more particles are undergoing phase transitions, but the average particle still misses the mark.