your notes:
sweet iced tea
Refreshing sweet iced tea can be yours on a hot summer day—and you don’t even need to turn on a tea kettle to make this version!
Prepare Ingredients
Gather Cooking Equipment
Place tea bags and 4 cups water in pitcher. Let sit on counter for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in liquid measuring cup, combine sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons water. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds. Use oven mitts to remove measuring cup from microwave. Use small spoon to stir mixture constantly until sugar dissolves completely, about 30 seconds; set aside.
Cut lemon in half lengthwise through both ends. Place one half of lemon flat on cutting board and slice crosswise into thin half circles; discard ends. (Refrigerate other lemon half for another use.)
First cutting the lemon in half lengthwise creates a flat, stable surface. That makes it easier to slice the lemon crosswise into semicircles.
Food for Thought
Make It Your Way
Traditional sweet iced tea is made by adding sugar and lemon to black tea, but if you like green tea, try it instead. To add some zing to your tea, try these juicy combinations!
Cranberry-Orange Iced Tea
Use 1 cup cranberry juice and 3 cups water in step 1. Use ½ orange instead of ½ lemon in step 3.
Pomegranate-Lime Iced Tea
Use 1 cup pomegranate juice and 3 cups water in step 1. Use 1 whole lime instead of ½ lemon in step 3.
Tea, No Kettle
Steeping (a fancy word for soaking) tea bags in room-temperature water makes an especially mellow tea without any bitter notes, and you don’t need to boil water in a kettle. Because the tea is never heated, use a sugar syrup (sugar dissolved in a little hot water) rather than trying to stir in granulated sugar (which won’t dissolve in room temperature tea). This recipe uses the microwave to make the simple syrup. So easy.
