Why so much water for pasta?

[Rozin Abbas]

As an added bonus to not using an over abundance of water is that the pasta water will have a higher percentage of starch in it to tighten a sauce.

This is particularly good for sauces that rely on water like cacio e pepe. I have seen Dale Talde doing this on Serious Eats.

Edited October 5, 2013 by Rozin Abbas (log)

[dcarch]

I cannot understand what difference it will make how much water you boil the pasta in, as long as the pasta is submerged. How does the pasta know how much water is in the pot? 100 degrees C is all the pasta knows, regardless quantity of water. it is always 100 C.

Dissolving sugar or salt, yes, because of solubility of the crystals is dependent on concentration.

dcarch

[nickrey]

I see no difference between large and small volume of water with my dried pasta. I don't understand why there should be a difference, Batali's asenine pronouncements not withstanding. There is a lot of pure bullshit surrounding pasta eg "Pasta should cooked in water as salty as the Adriatic". Why? Why not as salty as tears (0.9%), which is considerably less than the Adriatic? Why not as salty as prosciutto? Or why not as salty as McDonald's fries?

I tire of the crap promoted as wisdom.

I suspect it's more poetic than practical however to my taste if I get the salt levels right I am happy eating the pasta by itself. It really become the hero of the dish rather than the sauce, which then takes the role of being a condiment. With the amounts of sauce a lot of people tend to put on pasta it's probably best to cut down on the salt in the water.

Like all cooking it's all a matter of balance and traditional Italian approaches always seem to get it right. Of course, if you grew up with excessive saucing, you are likely to have a different view.

For cooking water, I always use larger amounts as it makes the cooking easier and is less likely to need stirring that could break the pasta.

Edited October 5, 2013 by nickrey (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

Salt. You must add salt. And you must add a fair amount. Adding oil to the water is a waste of oil.

[nickrey]

Salt. Experiment with the amount. If you've got it right, you will be happy to eat the pasta without a sauce because it tastes so good.

Keep the good quality oil for drizzling over your completed dishes.

[pbear]

The usual reason I hear for adding oil to the water is to prevent the pasta from sticking together. There are other and better solutions to that problem, e.g., stirring often during the first few minutes of cooking, which makes the oil unnecessary.

[gfweb]

I'd use a small pot and as little water as possible. No oil.

There should be as much salt as in the Madonna's tears.

[Shel_B]

Adding oil is a waste of oil - and more so if you're using good olive or other high quality oils.

I've experimented with different amounts of water, comparing taste, texture, cooking times, etc. Since I never make a whole pound of pasta, using less than the often recommended 4 - 6 quarts of water was fine. I found that, for one of my servings, about 3-oz dry spaghetti, 2-quarts of water is fine. I do salt the water, using about 1 Tbs or so for the two quarts, using Diamond Crystal salt. That's fine for me - others may like more or less salt, but definitely salt.

You can't really go wrong using too much water, but too little can adversely effect the result. Just make sure the put is big enough for the amount of pasta and water so the pasta can move around while cooking. And, as mentioned above, it doesn't hurt to stir the pot a bit.

Enjoy your pasta.

[Paul Bacino]

I prefer a pot to. Maybe double or triple the volume of the pasta...salting is necessary, but the pasta should be made with salt..I think every ones mileage varies...some say..salty as sea water. Mine is less.

Add pasta..I wait till it begins to boil. Cook just a little and stir...the starches will cause the pasta to stick.. I will do this a few times initially..then spread that time out.

Cook till toothy, the pasta has some resistance. You should slightly undercook sauced pasta...adding to the sauce and finish it their.

Most of the time ..I save some pasta water...the starchy water will tighten you some of your works.

You can also add to your water to cook things in, lets say you blanch some spinach...use that water to cook your pasta in... Sometimes I'll even add some sauce to the water

Good luck

[Paul Bacino]

Oh...I don't. Really boil my pasta, but turn it down to simmer

[Alex]

What pretty much everyone else said. Although it's possible to cook pasta in a smaller pot with a minimal amount of water, the traditional (and easier) way is in a large pot with plenty of water. This facilitates the stirring that pbear and Shel_B mentioned. If cooking pasta strands, I use a wooden pasta fork (like this overpriced one). For non-strands, I use just a plain wooden spoon. Add salt when the water starts to boil and stir to dissolve. Season it as if it were a broth. No oil, nonononono.

[gfweb]

Wonder how much oil sticks to hydrated pasta.

[rotuts]

the oil / water issue might be linked to Pasta Mythology. nothing wrong with that. i do not use oil in the water, the pots a lot more difficult to clean Oil might help cut down on 'foaming' but adjusting the heat does that also.

i do add a little room temp oil to the pasta after its cooked and mix that together before any sauce. just a little.

re the oil in the water adding 'flavor' ( perhaps a hint.) might be true. but to say that only lifting the pasta out of the water does that has to be wrong as some oil also must stick to the pasta that drained with the water. just a bit.

""" Chef of Imago, the Maitre D', a guest Chef and yours truly ''''

were unlikely to be involved in washing the pot later.

i think the larger quantities of water evolved from the thought that long pasta ie Spaghetti should be fully immersed from the get go.

I use water so that 1/2 of the Spaghetti is initially immersed but stir from the get go to get the length of the pasta in the water as soon as possible

but i try to be stingy with the energy i have to buy.

Edited November 2, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[nickrey]

And lots of lots of European chefs still say that searing meat over high heat seals in the juices.

Just because a chef says it doesn't make it right.

Nice story though.

[Shel_B]

Wonder how much oil sticks to hydrated pasta.

I seem to recall an Alton Brown episode some years ago in which he tested that. Maybe I, or someone else, can find it, but it's not handy right now. The result, IIRC, is that very little oil stays with the pasta - he measured the results somehow, so my "very little" comment means very little.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[rotuts]

still, why not just add a bit of oil to the pasta after its out of the pot?

[Bill Klapp]

I think that the composition and thickness of the pot is everything when boiling pasta. I love the high-tech, layered carbon-filament pasta pots that you see in the high-end cookware stores in Italy. 450 Euro seemed like a lot to pay just to cook pasta, but for me, it has proven a better value than Modernist Cuisine. Not knocking Modernist Cuisine, mind you; I have it, too. It is just that you cannot boil pasta in it (with or without oil), you know what I'm saying? (Or maybe you can, if you put the plexiglas bookcase in with your sous vide circulator...)

[liuzhou]

If you buy fresh rice noodles from a Chinese store, the noodles are coated with oil.

Er? No they aren't

[dcarch]

If you buy fresh rice noodles from a Chinese store, the noodles are coated with oil.

Er? No they aren't

Sure they are. If you boil them you will see the oil come to the surface. Otherwise they will all stick together.

I am talking about the flat lasagna noodles that come in the sheet form.

dcarch

http://perfecthealthdiet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Lasagna-6.jpg

[liuzhou]

I buy freshly made noodles pretty much every second day. They are for sure not coated in oil.

[gfweb]

I buy freshly made noodles pretty much every second day. They are for sure not coated in oil.

Regional variation perhaps?

[liuzhou]

Regional variation perhaps?

Perhaps, but I doubt it. I've lived north, east, south and west and never seen it anywhere.

I can hear the howls of outrage from the tangle of housewives outside my window each morning. "What is this oily muck all over my noodles?"

[dcarch]

I buy freshly made noodles pretty much every second day. They are for sure not coated in oil.

Check these out then:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4osTuN8lzw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q7u1JCHAA4&list=PL57FF73004558E559

dcarch

[Porthos]

I use a large pot and plenty of water so that the pot will return to the boil quickly. I salt and oil. I stir the pasta a couple of times as it returns to the boil, maybe once after that until I test for doneness. I have read arguments for both sides for a very long time. Perhaps the oil does nothing but I can afford a tablespoon of my basic cooking olive oil when I make pasta. And I wash my own pots and pans.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Porthos (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

And I wash my own pots and pans.

I don't wash my pasta pot. For one thing it is large and heavy. (Err, I guess that is two things.) I rinse the pot after use, and I use this pot only for boiling pasta and boiling vegetables. It has been pointed out to me that there is a fair bit of mineral scale, but I figure that does not negatively affect the pasta.

And, no, I do not use oil.