Pasta is one of the simplest dishes you can make. Just throw some noodles in a pot of boiling water, and voila! Many of us add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil to the boiling pasta water. We are told that the oil will keep the pasta from sticking in the boiling water. However, something as simple as oil could actually completely ruin your pasta dish.
We already know that oil and water are both non-sticking agents. So while we think oil will keep the pasta from sticking, it does something more dangerous. Because the oil and water don’t mix, the oil will start to float to the top of the water in the pan. When you pour the water and pasta into the strainer, the oil will stick to the cooked pasta.
When cooked pasta is coated with a slippery oil, the pasta sauce will not stick to the pasta. Instead, it will slide right off the noodles. And nobody wants that! So there’s no need to add oil to the pasta cooking water. Just stir the pasta from time to time to prevent it from sticking. And if you want your sauce to really stick to your pasta, take a ladleful of pasta water and add it to the sauce.
When pasta boils in water, the starch from the pasta mixes with the water. And this starchy water is necessary for emulsification, the process that allows the sauce and the pasta to stick together on your plate. Now that you know these simple cooking tips, you’ll be able to elevate your pasta the next time you go to cook it!
