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    How NOT to Cook Pasta

    April 16, 2018 by G. Stephen Jones 1 Comment


     
     
     

    Mistake #3  Bland Pasta

    Dried pasta doesn’t contain any salt, so by itself, it will taste very bland.  Don’t think that you can save bland pasta by serving it with an overly-salted sauce.  You’ll just end up with salty sauce on bland pasta.

    The Fix—Salt the Water

    Think of pasta cooking as the noodles absorbing boiling liquid until it is soft and flexible.  It stands to reason that the pasta will take on the flavor of water liquid is absorbed.

    To adequately season your pasta, cook it in well salted water.  The water should taste like the ocean.

    You will need about 1 tablespoon per gallon.  While this might seem like a lot of salt, keep in mind that only a small amount will be absorbed and the rest will go down the drain.

    For additional flavor, you can even consider cooking your pasta in boiling chicken or vegetable broth instead of salted water.

     

     
     
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    How NOT to Cook with Water - Boiling »

    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

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    Comments

    1. Tim

      April 17, 2018 at 10:15 am

      I agree with most of what you said, but lately I’ve been doing the trick of using less water and sometimes starting in a cold pot as mentioned on SeriousEats.com. You end up with a higher starch percentage in the water, which helps your sauce. The only downside is that you have to be attentive when the pasta is put in the pot, you can’t just throw it in and go do other stuff.

      Reply

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