It may seem like boiling pasta is the easiest of cooking chores. However, there is a lot to consider. How much salt should you add to the water? How long should you cook the pasta? Is it better to cook the noodles al dente or overcook the pasta for a softer consistency? Are you supposed to rinse the pasta after draining it in the sink? What if we told you that you shouldn't drain the pasta in the sink at all? You may have been making a giant culinary blunder without even knowing it. In this video, we tell you the real reason you should never drain pasta in the sink.
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00:00What do you do when your pasta has finally reached al dente perfection?
00:04If your answer is to drain it in the sink, you're making a significant culinary mistake.
00:08That murky, starchy water known as liquid gold by many chefs still has a job to do.
00:13Pasta water, it is so important."
00:16Pasta water is the perfect emulsifier and thickener for making a spectacular, silky sauce.
00:21How many times have you plated a beautiful serving of pasta,
00:24only to end up with a red, watery pool on the outside of your plate?
00:28That watery mess is what happens when the water in your pasta separates from the oil in your sauce,
00:33and an emulsifier stops that from happening.
00:35So how are you supposed to remove your cooked pasta from the water without wasting a single drop?
00:40It's easier than you might think.
00:41To start, use just enough water to cover your pasta,
00:44and make sure to stir it frequently as it cooks to keep it from sticking together.
00:48If you're cooking your sauce while simultaneously cooking your pasta,
00:51it's easy enough to scoop out a few tablespoons at a time of the starchy water,
00:54and stir it into your sauce.
00:56It'll thin out at first, but don't panic.
00:58It will thicken back up like magic as the starch is absorbed.
01:01But that perfect pot of sauce doesn't mean you should dump the rest of your liquid gold down the drain.
01:05Do not dump out the pasta water.
01:06The pasta water is so important."
01:08Either cook your pasta in a pot with a built-in strainer,
01:11or remove the pasta from the water using tongs or a pasta fork.
01:14If you'd rather use a colander, place it over your large pot first.
01:17That way, your pasta water avoids the drain.
01:20Once you've salvaged all that starchy water and let it cool,
01:23save it and freeze it in small batches using an ice cube tray.
01:26You can add it to gravy, soups, stews, future sauces,
01:29and anything else that needs a little more emulsification.
01:32And one more tip for pasta night perfection.
01:34Don't rinse your pasta once you've removed it from the water.
01:36The starch on the surface of the noodles works in the same way as the starch you've added to the sauce.
01:41It helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
01:43If you rinse your pasta, you're rinsing away that helpful starch,
01:46and erasing all the effort you've made just to harmonize your plate.
01:50What do you think?
01:51Oh, hello!