Couple of questions regarding pasta

MrMeeseeks

Two tips I've read and heard several times, both confuse me in practise.

The first is to add enough salt to the water that it tastes like sea-water. Whenever I've done this the pasta has been FAR too salty once cooked.

The second is to add pasta-water to your sauce, apparently the starch helps it bind. Only I'm not sure how you're meant to do that because your pasta obviously has to be cooked to use the water, but if your pasta is cooked you don't have time to be reducing your now-waterry sauce further, unless you leave the pasta to soak and get too soft.

GAAman

I use the first method, but not enough that you can even taste the salt. I use a standard salt (IE bought in Tesco) and using the side with the small holes shake it about five times into a big pot of water when the pasta has been in the water for about five minutes.

Perfect every time:)

NB This is when cooking for two or more, for a single serving three salt shakes rather than five will do

MrMeeseeks

I know to salt the water, always have, it's just I've heard quite a few times people saying it's meant to be really really salty as if it's some secret tip - but when you do it it's absolutely disgusting!

Jezek

Just salt generously.. Don't bother tasting it.

Second tip applies more to restaurants, as they already have starchy water from previous orders. However you can still do this at home. Let your sauce get too reduced, until it needs some water. Drain your pasta and add some of the water. Or even add the water a few minutes before they are ready (it already has some starch). Don't add to much now, just a bit to bring your sauce to desired consistency or just slightly above and reduce for a minute or two. that's it.

Faith

Jezek wrote: »

Just salt generously.. Don't bother tasting it.

Second tip applies more to restaurants, as they already have starchy water from previous orders. However you can still do this at home. Let your sauce get too reduced, until it needs some water. Drain your pasta and add some of the water. Or even add the water a few minutes before they are ready (it already has some starch). Don't add to much now, just a bit to bring your sauce to desired consistency or just slightly above and reduce for a minute or two. that's it.

This is pretty much exactly what I'd say.

A good sprinkle of salt is enough.

The starchy water does work better in restaurants where they're cooking tons of pasta. But just save a tablespoon or two at the end and add it to a well-reduced sauce to enhance. If you're making carbonara, say, you can add a couple of tablespoons to the egg and parmesan mix before adding it to the pasta.

Jezek

Faith wrote: »

This is pretty much exactly what I'd say.

A good sprinkle of salt is enough.

The starchy water does work better in restaurants where they're cooking tons of pasta. But just save a tablespoon or two at the end and add it to a well-reduced sauce to enhance. If you're making carbonara, say, you can add a couple of tablespoons to the egg and parmesan mix before adding it to the pasta.

If I really wanna make use of the starchy water, I also make sure to not use too much water. I know, I should use a great big pot, but i've noticed no difference.

Minder

MrMeeseeks wrote: »

I know to salt the water, always have, it's just I've heard quite a few times people saying it's meant to be really really salty as if it's some secret tip - but when you do it it's absolutely disgusting!

So don't do it.

I've only heard of sea water for cooking crustaceans.

duploelabs

Minder wrote: »

So don't do it.

I've only heard of sea water for cooking crustaceans.

Sea water is great for blanching green veg and it doesn't pick up the saltiness

shakedown

Is there a benefit to boiling/blanching in salt besides flavour? Im not too fussed about salting my food, so do I need it for cooking?

Richardstorm

I know taste is subjective so some people just don't like salt and some doo. I would go less on the salt and add some after if needed.

Mr.David

Have a read of this, if you want a scientific approach to salting pasta water.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/how-salty-should-pasta-water-be.html

For those of you that might be too lazy to read the full article, the conclusion is that approximately 0.5% - 2.0% is the acceptable range, with 1% being 1.5 teaspoons per liter of water.

Alun

As that article rightly points out you have to add more salt than you would otherwise be comfortable with since the pasta absorbs only a small proportion of what you put in and most of it goes down the drain with the water when you drain it. Same goes for vegetables. Adding a 'pinch' of salt is therefore pretty much pointless.

Dizzyblonde

Doesn't the salt also help to keep the water at a rapid boil? I thought that was another reason to add plenty to pasta water.

Richardstorm

True Dizzyblonde,

you can actually test it out. if you add in the salt just before it would boil,the water will violently come to a boil straight away. I think salt water has a lower boiling point (but dont quote me on that because im not sure. I know that water has a lower boiling point on higher altitude. it will take longer to boil an egg if you are high up in the alps compared to sea level.

Alun

The effect you see when adding salt to water when it's just about to boil is called nucleation. The pointy shapes of the salt crystals give places for bubbles to form, a teaspoon of sand would have the same effect. It's similar to if you have an old saucepan with a few scratches inside, you'll notice that bubbles form close to the scratches.

The water doesn't suddenly get hotter as a result, it's boiling whether there are bubbles forming or not. In fact it's possible under some circumstances to create super-heated water, in a perfectly smooth container in a microwave for example, that exhibits no movement whatsoever and adding anything at all to the water at that stage will result in a violent expulsion of the contents.

Actually the boiling point of salt water is ever so slightly higher than pure water, but not by very much for the quantities we're talking about there.