# Pasta question



## corazon (May 8, 2006)

dh was making spagetti a couple nights ago. He put the water on the stove, added some olive oil and almost put the pasta in right away, not waiting until the water was boiling. I told him he had it all wrong. I've never put oil in the water, some say it prevents it from sticking but if you have enough water in the pot, sticking shouldn't be a problem. However, when he asked me why he had to wait for the water to boil to add the pasta, I didn't have an answer. Can you help me out?  Thanks!


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## Alix (May 8, 2006)

I always put oil in my water too...just what I learned from Mom. As to the boiling bit, I think it has something to do with the gluten in the pasta. Sorry, thats all I have though.


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## Andy M. (May 8, 2006)

The pasta will be in the water longer waiting for the water to reach temp.  As a result, the exterior of the pasta can become water logged.

There is no need for oil in the water.  If you use enough water and stir the pasta several times, sticking will not be a problem.  Besides, the oil will keep the sauce from clinging to the pasta.


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## GB (May 8, 2006)

What Andy said. 

Also the oil floats on top the the water when cooking anyway and then when you pour the pasta into the strainer the oil is the first thing down the drain. Any oil that does get mixed into the water (from the agitation of boiling) will keep the sauce from sticking.

That being said, for most of my pasta making life I did the same thing. I never found it to be a problem, but now I just make sure I have enough water and sticking is not a problem and I don't waste oil.

Corazon, you and DH should do a test. You should both boil up some pasta. He should put his into the water right away and you should wait for it to come to a boil. Then do a taste test. Make sure to report back with you results


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## mish (May 8, 2006)

corazon90 said:
			
		

> dh was making spagetti a couple nights ago. He put the water on the stove, added some olive oil and almost put the pasta in right away, not waiting until the water was boiling. I told him he had it all wrong. I've never put oil in the water, some say it prevents it from sticking but if you have enough water in the pot, sticking shouldn't be a problem. However, when he asked me why he had to wait for the water to boil to add the pasta, I didn't have an answer. Can you help me out? Thanks!


The water has to boil first, as you cant put dry pasta in cold water.  Adding oil is up to you, but I don't find it necessary.

Use a pot big enough to hold the amount of pasta you are cooking.  Fill the pot with water, cover it and let the water boil.  Uncover add pasta, stir. Add salt if you wish.  

My dad came out to LA, made pasta, it stuck together & he blamed my pots.  The water has to boil first & the pot has to be big enough.  If necessary, break up the pasta (spaghetti) to fit in the pan.  Some people leave it standing up on the side of the pot.  Doesn't work for me.


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## corazon (May 8, 2006)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> The pasta will be in the water longer waiting for the water to reach temp. As a result, the exterior of the pasta can become water logged.
> 
> There is no need for oil in the water. If you use enough water and stir the pasta several times, sticking will not be a problem. Besides, the oil will keep the sauce from clinging to the pasta.


I did mention the sauce clinging to the pasta to him last night too, I forgot about that.  Water logged?  Would this mean that the outside would be overdone, while the inside would be underdone...something like that?  

Maybe I will do a taste test, gb.  Thanks!


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## RDG (May 8, 2006)

Oil is not necessary. You have to use it only when you cook fresh home made lasagne (before oven, I intend). They are so large that is really possible that they attach themselves in some way. And so, it results difficult to bring them out from the water. So, oil can help you. 
But, in dry pasta cooking, if you mantain pasta in the right way, _al dente,_ (not cooked too much), you will not have any problem.


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## mish (May 8, 2006)

corazon90 said:
			
		

> I did mention the sauce clinging to the pasta to him last night too, I forgot about that. Water logged? Would this mean that the outside would be overdone, while the inside would be underdone...something like that? quote]
> 
> Be sure to drain all the water out.
> 
> Do as Martha did...  throw a strand against the fridge -- when it sticks, it's done.


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## mrsag (May 8, 2006)

*cooking pasta*

Almost all of the italian cooking chefs on tv always tell you no oil and no rinsing of your pasta.It definatly helps the sauce to adhear to the pasta and they also reccomend you to toss pasta in some of the hot sauce and cook it a few minutes in the sauce. Put extra sauce on the side so you and others can put the ammount they want on top.

 You can finish the dish with a little olive oil on top when serving.
Enjoy


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## Andy M. (May 8, 2006)

corazon90 said:
			
		

> ...Would this mean that the outside would be overdone, while the inside would be underdone...something like that?
> 
> Maybe I will do a taste test, gb. Thanks!


 

Exactly right.


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## sattie (May 8, 2006)

Adding the oil to the boiling water was to help prevent foam overs.  If you pot started to foam up and go over the top, my mom would always add oil to remedy this.  However, if you are using a deep enough pot with plenty of water, then it should not be an issue.  Like GB states, it is kinda of a waste to me so I don't do it anymore.


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## kimbaby (May 8, 2006)

I use the oil too... it does prevent the noodles from sticking during draining...


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## Constance (May 8, 2006)

I put oil in the water, but now that I think about it, it does all just float on top. I think I'll skip it next time. 
As far as boiling over goes, I boil the water on high heat, add the pasta, give it a good stir, and immediatly reduce the heat to med/high. That method works fine. I also use a good deep stockpot.

I salt the water when I put it on to boil, using about a tablespoon or so of salt (I just pour it in my hand). I heard someplace that the water should be salty...like the sea. I can tell a big difference in the taste of my pasta since I started doing that. 

If you put your pasta in the water before bringing it to a boil, it will turn to mush. Trust me on this. I've made just about every cooking mistake that can be made over the years.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (May 8, 2006)

Satie hit the nail right on the head. Teh same thing is done when boiling maple sap down into syrup. When the liquid begins to boil over, you add fresh butter (fat) to the syrup to settle things down. 

But this can also be done by properly regulating the heat. So oil is not required. I like to drain my pasta and add either Carapelli EVOO or Truffle Oil to the pot and stir. This adds a wonderful flavor to the pasta (epecially the truffle oil) and compliments the tomato or parmesano, or mushroom sauce that is used at the table.

Just remember that with pasta, you can add most any flavor you want. Don't limit yourself. Try it with a stroganoff mixture, or with sweet and sour pork, or with a smoky sausage. It's great with a host of cheeses, or just with some flavorful butter. You can add peppers, both hot and/or sweet, onion, pesto, stir-fry veggies, etc. Pasta is so versatile. And try the whole grain varieties. At first, the mouthfeel and taste will be strange. But after a few servings, you get very used to it and it becomes the preferred pasta, as the flavor is richer, with interesting textures, some very smooth, and some more coarse, depending on the brand you purchase.

As for the hot/cold water issue. I always get the pot boiling first. Then, I place my pasta in the pan. If the pan is too small to hold, say long strands of linguini, I place one end in and let it cook for about 20 seconds. Then, I carefully push the exposed pasta downward as the immersed portion becomes flexible. This method also elliminates sticking as the pressure used to push the pasta into the water seperates the individual strands. And yes, it does have to be cooked in enough water to allow the pasta to move around as it cooks.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## jpmcgrew (May 8, 2006)

I always say the water should be as salty as the ocean if not your pasta will be really bland.


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## corazon (May 8, 2006)

jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> I always say the water should be as salty as the ocean if not your pasta will be really bland.


   
Thanks for your responses everyone!  I now can give dh not only the rundown of cooking pasta but be able to answer his questions too.


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## thumpershere2 (May 9, 2006)

A friend of mine told me years ago how to make pasta and it works great. 
Pan lg enough to hold the pasta, bring water to a boil and add salt. Add your pasta, stir and bring to a boil again and then Turn OFF the heat and cover. Let stand about 15 or 20 min. and the pasta will be done just right. Never sticks.This works for all pastas.


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## RDG (May 9, 2006)

Tumpershere, doing so, pasta doesn't cook, becomes only tender. And it's better to cook pasta, in order to get it more digestible. From 8 minutes (spaghetti) to 12 (maccheroni), in boiling water. And fresh pasta is ready when is up on water surface: one minute, max two.


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## cara (May 10, 2006)

as to the amount of water: 
what I learned is to use 1 litre of water for 100g Pasta..


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## Hopz (May 10, 2006)

No oil, use butter... or not. Your choice of course, but I think it add flavor. So, why does the instruction for making rice say add butter?

But so far no mention of salt.

I always add salt to the boiling pasta water, but not before it boils. Pasta needs seasoning.


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## GB (May 10, 2006)

Hopz, why not before it boils?

I always add salt to my pasta water as that is the only chance you get to flavor the pasta itself, but I see no difference in adding the salt before or after the water is boiling.


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## RDG (May 10, 2006)

GB said:
			
		

> Hopz, why not before it boils?
> 
> I always add salt to my pasta water as that is the only chance you get to flavor the pasta itself, but I see no difference in adding the salt before or after the water is boiling.


If you add salt before boiling, it will increase the boiling temperature of water. So, you will need more time to boil.


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## GB (May 10, 2006)

RDG said:
			
		

> If you add salt before boiling, it will increase the boiling temperature of water. So, you will need more time to boil.


While this is technically correct it is not correct in practicality. The amount it raises the temperature is so small as is the amount of extra time needed to get to a boil that it is imperceivable.


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## cara (May 10, 2006)

RDG said:
			
		

> If you add salt before boiling, it will increase the boiling temperature of water. So, you will need more time to boil.



GB, didn't you learn that at school? One of the few things I still remember from physics... but I must admit, I add the salt at the beginning, otherwise I will forget... 

and always remember:
for life you learn, not for school


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## GB (May 10, 2006)

LOl yes cara I do remember learing that, but as Robert Wolke said in his book "What Einstein Told His Cook" "adding salt to the water raises its boiling point, so the water will boil hotter and cook the food faster."

To these readers I award an A in chemistry but a D in Food 101"

Check out the full article here.


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## jennyema (May 10, 2006)

RDG said:
			
		

> If you add salt before boiling, it will increase the boiling temperature of water. So, you will need more time to boil.


 
Seven hundredths of 1ºF, for every T, to be exact.  So it really doesn't matter.


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## Alix (May 10, 2006)

OK, in MY chem class they told us that adding salt to the water lowered the "activation energy" of the water. Meaning that it would boil at a temperature LOWER than usual. To me that means it boils sooner, but you don't reap any real cooking benefits from this action. Other than flavouring the pasta of course.


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## thumpershere2 (May 10, 2006)

RDG, cooking pasta the way I mentioned works great and it is done not just softened. The pasta is plump and tender and tasty. It isn't just tender and blah. It cooks as it sits in the boiling water for about 20 min.Only thing is you don't get sticky pasta or burned pan.


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## RDG (May 10, 2006)

GB said:
			
		

> While this is technically correct it is not correct in practicality. The amount it raises the temperature is so small as is the amount of extra time needed to get to a boil that it is imperceivable.


Fantastic! I have lived all this time with a silly information!   
TY: never too late to learn....


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## thumpershere2 (May 10, 2006)

Isn't adding salt before water boiles hard on your pots? Thought I seen that somewhere here awhile back.


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## GB (May 10, 2006)

That is what is great about this site RDG. We all get to learn from each other constantly


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## GB (May 10, 2006)

thumpershere2 said:
			
		

> Isn't adding salt before water boiles hard on your pots? Thought I seen that somewhere here awhile back.


Yes it can be, but it is just cosmetic. For me I don't care as my pasta pot is a cheapo one anyway so I really don't care what it looks like. For those that do care you do have a point!


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## bevkile (May 10, 2006)

jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> I always say the water should be as salty as the ocean if not your pasta will be really bland.


 
I found that salting the water is more important than whether to oil or not. Giada's grandfather came from a line of pasta gurus. Mario Batali knows what he if doing. They always salt the water. I have found that it does make a big difference. Salt always adds savor.


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## Trip (May 10, 2006)

Here's a follow up question... to rinse or not to rinse.... and why? I never did growing up and can't remember why I do now...


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## GB (May 10, 2006)

Don't rinse. Rinsing washes off the starch and the starch is what helps the sauce stick to the pasta.


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## Andy M. (May 10, 2006)

If you're serving the pasta hot with a sauce, don't rinse.  If you're cooking pasta for a cold pasta salad, rinse.


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## Andy M. (May 10, 2006)

Some people can just type faster than others.


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## RDG (May 10, 2006)

Just a moment, please, I don't understand....
About what are you speaking? May be you don't salt pasta? Or Have I not understood?
And what do you mean with "rinse" pasta?


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## Alix (May 10, 2006)

Trip said:
			
		

> Here's a follow up question... to rinse or not to rinse.... and why? I never did growing up and can't remember why I do now...


 
Depends on what you want to put on the pasta. As GB says it rinses off the starch so sauces won't stick as well. There are some sauces that are thick enough on their own that they don't need the help from the starch.


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## GB (May 10, 2006)

Rinsing pasta refers to draining the pasta and then holding it under running water. Some people grew up always rising (or washing) their pasta after it was done cooking.

Before I knew what I was doing in the kitchen I would always do that, but I honestly have no idea what ever gave me the idea that I should. I am glad I have stopped that practice.


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## RDG (May 10, 2006)

Sorry : I never heard of rinsing pasta. This is the reason of my question.....


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (May 10, 2006)

thumpershere2 said:
			
		

> Isn't adding salt before water boiles hard on your pots? Thought I seen that somewhere here awhile back.


 
Again from a technical standpoint, Adding salt to a pot will, if left for an exptended period, cause corrosion.  Dissolved salt acts to enhance electrical current flow (transmision of electrons from one atom to another).  This happens whenever a base metal such as iron or aluminum comes into contact with a dissimilar metal or reactive gas, such as oxygen or nitrogen, and with many PH positive, or PH negative chemicals.  What happens is that the base metal gives up electrons to the reactive substance changing the structure of the elemental metal.  In the presence of oxygen, aluminum, iron, and copper will corrode and lose the properties that make them useful to us.

Of course, these unprotected metals will corrode over time anyway.  Salt dissoved in solution just acts as a catylist to speed up the process.  Stainless steel is resistant to corrosion and isn't harmed by adding salt to the water.  The same is true of non-corrosive cookware such as enamaled cast-iron, glass, ceramics, clay-earthenware, teflon, other plastic non-sticks, etc.  A well seasoned cast-iron pan is also resistant to corrosion.

For any high-carbon tools you might use, such as knives, and unprotected metalic pans such as a steel wok, or aluminum cookware, as long as you thoroughly wash the salt away from the pan with fresh water (unsalted), your cookware will not be harmed.  The same is true of scuba gear that's been used in a salt-water envinronment; but that's a different topic. 

So go ahead and salt the water if you want.  It won't hurt your pots, as long as you clean them.  And acidic, and/or alkaline foods will also damage unprotected base-metal pots for the same reasons.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## cara (May 11, 2006)

RDG said:
			
		

> Sorry : I never heard of rinsing pasta. This is the reason of my question.....



 
I think no italian would ever ever do that - taht is what my ex boy friend told me (half-italian),  but almost the rest of the world does - don't ask me why..


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (May 11, 2006)

Rinsing pasta removes some of its starchines, which gives it a sweeter flavor and a more distinct mouth feel (texture). There is room for both methods in your cooking. Don't limit yourself.

For instance, if you are using the pasta with a starchy sauce, such as a bechemel based sauce, you don't need the added starch of the pasta to get the sauce to adhere. And rinsing the pasta allows its character to present itself on the pallate. In a pasta salad, on the other hand, you might want the starchiness to help hold the dressing to the pasta surface, preventing it from draining away. The same is true when using a tomato-based sauce.

If I'm using pasta in a stir-fry, cornstarch added to the pan liquor will allow a flavor sauce to form that will easily stick to rinsed pasta, and allow the pasta to easily distribute itself in the dish without clumping together.

Think about what you want the pasta to do, how you want it to taste, and what kind of pasta you are using. For bolder pasta flavor, rinse it. If you want a more starchy flavor (and yes, wheat starch does have a flavor), then don't rinse.  Will the added starch enhance the meaty flavor of a good beef or chicken broth, or will it distract?

In my home made chicken noodle soup, I want the starch to help add both body and flavor to the broth, along with the collagen extracted previously from the bones. I use freshly made pasta to achieve this, and the noodles stay in the broth.

The key, IMHO, to good cooking, is to forget what your mother, or grandmother, or best freind told you. To be sure, learn what you can from them. But then, open you creativity and do what they told you not to do. You might just stumble onto something that you like better. I know I have, and more times than I can count. 

My creativity comes from a knowledge base developed from extensive reading, and a whole lot of experimenting, and fine tuning (almost every night for almost thirty years now, and fequently before then). I tried what my Mom taught me, and took what I liked from her. I did the same with my Dad, my Grandparents, and the authors of "The Joy of Cooking". I learned from them all. And I found that some of what they did was phenominal. And I found that I could dramtically improve on other methods they used. You are the same as me, with the ability to imagine new things, to try them, and make up your own minds.

That's my cooking philosophy, and that's why I teach cooking techniques in my cookbooks, with an emphasis on expanding on what I give you. I certainly am not the greatest cook who ever lived. But I'm a better cook than those who taught me, because I have a passion for it, and have worked with it. And I've put all of that info up in my head, to pull from when needed. And yes, I'm probably sounding very full of myself right now. But I'm really a humble guy who can look at what I can honestly do, as well as at my failures and weaknesses. Don't ask me to teach baseball. But I can help you learn to cook. And the biggest hurdle in cooking is blindingly following something someone else told you. 

For isntance, I will never state that any one kind of tomato is the best for tomato sauce, because another variety may just be what's needed to get a desired result for a particular recipe.

The popular San Marzano that is bandied about on this sight may be great for an Italian Red Sauce, but would it work as well in a gazpacho, or for a white chili? Would it have the acidity I'm looking for in my salsa? Or maybe a home-grown brandywine is better for that. I'm growing some yellow tomatoes that I want to try out, see what they are best used for. Only experimentation can give me that knowledge.

I'll get off of my soapbox now. 

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## RDG (May 12, 2006)

cara said:
			
		

> I think no italian would ever ever do that - taht is what my ex boy friend told me (half-italian), but almost the rest of the world does - don't ask me why..


Effectively  . To Rinse pasta means.....What? To have something...washed? No taste. But, as Goodweed has said, there is space for all the methods.
About the possibility that rinsing could change the behaviour with sauces....may it be because you, perhaps, cook pasta too much? When you cook too much, outside there is a skin of a like-glue material, not good at all. Cooking spaghetti , f.i. for the needed 8 minutes, pasta is clean, good for salades and sauces. Sorry, I don't know what is, it's only a question.


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## Trip (May 12, 2006)

Just figured it out (sorry to start the debate lol) started rinsing pasta because that is what DH does, I suppose if you live with something long enough you start to emulate it... got some good info though thanks.


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