What’s So Special About Pasta Water?
When boiling pasta, you may notice that the water becomes progressively cloudy as it cooks. This is excess starch released by the pasta and it’s the reason you should save some of the water before draining. The starch acts as a binder and, when combined with fat like butter or oil, creates an emulsion. This emulsion pulls all the elements in the sauce together and helps create a creamy sauce that doesn’t get too dry, which better coats the noodles. It’s like a delicious magic trick.
How to Make Good Pasta Water
For the best possible pasta water, cook your pasta with enough (but not too much) water and salt the water generously. Use enough water that all the pasta is completely submerged once it’s added to the pot (even as water evaporates during cooking), but don’t go overboard. An excess of cooking water means the pasta water won’t be as starchy. Depending on the size of your pot and the pasta shape, three to four quarts is enough to cook one pound of pasta. Give it a stir a few times to make sure nothing sticks. As a general rule, you want your water as salty as the sea. A tablespoon of kosher or sea salt is a good place to start. This will give your pasta and your pasta water good flavor.
How and When to Save Pasta Water
Start by saving some cooking water every time you boil pasta. This helps make it part of your routine and break the habit of dumping all of the liquid down the drain. You’ll most likely use it to thin oil- or butter-based-sauces like carbonara, but you may also find yourself reaching for it to heat up a jar of tomato sauce. Wait until the pasta is almost done cooking before retrieving any water to ensure you get the starchiest water possible. Aim for saving a cup of pasta water per pound of pasta — you likely won’t use it all, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. You have a few options for how to save the pasta water.
Measuring cup: A method I go back to time and time again is simply dipping a large measuring cup into the pasta water and setting it on the counter until I’m ready for it. I like a pitcher-style liquid measure, but any kind will work. Just make sure whatever you use is heatproof and be careful not to dip any part of your hand into the boiling water.Save the whole pot: If you’re making a long noodle like spaghetti or fettuccine, use tongs to retrieve the pasta once it has reached al dente. For smaller shaped pasta like penne or orecchiette, use a slotted spoon or a metal spider (frequently used for deep-frying) for fishing cooked pasta shapes out of the water. Depending on the recipe, the noodles can be transferred directly into the sauce, a strainer, or a bowl. This will leave you with a whole pot’s worth of cooking water. Work fairly quickly when using this method to avoid overcooking any of the noodles.
How to Use Pasta Water
Follow these steps when adding pasta water to your next dish: The only trick to pasta water is knowing how much to use. This is something you will learn through practice. After making several dishes, you’ll get a knack for when to add more pasta water and how much, resulting in restaurant-worthy pasta dishes at home. To recap:
Sauce too thick? Add some pasta water. It’ll create a thinner but still cohesive sauce without detracting from the flavor. Sauce not sticking to the noodles? Add pasta water a splash at a time. It’ll help the sauce bind and come together.Want it creamier? A little pasta water stirred into the hot pasta and sauce helps make everything creamier without the need for extra dairy.
Recipes That Use Pasta Water
These recipes (and many more) call for saving and using pasta water to make a more luxurious sauce:
Pasta Carbonara Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Kale Lemony Spaghetti with Peas and Ricotta Pasta with Tuna and Arugula
