Stop Doing This One Thing When Making Pasta (It Makes All the Difference)

There are as many tips and tricks for cooking pasta as there are strands of spaghetti in Strega Nona’s magic pasta pot. Some are passed down from family, others come by way of viral social media. But in my opinion, the best advice comes form the chefs and recipe developers who’ve cooked up thousands of pounds of noodles.

I reached out to three food experts to share what’s most important to get pasta with perfect flavor and bite. They agree that one ingredient and one step make the biggest difference: starting with cold tap water and salting it after it comes to a boil.

The Food Experts I Asked

• Lorenzo Boni: Head of product and recipe development for Barilla Group
• Davide Leite: Award-winning creator of the recipe website Leite’s Culinaria, and author of The New Portuguese Table
• Philip Guardione: Executive chef and founder of the Piccola Cucina Restaurant Group

Why Water Is Important in Cooking Pasta

All three food pros agree that when it comes to preparing pasta, the choices you make about the water are important. And that begins right at the tap, Guardione says: “When filling your pot with water from the sink, start with cold water because hot tap water can pick up the metals in the pan." In addition, he explains that pasta should always meet water that is already boiling, as starting the noodles in cold water will make it gummy and “lose its soul."

Salting the water will of course add flavor, but Boni says that knowing when to add it is important. The consensus is that it's best after the water has reached a boil. “I see too often that people let the water boil with salt in it for too long before they add in the pasta," Boni explains. "That concentrates the sodium content, ultimately detracting from the delicate flavor of the pasta.”

While experts agree on using a large pot and lots of water so that pasta has plenty of room to move around, Leite has a different approach when it comes to filled pastas like ravioli and tortellini. "Cook filled pasta the way you cook rice," Leite says. "Add just enough liquid to steam it. Toss them in a skillet with a bit of water or broth, slap on a lid, and let them puff up like happy little balloons.” He shares that this gentler method lessens the chance that cooked, filled pastas will fall apart or split.

Why You Should Save Pasta Cooking Water

The experts strongly agree on this point: Save that pasta water! The starchy cooking liquid is the secret to achieving the best flavor and texture in finished pasta dishes.

When preparing a meal for just a few people, Leite prefers to boil pasta in a shallow skillet with just enough water to cover it. “Less water means faster cooking and super-starchy liquid—the magic brew that turns any sauce into something clingy and luscious.”

Boni lets pasta finish cooking right in a simmering sauce with an added splash of the starchy water, noting that it turns the sauce “into a silky, glossy coating that hugs every bite of pasta.” Guardione agrees, explaining that this process is a type of emulsification: “The pasta water will help the pasta bind to the sauce."

Leite takes it one step further and saves his pasta cooking liquid for several unusual uses. “Use it to fix split sauces, loosen pestos, or add body to soups and stews,” he offers. Let it cool to room temp and stash it in a jar in the fridge for up to three days, or freeze it in ice cube trays for up to three months.