If you’ve been whipping out some delicious pasta dishes during quarantine and you’re not saving some of your pasta water before you drain it -- to add back to your noodles and sauce, of course -- you’re going to want to listen to this episode of “The Best Advice Show” podcast.
Writer Jack Roskopp recently discovered this cooking trick after watching way too many videos from Bon Appétit’s YouTube channel, and he said it has made a world of difference in a hearty pasta dish.
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“I even did it with Kraft mac and cheese, and it was the best boxed mac and cheese I’ve ever had,” he said.
Roskopp isn’t sure about the exact science behind the method (an actual chef could probably tell you), but your pasta waster is full of salt and starch, and adding in 1/4 cup (or more) back to your pasta while you’re tossing it in the sauce will do wonders, he said.
The pasta water helps thicken your sauce, it makes it creamier, adds a little bit of saltiness -- and the sauce really seems to cling better to the noodle.
Before your noodle is al dente, scoop out about a cup of your boiling water. Add your sauce to your drained noodles and stir, while adding in splashes of pasta water as you mix. You’ll notice your sauce will start adhering to the noodle, and if not, just add a few more tablespoons of water until it all comes together.
The episode is a quick hit, just under a minute, but it will change your cooking game forever. Give it a listen below.
Do you have some invaluable advice that you think everyone should know? Drop podcast creator Zak Rosen a line. Leave him a voicemail at 844-935-BEST.
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He’s not so much interested in platitudes and truisms, but instead, looking for the specific, odd, uplifting, effective, real advice from you about how you make it through your days.
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