When should or shouldn't you use pasta water? [duplicate]
Every sauced pasta dish recipe I ever read calls for using the water in which the pasta was cooked for the purpose of thickening the sauce, as the water contains a lot of starch which helps the pasta adhere to the sauce
In this recipe, this step is skipped and the pasta is added without any water/starch
What was the reason for not using the pasta water? Or in other words, when should you not want to add pasta water? (other than in cold pasta dishes like salads)
Best Answer
The simplest answer is, if you need to dilute the pasta sauce, it’s better to use the cooking water.
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Quick Answer about "When should or shouldn't you use pasta water? [duplicate]"
The simplest answer is, if you need to dilute the pasta sauce, it's better to use the cooking water. Then if I get it right, pasta water is not used in this recipe because the sauce is already thick? Well... The chef didn't want to dilute the sauce as I said...Can you use pasta water twice?
This can stain surfaces, so do not use pasta water to clean. Discard the water when it gets too cloudy. Pasta water can only be re-used so many times. If you cook pasta in the same water twice, it will become increasingly starchy as it draws more water from the pasta.What happens if you reuse pasta water?
Editor: Rashmi, the problem with reusing pasta water is that it will draw off more and more starch from the pasta. So eventually the water will get quite cloudy and thick with starch. We think that perhaps you could reuse it once or twice, but after that it probably wouldn't be good.Should I save some pasta water?
Sometimes sauces like meat-packed Bolognese need a little thinning out after simmering for hours, and pasta water helps loosen and flavor it without sacrificing body. Creamy carbonara sauce cools quickly; the addition of pasta water will rescue it from clumping.Can you replicate pasta water?
All you need to make this alternative is just two ingredients: cornstarch and salt. And water, of course. You start by mixing 1/4 teaspoon each of cornstarch and kosher salt into one cup of water (the blog notes that few recipes suggest reserving a greater amount of water), then bringing it to a boil.SHOULD SHOULDN'T
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