Salted pasta water
Salted pasta water seasons pasta from the inside as it cooks, and its starch helps sauce cling. Here is how much salt to add and how to use it.
Also called Pasta water, Pasta cooking water.
Salted pasta water is the water you cook pasta in, with salt added before the pasta goes in. The salt seasons the pasta itself as it cooks, which a sauce cannot do later. Once the pasta is cooked, the water is cloudy with starch. Many recipes ask you to reserve some of it to finish the sauce.
How to do it
- Use a large pot, about 4 to 5 liters (4 to 5 quarts) of water per 500 g (1 pound) of pasta.
- Bring it to a rolling boil.
- Add salt. A common guide is 10 g of salt per liter of water, which is about 2 teaspoons of fine salt or 1 tablespoon of coarse salt. Some cooks use less.
- Let it return to a boil, then add the pasta and stir.
- Cook until al dente.
- Before draining, scoop out about 250 ml (1 cup) of the water.
How to use it
Add the reserved water to the sauce a few tablespoons at a time, tossing the pasta over the heat. The starch in it helps fat and water in the sauce bind into a smooth, glossy emulsion that clings to the pasta. It is key in dishes like cacio e pepe, carbonara and aglio e olio. It also loosens a sauce that has gone thick or sticky.
Common mistakes
- Salting too little. The pasta tastes flat no matter how good the sauce is.
- Salting too much, then using a lot of the water in a salty sauce, such as one with cheese, capers or anchovies. Taste the water and use less if it is very salty.
- Adding oil to the water. It does not stop sticking and makes sauce slide off. Stir in the first 2 minutes instead.
- Pouring it all down the sink before you reserve some.
- Using too small a pot. The water gets very starchy and the pasta sticks.
In recipes
"Cook the pasta in well-salted water" and "salt the water generously" mean add enough salt that the water tastes pleasantly seasoned. People often say it should taste "like the sea", but seawater is much saltier than you want. "Reserve a cup of the pasta water" is the step before draining.
Related terms
- Al denteAl dente is Italian for to the tooth. It describes pasta or vegetables cooked until tender but still firm in the center, with a slight bite when you chew.
- Rolling boilA rolling boil is water boiling so hard that large bubbles churn the whole surface and do not stop when you stir. It is what pasta and blanching need.
- ReserveTo reserve is to set part of an ingredient or cooking liquid aside to use later in the recipe. Here is what recipes usually ask you to keep.
- LoosenTo loosen is to thin a thick sauce, purée or batter with a splash of liquid, or to free a cake from its pan. Here is what to add and how much at a time.
- EmulsionAn emulsion is a mix of oil and water, which normally do not blend, held together as tiny drops. Mayonnaise and vinaigrette are emulsions.
- StockpotA stockpot is a large, tall pot with two handles for stock, soup, pasta and boiling big batches. Here is what size to get and how to use it well.