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Pass da Pasta

Today in You're Doing It Wrong...

    No, Salted Water Doesn't Boil Faster and 7 Other Pasta Myths  
We asked an Italian chef about the eight biggest myths and misnomers linked to making pasta at home.

Most likely they asked "an Italian chef" because if they'd asked 10 Italian chefs, they'd have gotten a hundred different opinions.

If you think salting your pasta water is going to get dinner on the table faster, think again.

I have to wonder how that bit got started. Adding salt to water increases its boiling point, making it take longer to come to a boil. The higher-temperature salt water would then, presumably, cook the noodles faster. It would be pretty simple to do an experiment to see which effect takes precedence... and then you probably find that the amount of salt used in cooking makes no meaningful difference to boiling temperature.

To separate pasta protocol from the false and fabricated, we asked an expert about the biggest pasta myths, mistakes and misnomers that could be ruining your rotini and putting your pappardelle in peril.

Really, I'm just quoting this bit to illustrate how proud the author is of his alliteration.

Filippo de Marchi, is chef de cuisine at De Majo Restaurant & Terrace.

Stealth ad!

We grilled Marchi on nine of the top-circulated pasta cooking myths.

Tough to grill pasta.

"Cooking pasta isn't difficult at all. It's all about timing and the right water-to-pasta ratio," he says.

So, let me tell you what I remember of my mom's pasta-cooking technique. First, fill a small pot halfway with water. Then throw in the pasta (breaking the hell out of it if it's spaghetti). Then put it on the stove over high heat. Wait 45 minutes. Drain and serve.

My mom had no Italian heritage.

1. Throwing pasta against a wall to see if it sticks proves it's done

Chef's take: FALSE

Of course this is false. I've always known it to be false. And yet, the false information persists, as it usually does.

2. Adding olive oil to pasta water keeps noodles from sticking

Chef's take: FALSE

"The oil just floats on top of the water and doesn't coat the pasta effectively," says de Marchi.

Pretty sure there's more to it than that. Once the water boils, the oil gets stirred in more, though it's still going to be gloppy and not stick to the noodles.

3. Fresh pasta is always better than dry pasta

Chef's take: FALSE

Pretty sure that's a question of individual taste and opinion, not fact or fiction.

It's all about personal preference. Fresh, dry or frozen; chefs aren't here to dictate what your taste buds like and don't like.

Like I said.

4. Leave the pot covered while the pasta is cooking

Chef's take: FALSE

Of all the "myths" on the list, this is the only one I'd never even heard of. All pasta-making recipes I've seen demand open-top pots.

On the flip side, everyone's other favorite cooked starch, rice, requires a covered pot. Unless you cheat and get instant rice or whatever.

5. Adding salt helps water boil faster

Chef's take: FALSE

As I noted above, middle-school chemistry disproves this one.

"If you're cooking without enough salt, the pasta can end up tasting a bit bland," warns de Marchi, whose signature dish at NHC Murano Villa is a spaghetti alle vongole.

The stealth ad continues!

6. Drain pasta until it's completely dry

Chef's take: FALSE

Besides, "completely" is misleading, here. Presumably, the pasta started out dry; that's why you stick it in boiling water.

7. You should run cooked pasta under water before serving

Answer: FALSE

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there are situations where you do want to do that (creating pasta salad, e.g.), but for your hot spaghetti dishes? Never.

8. You should precook sheets of lasagna

Answer: FALSE

I have to admit, this one confused me for a long time. Most store-bought lasagna has pre-cooking on the box instructions, as I recall (I haven't made it in a very long time). It wasn't until I met my second wife, who also had zero Italian ancestry, who introduced me to the lazy wonders of cook-it-in-the-baking-pan lasagna.

Left out of the article: the other two cooking tips mentioned above (they said nine total), which presumably aren't myths. I guess we'll all have to go to this guy's restaurant and ask him ourselves.