Daily Kitchen Note
Instead of pouring pasta water down the drain, save it to elevate your dishes. The starchy water acts as a natural binder, helping to emulsify and thicken sauces so they cling to every noodle.
How to Save pasta water
- Boil your pasta in salted water until it is just shy of al dente.
- Before draining, reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water.
- Transfer the partially cooked pasta directly into your simmering sauce.
- Add a splash of the reserved pasta water and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, tossing frequently until the sauce thickens and coats the noodles.
Why it works
As pasta boils, it releases starches into the cooking water. When this starchy water is added to a sauce and vigorously tossed with the pasta, it acts as an emulsifier, binding the fat and liquid components together into a cohesive, creamy coating that clings to the noodles rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Source
Serious Eats: Does Adding Pasta Water Really Make a Difference?
