NWR: Embarassing question about cooking pasta

Um so Im planning on cooking some pasta for FH tomorrow. Do I boil the water first and then put the past in or do I put the water with the pasta and let it boil together?

I dont cook and I am learning how to......

boil the water, once it comes to a boil, put the pasta in.

some say to add salt - but adding salt to the water BEFORE boiling - will only slow it down (taking longer to boil).

If you want to add some flavor to the pasta - as soon as you pour it in, add a little salt then.

fill up the pot with water, a little more than half full, cover the pot and let it boil. Once it boils put the pasta in and add salt, make sure to stir it around a few times otherwise it might stick together.

Then just check to make sure it;s cooked before you drain it, I usually just taste it to see if its fully cooked. Drain it quickly or it will overcook and get mushy.

Good Luck!

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Posted by donnasmom

If you add a bit of veg. oil, the pasta doesn't stick. Mary MOB

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Thanks Mary!

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Posted by davenjess

boil the water, once it comes to a boil, put the pasta in.

some say to add salt - but adding salt to the water BEFORE boiling - will only slow it down (taking longer to boil).

If you want to add some flavor to the pasta - as soon as you pour it in, add a little salt then.

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I always thought the whole point of the salt was to speed up the boiling process... thats what i always did... lol dont tell me ive been delaying the process for years

ETA: Found online: Adding salt to water raises its boiling point. Chemically speaking, this is a verifiable fact. Salt does raise water’s boiling point (and lower its freezing point—which is why home ice cream makers use rock salt). But the real question is whether this makes it take longer to get to the boiling point (and, for that matter, how far above 212°F/100°C it will get).

***** Despite what you read in cookbooks, scientists claim that the amount of salt you’d typically add to a pot of boiling water is too small to make any meaningful difference in the boiling time or boiling point. ******

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Posted by kgicrls

I boil the water first and then put the pasta in...

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me too

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Posted by donnasmom

If you add a bit of veg. oil, the pasta doesn't stick. Mary MOB

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wana laugh? I told my friend to do that once, and she basically boiled the oil and fried the pasta

Boil the water first! Then throw in your pasta & make sure to not over cook the pasta otherwise its get mushy keep tasting it until its a little bit firm like just a bit firm. All pastas are different in time so u need to test it.

Good Luck!

Bring the water to a rolling boil, salt it really well and add the pasta!! Good Luck!!

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Posted by donnasmom

If you add a bit of veg. oil, the pasta doesn't stick. Mary MOB

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I read that if you add oil to the pasta, the pasta sauce doesn't 'stick' to the pasta

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Posted by LnF0405

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Posted by donnasmom

If you add a bit of veg. oil, the pasta doesn't stick. Mary MOB

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I read that if you add oil to the pasta, the pasta sauce doesn't 'stick' to the pasta

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Dont add oil. when the pasta is done & you go to drain it put a small pot under the colander (the thing u drain it in) then if the pasta sticks together take a small ladle of that water & throw it in the pasta to make them come apart. NO OIL! Also i dont add salt to the water when you add parm cheese to the sauce & everything it makes it salty enough. My mother used to add salt & now she doesnt either anymore & she is an amazing cook.

its strange, i dont add salt (personal preference) to anything. but my mom puts it in her pasta, and i can really taste it...i just boil the water and put in the pasta

i hope your dinner comes out good!

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Posted by VickiR510

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Posted by LnF0405

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Posted by donnasmom

If you add a bit of veg. oil, the pasta doesn't stick. Mary MOB

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I read that if you add oil to the pasta, the pasta sauce doesn't 'stick' to the pasta

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Dont add oil. when the pasta is done & you go to drain it put a small pot under the colander (the thing u drain it in) then if the pasta sticks together take a small ladle of that water & throw it in the pasta to make them come apart. NO OIL! Also i dont add salt to the water when you add parm cheese to the sauce & everything it makes it salty enough. My mother used to add salt & now she doesnt either anymore & she is an amazing cook.

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yeah i dont use oil in the pot of boiling water. Olive oil is added when you put the pasta in the colander and you drizzle just a little bit of oil on the pasta after its out of the water. I dont like using the olive oil though on the pasta, and i take just a tiny bit of butter and throw it in the colander on top of the pasta.

its funny bc i am actually boiling pasta right this moment. Dh made homemade sauce, well the sauce is still cooking right now.

ETA: depending on the sauce used i either put a little bit of butter on the pasta itself or dont put anything

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Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz

***** Despite what you read in cookbooks, scientists claim that the amount of salt you’d typically add to a pot of boiling water is too small to make any meaningful difference in the boiling time or boiling point. ******

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Totally true... I am a Food Network junkie and one of my favorites, Giada says Italians add enough salt to make the water taste like salt water. I'd say dont do this if you have high cholesterol though!