I've never once had pasta sticking together in the pot, regardless of what I do.
this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2024
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What kind of pasta do you use?
Same
It's not salting your water, nor the water volume to pasta ratio, nor if the water is boiling or not, nor oil in the water, but stirring early in the cooking process that will prevent sticking.
From the great Kenji Lopez-Alt:
Pasta is made up of flour, water, and sometimes eggs. Essentially, it's composed of starch and protein, and not much else. Now starch molecules come aggregated into large granules that resemble little water balloons. As they get heated in a moist environment, they absorb more and more water until they finally burst, releasing the starch molecules into the water. That's why pasta always seems to stick together at the beginning of cooking—it's the starch molecules coming out and acting as a sort of glue, binding the pieces to each other, and to the pot.
...
The problem is that first stage of cooking—the one in which starch molecules first burst and release their starch. With such a high concentration of starch right on the surface of the pasta, sticking is inevitable. However, once the starch gets rinsed away in the water, the problem is completely gone.
So the key is to stir the pasta a few times during the critical first minute or two. After that, whether the pasta is swimming in a hot tub of water or just barely covered as it is here, absolutely no sticking occurs. I was able to clean this pot with a simple rinse.
Yeah you only need to do it once in the beginning. Say a seconc time to make time pass.
Not salting the water is a crime against humanity though so be aware.
Oh yes, I'm not saying don't season your water. Just that seasoning the water on its own is not a way to prevent pasta sticking.
Wow, this guy is amazing!
Yep, I really like how he applies the scientific method to cooking. Some of my favourites are how he's found the perfect way to boil an egg, cook steaks and roasts (dry brine, reverse sear), and make chocolate chip cookies (he made over 1500 cookies testing how changing each variable changed the final cookie).
Just like me and my bros
Stirring doesn't matter. The rinse after really matters for it to not stick together. (I had displeasure of eating a portion from 15kg of pasta slab that had no chance of proper rinse, bottom was charred)
I've never rinsed my pasta and it never sticks together.
Are you putting it immiedietely in the sauce?
For me it sticks if I don't rinse it and leave it alone for later.
Little olive oil in the water. Problem solved.
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