How do you cook dried pasta? We are all taught that you need to bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt until it tastes like the sea, add the pasta, stir and cook until it is done. There are some who think this technique is not only a waste of water but a waste of time. That is the subject of this Cooking Tip.
One of the first to discuss the method of cooking water in less water was Harold McGee. In his 2004 book On Food and Cooking, he recommends the standard method. However, in 2009, he began to question this and started experimenting with using less water. He found it acceptable as long as you stirred the pasta as the water was coming up to a boil to prevent sticking. He also had two Italian chefs try it.
- Lidia Bastianich – She thought the pasta cooked in less water lacked the “gradation of texture” that she liked. She also felt the pasta lacked in the nutty flavor that she expects from a semolina pasta.
- Marcella Hazen – Her only comment was that it took a significant amount of stirring to prevent sticking and thought it was not worth the effort.
I first read about this alternate method in a book published in 2015 – The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt. He explained that the recommendation for cooking pasta in large amounts of boiling water comes from those that think it prevents sticking and clumping, it prevents the pasta from becoming mushy and it helps the pasta cook evenly. So, in his typical manner, he set out to test this directive.
In his testing, he found the textual difference argument by Lidia was not supported by his results. He did agree that stirring was necessary for the first minute or two. However, he thought this was important no matter which method you used.
Another trial he did was to bring a small pot of water to a boil, added the pasta, brought it back to a simmer, stirred, put a lid on and turned off the heat. He waited the usual 10-12 minutes and found the pasta was perfectly done.
In April of 2023, America’s Test Kitchen put this small amount of water method to the test in their kitchen but also added using cold water from the start.
They put 1 pound of dried pasta in 1 quart of cold water, brought it to a boil and stirred occasionally. They then reduced the heat to maintain a simmer. At this point, stirring was no longer needed as the agitation of the water kept the pasta from sticking. After cooking to the desired doneness, the testers found it cooked up just as well as the same pasta cooked in 4 quarts of boiling water.
They found a time savings of about 45% as the cold method took only 16-17.75 minutes depending on the pasta shape whereas the conventional method took 23.5 – 29 minutes. They also touted the water savings as the conventional method took 75% more water.
If cooking strands of pasta, it would be best to use a 12-inch skillet so all the strands can get covered in the small amount of water. Otherwise, a saucepan is sufficient.
We are also always told to save some of the pasta water to use in finishing our pasta sauce. This is because the starch from the pasta dissolves in the water, which not only thickens the sauce, but also aids in emulsification. This helps to sauce to coat the pasta and gives the sauce that silky texture.
If using the method with a small amount of water, the starch will be concentrated in less water. Therefore, you will use less of it to complete your sauce. If you salt your water before cooking the pasta, use less salt as the pasta water may make your dish too salty. One caveat, this method is not for fresh pasta as it can get too mushy.
Have you ever tried this new method? Do you like it? I have to admit that habit just makes me fill a pan with water and bring it to a boil for cooking my pasta. Next time, I will have to step back and break that habit.
Culinary Journeys, LLC 