I keep seeing line cooks in my city toss pasta in a cold pan after draining it.

At my last two jobs in Austin, I watched new hires dump hot pasta into a cold saute pan with sauce, which just makes everything clump together. I always pull the pan off the heat, add a splash of starchy water, and toss it fast to get that perfect cling. Am I being too picky, or is this a basic skill everyone should have down?

3 comments

3 Comments

susana6624d ago

Used to do it wrong too until a chef showed me the starch water trick.

-1

lilys8223d ago

My grandma always saved pasta water for the sauce.

dakotas5423d ago

Wait, is that why my sauces always broke before? So it's the starch that makes it all stick together? That makes so much sense now, like what @lilys82 said about her grandma. I guess I just never knew what the water actually did, I just saw people do it. How much do you usually save, like a cup or just a big spoonful?