There are certain habits I do on autopilot when I cook, like setting up my garbage bowl and draining pasta. I make pasta at least once a week, so you’d think I’d remember to save some of the starchy cooking water before pouring it down the drain.
But no matter how many reminders I set, I’ll often, inevitably, just head to the sink and pour everything into the colander. It’s only when I’m back making dinner that I realize I’ve forgotten the water again. Recently, however, my editor told me about a simple way to make saving pasta water almost automatic. I tried it for the first time recently, and I’ll never go back to my old ways.
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The Easiest Way To Save Pasta Water
There’s a good reason why so many pasta recipes tell you to reserve the cooking water. As pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water, which can help bring a sauce together. The starch is especially useful in sauces made with butter or olive oil, like spaghetti aglio e olio, since it helps emulsify the sauce for coating noodles. It’s also ideal for loosening a sauce that’s too thick.
So I don’t accidentally pour out all of the water, I changed my draining setup. Before I start cooking, I set a large, heat-safe bowl in the sink and rest my colander securely over it, leaving enough room underneath that the noodles won’t sit in the water (but it’s also fine if they do). Choose a bowl the colander can safely rest on, with enough depth to catch the water you need.
When it’s time to drain, I pour the pot into the colander like always. But now the bowl catches the starchy water, and when I lift the colander away, it’s saved. I appreciate that it takes the last-minute remembering out of the equation.
In the past, my usual routine involved scooping the water out with a heat-safe measuring cup or ladle before draining, which can also be finicky when noodles get in the way. With this method, I skip all of that.
I know you’re going to say that it’s one extra bowl to wash—and you’re right! But I was already washing a ladle, and I’d rather wash a bowl than miss out on pasta water. To make it easier to remember, grab the bowl and colander at the same time. And if you have cupboard space, you can even store them together.
Thanks to this trick, the only time I pour pasta water down the drain now is on purpose.
Read the original article on Simply Recipes
