Pasta Myths: Busted

Do you cook pasta a lot? I do - at least once a week. It's just so easy to make and always tastes good! Ever since my study abroad experience in the motherland of spaghetti and meatballs, I've been trying to perfect my pasta-cooking-technique. I've asked my Italian relatives for advice and looked to the chefs with whom I work for words of wisdom on the best way to cook pasta. So, what knowledge have I learned, that I am now going to impart on you? Well, there are two pasta myths which I used to believe, only to find out that they are untrue. You may have heard them, and you may even believe them...until now.  


Myth #1: Putting salt in the pasta pot will make the water boil faster.
Busted: As one chef bluntly told me, "you want to make the water boil faster? put a lid on the pot". Adding salt does not help water boil faster (in fact, it initially slows down the process). Salt is added solely to flavor the pasta. One of my friends in Italy said to me that in order to have delicious pasta, the water in which you boil the pasta should taste like the ocean. 
Moral of the myth: Put a lid on your pot to make the water boil faster and add salt to the pot in order to flavor your pasta (I add a LOT of salt to the pot and can attest that pasta tastes way better when it's boiled in essentially sea water).


Myth #2: Putting oil in the pasta pot, while the pasta boils, will prevent the pasta from sticking.
Busted: Ummm, no. Water and oil separate. If you put the oil in the boiling water, it rises to the top of the pot while the pasta remains at the bottom of the pot, boiling away. Add the oil to your pasta after it is cooked and no longer submerged in boiling water. 
Moral of the myth: Don't waste your olive oil in the pot of boiling water. Save the oil for your pasta when it's finished cooking.


There you have it...no more lies - the myths have been busted. You can now make delectable pasta like an Italian pro. When your friends ask "where did you learn to make such incredible pasta?!" feel free to tell 'em all about me :)