Cooking thread: Add salt/oil to boiling water when cooking pasta?

[Raizinman]

Salt - because it lowers the boiling point of water preventing boil over.
Oil - because it prevents clunks. Clunks are strands of spaghetti that stick together.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

There is no need to add oil, if you use the right amount of water, use a large enough pot, stir it, then it wont stick together.

 

[The_Golden_Man]

I voted for salt only, because I've heard that is the correct way to do it.

 

[DrPizza]

Salt only, unless you can't read directions and don't use enough water.

Besides - as spaghetti cooks, it stays at the bottom. Oil floats. When you dump it into a strainer, most of the oil dumps off first. I can't imagine that much oil actually coats/is absorbed by the pasta. I'd think that the primary function might be to affect surface properties on the water - reduce frothing.

 

[Anonemous]

Salt - because it lowers the boiling point of water preventing boil over.
Oil - because it prevents clunks. Clunks are strands of spaghetti that stick together.

You would need to dump in a lot of salt to change the boiling point.

 

[Ryan]

I'll take my advice from a master chef before I look to any of you yahoos

Robert Irvine on this topic:
- Salt - ALWAYS. the only time you will be able to really get flavor into the pasta is while it's boiling. Add salt - it should taste like seawater.
- Oil - NEVER. Noodles only stick if you let them sit for to long - serve them as soon as they come out of the water. Adding oil will make the pasta so slick that everyhting will run off of it - it prevents the pasta sauce from nicely coating your pasta.

 

[Mixolydian]

Mmmm now I'm in the mood for pasta....

EDIT: 400 posts :awe:

 

[sandorski]

Neither

 

[0roo0roo]

you want sauce on your pasta, not oil

spagetti doesn't stick together anyways if you cook and then add sauce to eat right away, maybe if you mash it into a box for later....but even then its no big issue, sauce and stir break it up no prob.

 

[SillyOReilly]

OP is trolling

or he's really ignorant

Trolling over cooking pasta?

Or ignorant of cooking pasta?

What a travesty both would be.

 

[OutHouse]

alton brown says putting olive oil in water to cook pasta does nothing but waste the olive oil.

 

[OutHouse]

Salt only, unless you can't read directions and don't use enough water.

Besides - as spaghetti cooks, it stays at the bottom. Oil floats. When you dump it into a strainer, most of the oil dumps off first. I can't imagine that much oil actually coats/is absorbed by the pasta. I'd think that the primary function might be to affect surface properties on the water - reduce frothing.

it doesnt.

 

[5to1baby1in5]

Oil only. It helps break the foam down so it doesn't boil over.

Salt is the surfactant. It reduces surface tension and makes the bubbles pop before they can cause foam.

Oil just keeps the noodles from still king together when they are cooking.

 

[Brainonska511]

Salt - because it lowers the boiling point of water preventing boil over.

You would need to dump in a lot of salt to change the boiling point.

This

And adding salt would increase the boiling point.

 

[lxskllr]

Salt is the surfactant. It reduces surface tension and makes the bubbles pop before they can cause foam.

Oil just keeps the noodles from still king together when they are cooking.

Hmm... I'm skeptical, but I'll give salt a try the next time. It's cheaper than oil. Oil breaks surface foam on beer, and It also breaks the foam on pasta, but if I can do it with salt, it would be a win.

 

[spidey07]

I make it taste like sea water, kosher salt. Easily two table spoons.

And OP you're correct. You WANT that stickyness, oil is a no-no.

 

[Ksyder]

From my On Cooking culinary textbook which is what chefs use it says the following:

"Salt should be added to the water. Pasta absorbs water and salt during cooking. Adding salt to the pasta after it is cooked will not provide the same seasoning effect.

Chefs disagree on whether to add oil to the cooking water. Purists argue against adding oil, on the theory that is makes the dough absorb water unevenly. Others think oil should be added to reduce surface foam. Another theory is that oil keeps the pasta from sticking, although this works only when added to cooked, drained pasta."

So, basically the book agrees with what is said here. FWIW, I manage a professional kitchen and we salt the water to where it tastes like the sea. This also holds true for blanching vegetables. Just taste the water with a tasting spoon before adding the food to it.

 

[tailes151]

Salt for flavor, oil to help keep the splashup from the water to a minimum. Alton Brown suggested it.

 

[xanis]

Salt and plenty of water so the pasta has room to move around as it's cooking. You shouldn't need anything else.

If you want to add olive oil, toss it with the pasta after it's been cooked and drained.

 

[MonKENy]

Salt does 2 things, It raises the boiling point of the water and seasons a little.
Oil coats the strands thus making it harder for them to stick..a side effect of that is that sauce wont stick either.

If you want a light sauce then go for oil. If you want no sauce definitely go for oil.

if you are worried about foam place a wooden spoon across the pot. The foam hits the spoon and recedes. But you need a 1quart of water for every 4 ounces of pasta to properly cook and keep starch down.

Dont Rinse pasta either

 

[akshatp]

Salt during boiling and a little motor oil after its done for extra flavor.


What? Am I the only one that does that?

 

[DrPizza]

Salt does 2 things, It raises the boiling point of the water and seasons a little.
Oil coats the strands thus making it harder for them to stick..a side effect of that is that sauce wont stick either.

If you want a light sauce then go for oil. If you want no sauce definitely go for oil.

if you are worried about foam place a wooden spoon across the pot. The foam hits the spoon and recedes. But you need a 1quart of water for every 4 ounces of pasta to properly cook and keep starch down.

Dont Rinse pasta either

The altitude where you live will make a bigger difference on boiling point than the relatively little bit of salt.

 

[jlee]

I add salt - haven't heard of adding oil though.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I add salt - haven't heard of adding oil though.

Same.
But add salt before pasta. Not while the pasta is in there

 

[Chiropteran]

The altitude where you live will make a bigger difference on boiling point than the relatively little bit of salt.

If you want to raise the boiling point, you can either add a pinch of salt, or move to Denver Colorado. Which one sounds easier to you?

Although,

"Among many urban legends[9] related to the effect of ebullioscopic increase, one of them leads to adding salt when cooking pasta only after water has started boiling. The misconception is that since the water boils at a higher temperature, food will cook faster. However, at the approximate concentration of salt in water for cooking (10 g of salt per 1 kg of water, or 1 teaspoon per quart), the ebullioscopic increase is approximately 0.17 °C (0.31 °F), which will arguably make no practical difference for cooking."

Yet there there must be something more to it. I know I have started boiling water for pasta, seen it begin to boil, and then after adding and stirring in some salt it immediately stopped boiling, it seems like a .17C increase wouldn't cause that sort of affect.