Spaghetti

[Chap]

OK...so now I watch a few cooking shows. Every time I see someone preparing spaghetti I see them pull it directly from the pot with tongs and place it either in the plate or pan. My momma always poured it in a colander and rinsed it.

What do you all do?

[Food Network Fan]

I don't rinse it. It removes the starch on the noodle. Sauce sticks better the more starch on each piece. I do drain it in a colander though.

[Chap]

I always thought the starch was unwanted. I love learning.

[Food Network Fan]

From the food network....

Sara Moulton on Rinsing Pasta
Pauline: I have a question about pasta, and if you should rinse or not rinse after being cooked. Mine is always a little watery after I put the sauce on and I always rinse. If you don't, how do you get it from sticking together in one big glob?
Sara: The main point is that the sauce should wait for the pasta; the pasta should never wait for the sauce. Only rinse your pasta if you're making pasta salad. The starch on the pasta will glue the sauce to it - you want the stickiness. Some Italians even add some of the starchy liquid to it to add more stickiness. By the way, I don't like pasta salad because as soon as you toss the pasta with vinaigrette, it gets soggier and soggier - you sort of have lifeless, soggy, noodles.
Angela: Do I or don't I add oil to the water when boiling pasta? If not, how can I be sure the noodles won't stick?
Sara: Never, never, never, never add oil to the water! It oils the noodles when you're draining them so they don't stick together, but neither will the sauce stick to them. Stir your noodles right after you add them to the pot, and make sure the sauce is ready before you put the noodles in the pot. The pasta must never wait for the sauce; the sauce should wait for the pasta. You want the starch on the pasta, because it will glue the sauce to the noodle.
Claudette: My daughter has become good friends with a German exchange student, and I'm going to making Sauerbraten when her Mom comes to visit for the holidays. I'm so afraid of trying to make the Spaetzle, though. Please help!
Sara: Oh, yes! Spaetzle is one of my favorites, and I make it all the time. It's really just a thick pancake batter, put through a sieve. Here's the recipe. I generally make them for four to six people. 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 3 eggs, and 1 to 1 1/4 cups water. Beat the whole thing by hand, or in a standup mixer, until it's smooth. Put on a pot of salted water and boil it. If you can find a spaetzle maker, most kitchenware stores sell them, or you could use a colander if you can't find one. Pour the batter into the cup of the spaetzle maker, and it drops right into the water. It floats almost immediately, and will cook in about two minutes. It should be like any other pasta, cooked al dente. Drain, toss with butter, and serve straight up. I rinse it after cooking, and park it until you're ready to reheat it. Then, take a large saute pan, heat olive oil over moderately high heat, and throw in the spaetzle. I get it crispy and brown around the edges, and it's delicious. It's nothing to be scared of! What will make your life easier is to get that spaetzle maker. They only cost about twenty bucks.

[isilzha]

I haven't figured out why they salt the water. I know its supposed to season the pasta, but ewww.

[Food Network Fan]

Salt water also boils faster than unsalted. Or some say at a higher temperature.

[isilzha]

But does it go into the pasta? Who needs more salt in their diet.

[Food Network Fan]

Salt really adds to the flavor of most everything, sweet and savory. Things like pasta and bread that do not have a strong flavor to begin with taste very flat without salt. Since the water is absorbed into the pasta I am sure some ... but not all the salt you add makes it into the noodles.

[isilzha]

True. Maybe some time I'd try it to see if it actually makes a difference in taste.

[Chap]

I have been putting salt and oil in my water.
My gravy sticks anyway....maybe my gravy is too thick.