Spent 10 years adding oil to my pasta water before realizing it does nothing for the sauce.

It was when I watched my grandma boil noodles in plain salted water and her sauce still clung to every piece that I finally googled the science and felt like an idiot for wasting all that olive oil, anyone else have a cooking habit they just assumed was right?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayden5871mo ago

My Uncle Joe used to dump a whole quarter cup of olive oil in the pot and I just assumed that was the way. I remember the first time I made spaghetti for my wife and she asked why the sauce was sliding off the noodles like a water slide. Felt so dumb when I looked it up the next day and found out the oil just coats the pasta and blocks the sauce from sticking. Now I just stir the pasta a couple times while it boils and rinse it with hot water before adding the sauce and it works way better.

henry_palmer241mo ago

Oh come on, you're telling me that little slick of olive oil in the water did absolutely nothing? I've been doing that for years and I swear my noodles don't stick together like a brick. Maybe the science says it doesn't help the sauce cling, but have you ever tried fishing out a clump of spaghetti that's fused into one solid mass? The oil at least keeps them separate while they're sitting in the colander waiting for the sauce. Your grandma's method works for her because she's probably timing everything perfect and not letting the pasta sit around like I do.