A professional chef shared the mistake most people make when cooking pasta.
The expert explains why the mistake causes the quality of your food to decline.
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Professional chef and author Marcus Samuelsson shared the tip via his website Food Republic.
The expert indicated that a common step should be skipped to maintain the integrity of your dish.
“One thing you absolutely must not do? Rinse your pasta,” the pro said.
He explained that people often use this technique to prevent their pasta noodles from sticking together.
“You also rinse important starches from the surfaces,” the chef says.
He compared the action to ‘flushing liquid gold down the drain’.
“This prevents the noodles from sticking together, but it also prevents any sauce you add from sticking to the noodles.”
The process not only affects the sauces, but can also remove a key ingredient from your dish.
“Although the packaging usually says to drain the pasta after cooking, that may not be the smartest move,” the expert explains.
“The starch in pasta acts almost like glue. The word pasta literally means ‘pasta’ in Italian.
“The water left over after cooking pasta becomes a magical brew that can actually enhance your dish.”
He recommended saving some of the pasta cooking water after cooking.
“Set aside a cup or two before draining the noodles, then add some to the sauce as you toss the pasta,” he advised.
“All the starch in the water will cause the sauce to stick to the noodles, instead of sitting on top.”
But even if you forget to save the boiled water, your dish can still be saved.
How many calories should men and women consume?
According to the British Nutrition Foundation
Female
Energy – Approximately 2,000 kcal
Fat – Not more than 78 g (or 35% food energy)
Saturated Fat – Not more than 24 g (or 11% food energy)
Carbohydrates – Minimum 267 g (or 50% of food energy)
Free sugars – Not more than 27 g (or 5% food energy)
Protein – 45g
Fiber – 30g
Salt – Not more than 6g
Male
Energy – Approximately 2,500 kcal
Fat – Not more than 97g
Saturated fat – No more than 31 g
Carbohydrates – Minimum 333g
Free sugars – No more than 33g
Protein – 55g
Fiber – 30g
Salt – Not more than 6g
As long as you resist the urge to rinse the pasta after cooking, the starch on the noodles will help the sauce stick to them.
There is, however, one exception to this hard and fast rule.
According to the expert, there is one situation in which it is actually more beneficial to rinse the noodles.
He explained that if you want to eat the pasta cold or at room temperature, you should still rinse it after cooking.
“Running the pasta under cold water after cooking stops the cooking process and prevents the pasta salad from becoming mushy,” he says.
“Rinsing the pasta also rinses away the starch on the surface. This prevents the noodles from becoming one big clump when you cool them or leave them at room temperature.”
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