Showerthought: A line cook in Portland told me to always salt my pasta water like the sea

He said, 'If you think it's salty enough, add another big pinch.' I tried it with a box of De Cecco spaghetti last night, and the pasta had a much better flavor from the start, so it needed less sauce to taste right. Has anyone else found a simple rule like that changed how you do a basic job?

3 comments

3 Comments

mia7482mo agoMost Upvoted

That potato tip is interesting. Do you ever worry about over-salting them, or does the water just not soak in that much?

felix_lane992mo ago

That salt trick is a game changer for sure. It made me realize how much we under-season water for boiling veggies too. Like, try dumping a stupid amount of salt in the pot for boiling potatoes before you mash them. They soak up that seasoning from the inside, so you don't have to fight to get flavor into them later. Same thing with green beans, they actually taste like something on their own.

alexc932mo ago

Feel the same way about green beans. They go from tasting like nothing to having an actual point. Makes the whole meal better.