A Better Way To Cook Pasta? | Techniquely with Lan Lam

Summary by Krater

The video tests common pasta cooking rules, such as using a large pot of boiling salted water, and demonstrates that boiling pasta in less cold water can produce superior results for certain sauces.

From the video

Answers: Does pasta really need to be cooked in a large pot of boiling salted water?

• pasta cooking techniques
• pasta water starch concentration
• cooking pasta in cold water
• pasta die types bronze vs teflon
• emulsifying pasta sauce

Ingredients

• macaroni
• pasta
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 Tbsp table salt
• guanciale
• pancetta
• 4 quarts water
• 2 quarts water
• 1 quart water
• Pecorino cheese
• black pepper
• 8 oz tubetti
• 1 1/2 tsp table salt
• lard
• garlic
• eggs
• Parmesan
• parsley

What it concludes

• Teflon-coated dies reduce wear and tear in machinery and make pasta smoother, but the resulting pasta does not absorb sauces as well and sloughs off less starch during cooking.
• A default ratio of 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt works as a great default for cooking most pasta in a large pot.
• Starting pasta in cold water works great if you are interested in saving water, time, and energy, and it produces the best starchy pasta water.
• Cold-start pasta is especially great for pasta dishes with sauces that are low on water but high on fats and oils, such as cacio e pepe.
• Teflon-cut or quick-cooking pastas benefit from a cold start because they slough off less starch during cooking.