Does salt belong in the pasta water? If so, when and how much? There are many myths circulating on the subject. We explain to you what really matters when it comes to salt in pasta water.
Preparing noodles is very easy: Boil water in a pot, put noodles in, cook noodles. But many wonder how much salt is needed and when to add it – right at the beginning in the cold water or as soon as it boils? All in all, the salt in the pasta water can affect three factors: the taste of the pasta, the boiling point of the pasta water and the cooking time. Let’s take a closer look at each factor.
Salt in the pasta water: why the timing is still interesting
Nevertheless, it makes a difference whether you add the salt to the cold or boiling pasta water. Salt dissolves better in hot than in cold water. Therefore, when you add the salt to the cold water, a larger amount that doesn’t immediately dissolve will sink to the bottom of the pot. There the salt causes stains and can damage the pot in the long run.
Tip: Stainless steel pots are much more robust than aluminum pots. Salt doesn’t do much harm to the former.
Pasta water: salt and its effect on cooking time and taste
The Max Planck Institute says: No, salt in the pasta water does not significantly affect the cooking time. So why would you salt the pasta water at all? The answer is: for the taste.
Salt in the pasta water ensures that the pasta retains its flavor. Behind this is a relatively complex physical phenomenon called osmosis. Put simply, you can imagine it like this with pasta water: If the water is completely unsalted, the salt concentration in the pasta is higher than in the pasta water (pasta naturally contain minerals such as sodium). The system wants to compensate for this concentration gradient. This is why minerals from the pasta go into the cooking water. The result: the noodles lose their taste. On the other hand, if you salt the pasta water well, the pasta can even absorb salt.
A matter of taste: How much salt in the pasta water?
You can decide how much salt you add to the pasta water according to your taste. A simple rule of thumb is: ten grams of salt for 100 grams of pasta and one liter of water.
Another tip comes from chef Sami Nosrat (author of the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat): salt the water until it tastes like sea water.
Salt in Pasta Water: Does It Affect Nutrient Content?
Unfortunately, the question of whether salt in the pasta water influences the nutrient content of the pasta has not been conclusively answered. Intuitively, the section on osmosis would tell us that salted pasta water is beneficial because less of the material in the pasta migrates into the water. However, the difference may be insignificant or other factors that have not previously been considered play a role.
But with these tips you will have a nutrient-rich meal in any case:
Use whole wheat pasta instead of white flour pasta. The former contain more fiber, minerals and vitamins.
Whether with or without salt: when cooking, water-soluble nutrients are transferred from the pasta to the pasta water. This applies, for example, to B vitamins. You can save part of it by enriching the pasta sauce with the pasta water. The pasta water also contains starch from the pasta, which binds your sauce. And since you salted the pasta water well, it also adds flavor.
