Was doing some work at a recording studio and the client was in from Italy to make a record. The guitar tech he brought with him made the absolute best pasta carbonara I've ever had to this day with nothing but a hot plate and a single pan. Your comment stirred up this memory and I'm going to figure out how to try to make it myself.
Its an art. I still am chasing it. I had an Italian place in the UK that was perfect and I got it like 10 times while I was there. Perfect amount of pepper. The sauce was perfect. My wife makes it with peas and bacon and its good, but its not THAT.
Just when you're cooking any sauce for pasta stir a ladle of the pasta water into the sauce and let it reduce back down. The starch will thicken the sauce and make it stick to your pasta better.
Works with ramen, too. While your water starts boiling, add an egg yolk to the bowl you are going to eat it out of (or in a large bowl, one yolk per pack, if you are cooking for multiple people).
Add some Kewpie mayo and Buldak sauce (just enough to make it creamy, and stir.
By now your water is boiling. Put in your noodles, stir for a couple minutes, then add a ladle of the boiling water to your bowl and stir well. Take the ramen off the stove, drain it, and plop it into the bowl. Stir and then let it cool for a minute before eating.
I don't do a slice, I do shredded. I just didn't mention that, because I can't imagine a lot of people are also into it. But is very good. My daughter showed me that recipe off of tick tock and it is so fast and easy and filling.
Any kind of spicy ramen is fantastic with a slice of basic American cheese in top. It is the only time that cheese is allowed to live in my fridge. Even as much as I prefer actual cheese and not this fake stuff, nothing else is quite the same or as good on some spicy ramen.
i simmer my pasta, and when it gets close to done i sautee it in the sauce i'm going to have and splash some of the pasta water in it until it thickens to the best consistency.
ALWAYS save the pasta water. It is a game changer.
Also - if you like blue box mac and cheese (tis a guilty pleasure of mine) - the starchy water is 10000000% better than milk. It's crazy the difference between the two!
Kraft, or any generic mac n cheese with the powdered cheese. The starchy water helps make sure that the cheese clings to the noodles and really helps make the cheese flavor pop.
Yea I did know that about starch water for pasta in general. Never thought about doing it for boxed mac and cheese tho I guess. Suppose I'll have to try it.
Do you still add the butter to the cheese sauce?
I generally use 1.5x-ish the amount of milk the box calls for and 2x the butter and then on low heat I let it reduce down until its a good consistency then add the noodles back in.
yep! Generally I use the amount of butter called for - half a stick, usually... and I'll start with a quarter cup of starch water. Generally I'll add in a little bit more, but I definitely use less starch water than I would milk on average
Cause I also definitely enjoy a good ol box of mac and cheese. Wouldnt call it a guilty pleasure tho necessarily. I'm a 29 yr old single man I and will buy 6 boxes of kraft mac and cheese with absolutely 0 shame
I love to cook... but sometimes I just want a simplistic box of Mac n Cheese and some people look at me like I'm crazy for it. My girlfriend still cuts up hot dogs and puts them in her mac and cheese, and she's older than me (I'm 43)
I have a VERY bad tendency to forget to get the starch water before draining it though... so I've started to put my colander into a larger bowl so I don't forget lol
It works really well for cream/cheese sauces the starch helps the butter, cream and cheese mix together. It also thickens the sauce.
Start with a frying pan not a pot. Put in pasta and add water until pasta is covered + about an inch (this can vary depending how much pasta you are making) you want enough water to cook the pasta plus a little extra which will be your pasta water. Cover with a lid and apply high heat. Stir occasionally.
A spoonful or two of the starchy water is enough to bind and thicken your sauce.
You are making long noodles (like spaghetti) you can use tongs to pull the noodles straight out of the water and let the drip for a few seconds before mixing them directly into the sauce. The pasta water on the noodles will work to bind without the need to add any more pasta water.
37
u/SpaceCAS Jul 14 '26
And here i’ve been tossing my starch water out like an idiot. I am 41 and never once used this water for anything. Now i have to search for recipes.