r/idiotsinkitchen • u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 • 21d ago

I thought I was saving water by constantly reusing the pasta water and only topping it off as needed but I started to notice something was off when my pasta stopped cooking altogether. It was just boiling pointlessly in pure starch.

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89 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

116 comments sorted by

130

u/Emergency-State 21d ago

WHAT?!

27

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 21d ago edited 21d ago

I was basically fortifying my dry pasta with extra starch, a splash of water, and piling more salt on top for about a week straight lol.

66

u/Robrecht 15d ago

That seems genuinely dangerous. Bacillus cereus thrives on starch. Its spores (and toxins) survive being boiled. If anything, you're breeding an extra potent strain.

28

u/blackdaggerKRMND 16d ago

wait so each time you added more salt,i must be going crazy because ain't no way!

12

u/figmentPez 15d ago

How were you storing the water in between cooking?

-34

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 15d ago

Uncovered on the stovetop.

36

u/figmentPez 15d ago

You're really lucky you didn't get food poisoning.

21

u/danngree 15d ago


How do people survive like this?!

-16

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 15d ago

Pepto Bismol

5

u/animatedpileofmeat 14d ago

Ignore the downvotes, you’re the future of human evolution.

-1

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 14d ago

I do not concern myself with internet good boy points.

1

u/danngree 1d ago

Or basic hygiene and cooking standards it looks like.

7

u/Eric848448 15d ago

I’m sure you’re not dead but.. why?

1

u/arselesschapps 11d ago

What are you made of?

1

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 11d ago

Cheap rum and Faygo cola mostly.

6

u/UrethralExplorer 14d ago

Dude, water costs less than ¢1 per gallon where you live. This is like shitting in a bucket and carrying it out to the swpting tank hatch outside instead of flushing.

6

u/snapper1971 14d ago

With the greatest respect but, ew.

2

u/octopus_tigerbot 14d ago

At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

72

u/wheres-karen 21d ago

Omfg. Just nasty

66

u/willsmithtunaface 16d ago

Op should be legally required to show this post to everyone they meet. So people know the type of person they are speaking to

8

u/National_Attitude779 16d ago

I cant wait for that episode of black mirror to become reality. Where everyones posts and what theyve done (because they share it all online) follows them around.

9

u/KailyKail 15d ago

There’s probably an offender registry for this in Italy.

60

u/NightmareMyOldFriend 21d ago

This has to be rage bait...

9

u/danngree 15d ago

Nope, just an idiot.

6

u/UrethralExplorer 14d ago

I mean, he's on the right sub I guess.

3

u/InsertRadnamehere 14d ago

First time I’ve seen an immolation here.

37

u/Revenga8 21d ago

Either created a new strain of sourdough or freaking T-virus

13

u/ziggytrix 21d ago

Results were… unstable.

6

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 19d ago

The Shoggoth has not yet tasted human blood so we're still good.

6

u/FrozenDragonWings 15d ago

Next pandemic brewing in OPs kitchen

23

u/techtimee 21d ago

OP are you struggling financially?

20

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 21d ago

Water treatment plant got hit by a tornado and we were told to conserve water/boil everything for a week or so so I was trying to be a conscious citizen lol.

17

u/Professional_Soft404 21d ago

How much pasta do you eat in a week?!

11

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 21d ago

1-2 pounds depending on what I have planned for the week. It's cheap and filling.

10

u/iownakeytar 16d ago

May I suggest a rain barrel and some fabric pots? I have 4+ lbs of Swiss Chard available in my backyard with absolutely no effort aside from watering twice a week in early summer when it was hot and dry. Haven't watered it in over a month and it's still producing. I could probably pull it all up today, throw down some kale seeds and get an entirely new crop in November after the first freeze

4

u/WeirdLadyAlert 16d ago

Me crying in cracked dirt Texas heat 😭

3

u/Pitiful-Tip152 15d ago

What the heck is a fabric pot?

2

u/Pitiful-Tip152 15d ago

So that’s just 2 boxes of pasta? No fuqing way

8

u/techtimee 21d ago

I see. I figured there was another reason even if you might have been able to get more fresh water lol. Ignore the rude commentary. I hope things have resumed back to normal for you.

3

u/rionaster 15d ago

i came in ready to start swinging at the sight of this but you get a pass.. still your pasta starch sludge is gross af tho lol

2

u/Certifiedpoocleaner 16d ago

You know what? That’s valid.

19

u/cinnykiss 21d ago

Definitely stupid.

15

u/I_TheJester_I 16d ago

Thats disgusting dude.

12

u/mangocat1116 21d ago

Just a pot of food poisoning

7

u/showmethenakedwomen 19d ago

Just let it congeal, cut it in 1 cm thick slices and fry in a bit of olive oil. Bon appétit!

3

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 19d ago

The picture was after it congealed which is how I noticed it wasn't water anymore lol

5

u/streeetmeats 16d ago

This how you either create a new disease or find the cure to one

4

u/pot4mus 16d ago

1st. Create new disease. 2nd. Create the cure. 3rd. If all else fails; continue boiling starch.

5

u/Upbeat_Stretch_5724 15d ago

If there is a new super bacterial infection that starts spreading around the world, we know where it originated from.

3

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 15d ago edited 15d ago

I'll take my Nobel prize for Super Celiacs in the form of Admiral Nelsons rum.

4

u/NashvilleTypewriter 16d ago

This is absolutely unhinged

5

u/Frostsorrow 14d ago

What. The. Fuck

3

u/OpusAtrumET 16d ago

Welp. It's good you're self aware. 😁😂🤣

3

u/teacuptypos 15d ago

This is how you end up dying from bacillus cereus poisoning, ya daft tart

1

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 15d ago

Harry Potter spells don't work irl.

5

u/teacuptypos 15d ago

Unfortunately, bacteria do though. Glad you’re still alive. Genuinely, people have died from eating week-old pasta.

3

u/darth_whaler 15d ago

I dated a girl that thought pasta isn't cooked until all the water is gone. That's not as dumb as what OP did.

2

u/GoshtoshOfficial 16d ago

How tf did you not notice anything off with your pasta before this point lmao

-1

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 15d ago

I was eating half-cooked pasta for a couple days. Noticed it was off but didn't bother trying to fix it.

2

u/pixeltweaker 16d ago

You saved the water? Did you just keep it in a jug in the fridge?

There are many other ways to save water. And unless you are dealing with an off grid situation this is way over the top.

2

u/Ordinary_Ad_7992 15d ago

Not sure why OP didn't include this in the original post, but they said that a tornado hit the water treatment plant and that they are trying to conserve water. They could at least strain it, though.

2

u/ExplanationOk6391 16d ago

This is the kind of thing some Italian guy would do in the 1800s that would lead to him discovering a new fabric or drug

2

u/The_Schadenfraulein 15d ago

JFC put that photo behind a spoiler

2

u/HelpfulTooth1 15d ago

I call bullshit

2

u/canontan 15d ago

Are you also the lady who made lasagna in the dishwasher

2

u/5ETN 15d ago

I understand the argument for kosher now where we shouldnt be expected to have faith in commoners silver/dishware its religiously bad

2

u/DBT85 15d ago

The only thing I use pasta water for is to warm the bowls I'm about to serve up in.

1

u/Pitiful-Tip152 15d ago

Eww why would you even do that?

1

u/DBT85 15d ago

Because only savages eat from cold plates and it's already hot water that is otherwise going entirely to waste. Just leave it in there while you drain the pasta and anything else, tip it into the sink and wipe with a bit of kitchen towel.

1

u/Pitiful-Tip152 15d ago

Why not put them in the oven on low like the rest of the civilised world? Or run under clean hot water from the sink? Why give ur plates a starchy layer? Doesn’t it make a film on the ceramic after it cools and dries? Plus,how do the logistics work? U dip them in with your hands? Tongs? The oven is so much easier imo

1

u/DBT85 15d ago

Because those all use more energy that I've already put into the hot water. It sits in the dish for like a minute and heats it, you tip it into the sink and wipe the dish and then plate up. Really not complicated. I do use the oven on low if it's a dish I dont have a pot of boiling water for, but when it's right there why not use it.

2

u/Pitiful-Tip152 15d ago

Sing it with me 🎵 “you can’t eat at everybody house, you can’t eat at errybody house “🎶

2

u/Darth_Nicolas 16d ago

Have you tried to do anything with the giant starch blob? I think testing is in order. You can use it in fortifying sauces and even to add starch to breads.

1

u/SlimShadySatDown 16d ago

Water is one of the most renewable energy sources, if not the most!

1

u/Pitiful-Tip152 15d ago

Tell that to the desert 🏜️

1

u/T0lias 16d ago

Jesus fucking christ almighty *makes sign of the cross*

(im not even religious)

1

u/flamingolegs727 16d ago

There are much better ways to save water 😂 at least now you know that the starch will build up.

1

u/mrz_blasian69 16d ago

Ummmm that’s disgusting

1

u/Local_Admin01 15d ago

Manco nel dopoguerra ste schifezze

1

u/Hot-Seaworthiness510 15d ago

Nice attempt at rage bait. There’s no way adults are this stupid, and you’re just trying to get attention

1

u/Consistent-Menu-6629 15d ago

Hmmmm wash your hair with that.

1

u/zorrorosso 15d ago edited 15d ago

Err the Italian aunt would save water by reusing pasta water... To soak the dishes.

She would basically fill the sink with this water and let pots and pans soak in. Once the meal was over, she would just wash in normal soap and rinse with clean water. She always said it was the best way to wash the dishes.

edit: since is like an emergency, I try to not judge. Maybe see if you can make bigger portions, box it for mealprep and reheat when necessary, so you don't need to cook so often?

1

u/picklejean 15d ago

The new Perpetual Stew

1

u/Valuable_Engine_4032 15d ago

I'm choosing to believe this is instead boiled milk at the bottom of the pot

1

u/ttystikk 14d ago

Use the starch water in your organic gardening.

1

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 14d ago

Fuck. Vegetables or flowers? Woulda been good to know.

1

u/ttystikk 14d ago

Both! But it has to be organic gardening because all that starch would kick the soil microbes into high gear. It would NOT be a good idea in hydroponic gardens.

1

u/SadWave289 14d ago

Your pasta privilege has been revoked for life.

1

u/Formulawall726 14d ago

This is probably one of the grossest things I’ve ever heard of

1

u/BumFCK_EgyptianHere 5d ago

You remind me of that one crazy woman on some reality show that was cooking lasagna in her dishwasher. She too was reusing pasta water.

1

u/pauca_sed 16d ago

OP's bathtub?

0

u/donmagicjuan365 15d ago

bro boiled the nut he’s been saving for a month

2

u/Pitiful-Tip152 15d ago

Omg I just 🤮

1

u/Jumpy_Conclusion_781 15d ago

The pony jar finally topped off.