Yes, You Should Add Salt to Your Pasta Water. Here’s Why

Should you add salt to pasta water? The short answer is yes, you absolutely should! But what exactly does salt do to pasta? And how salty should pasta water be? We answer these questions and more — including exactly how much water you need and whether you should add oil to it. 

How much salt should you add to pasta cooking water?

According to pasta maker Barilla, four teaspoons of salt should be added for every gallon of water. You want the water to be not as salty as the sea, but salty enough to begin layering the flavors in your favorite carbonara. Salt the water before adding the pasta: This ensures that the pasta is thoroughly and equally seasoned throughout the cooking process.

Why add salt to pasta cooking water?

Not only does salt impart flavor but it limits the gelatinization of starch, that initial stage when the starch granules expand and break as they’re heated in water. This, along with carefully stirring the pasta as it’s introduced into the cooking water, helps reduce the pasta’s stickiness.

How much water does pasta need for cooking?

According to food writer and historian Harold McGee, a pound of pasta should be cooked in five quarts of water (a gallon and a quarter — or five teaspoons of salt worth for those counting at home) at a rolling boil. The pasta will absorb about 1.6 to 1.8 times its weight in salted water.

Should I add oil to pasta cooking water?

While you can add oil to your pasta cooking water, we don’t recommend it. It prevents the pasta from absorbing or holding any sauce, and why would you deny your noodles all that cacio e pepe goodness?

What happens when pasta is cooked?

Dry Italian-style pasta is made from a dough of hard (or durum) wheat flour and water. Fresh pasta, on the other hand, is made with soft wheat as well as water and/or eggs. Dry pasta has a higher protein content than fresh, although eggs can add protein to the dough. 

The proteins and starches in both dry and fresh pasta expand during cooking while also absorbing water. When the outer layer of proteins break, starches inside the dough escape, creating the prized thickening property of pasta water.

A deeper inner layer of protein inside the pasta keeps the dough there firmer than the outside. By cooking the pasta for the right amount of time (by following the package’s instructions), that firmness will remain, giving each bite of pasta that al dente (literally “to the tooth” in Italian) texture so precious to dishes such as Creamy Tomato Rigatoni.

Salt is an incredibly simple yet crucial ingredient in cooking — especially for pasta. By taking the time to season your pasta water at the beginning of the cooking process, you ensure a strong (and salty) foundation to build all the layers of savory flavors you want in your next batch of rigatoni.