Adding oil to boiling water when cooking pasta is a common but incorrect belief to prevent sticking. It's largely considered ineffective and even counterproductive, according to many chefs and culinary experts.
It's genuinely ineffective - oil floats on top of the water and doesn't significantly coat the pasta to prevent sticking during boiling. The oil can coat the pasta, creating a barrier that prevents sauce from properly adhering to it. To prevent pasta from sticking, ensure you use a large enough pot with ample boiling, salted water and stir the pasta frequently, especially in the initial minutes of cooking.
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Julia Child told me that 40yrs ago. Salt & plenty of water.
ReplyDeleteMake it ever tme we’re having pasta. Only use semolina flour. Grandma from Italy taught me
ReplyDeleteWhat oil does is help keep the water from bubbling up too hard and boiling over, if you haven't overfilled the pan, that is.
ReplyDeleteWhile the pasta is drained but still warm and not yet sticking mix it with a little sauce.
ReplyDeleteThat's the way to keep it from sticking even when saved as a leftover.
That technique was handed down from my Italian grandmother.
PS - As the article correctly points out, putting oil in the cooking water "oils" the pasta and makes it slippery, preventing the tomato sauce from sticking to it. A true pasta aficionado can tell with one stab of the fork if it has been cooked with oil in the water.
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