What exactly is pasta water?
When you cook pasta, some of the starch it contains is released into the water in which the pasta is cooked. It is starch that gives water not only its typical turbidity, but also great properties that you can use when cooking other dishes, such as sauces (especially those for pasta). It works as a flavoring agent and thickener.
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Salty as the sea
In order for pasta water to work well, it is of course necessary to prepare it well. Use enough water to cook the pasta so that it is all submerged. No more, otherwise the water would not contain so much starch. For 450 g dry ones pasta approximately 3-4 liters of water is sufficient. But it also depends on the size and shape of the pot in which you cook them. Salt is also important. Italian chefs say pasta water should be as salty as the sea. Start by adding one tablespoon and add a little more if necessary, because each salt salts a little differently.
Now that you have pasta water, what can you use it for?
Add it to a sauce or pesto
As mentioned, the starch in the pasta water acts as a thickener and binding agent, and when combined with a fat such as butter or oil, it creates a perfectly smooth sauce. And the salt contained in the water gives it a perfect flavor. Try it when you cook for example spaghetti carbonara. You can even add pasta water to homemade pesto. It will give it a better taste and also bind all the ingredients together.
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Make pizza dough out of it
Pasta water is an excellent ingredient for pizza dough, too bread or into any other savory dough that uses water as one of its ingredients. The salt water from the pasta will add flavor to the dough, and thanks to the starch, it will come together beautifully and have a better consistency.
You can also use pasta water when preparing pizza dough
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Soak the legumes in it
If you are going to cook lentils, chickpeas, beans or even peas, it is important to soak them before cooking so that they swell and wash out substances that cause bloating and lower digestibility and utilization of some valuable substances. And pasta water is ideal for this soaking. Drain the water from the pasta before cooking and cook the legumes in clean water.
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Use it to cook vegetables or soup
When you use pasta water to steam vegetables, you save both water and energy. The water from the pasta can also serve as the basis of the soup, which will be thicker thanks to the starch.
Wash dishes in it
Believe it or not, the starch in the pasta water dissolves impurities very well and at the same time in an environmentally friendly way, something Italian housewives know well. Therefore, they use the warm water from the pasta to wash plates, pots or even pans. Just soak dirty dishes in warm pasta water, then wash with a sponge and rinse in clean water.
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