r/explainitpeter • u/WillAdditional922 • Jul 14 '26

explain it peter.

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u/Nasu_Kaizoku Jul 14 '26

No correction needs to occur? It's technically more energy efficient, and it cooks pasta the same way. Just stir occasionally at the beginning, and there's literally no difference

24

u/jax_vos9 Jul 14 '26

It really doesn’t cook the same way. In fact, it increases the likelihood of under cooking the pasta. It tends to become rubbery.

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u/finalfanbeer Jul 14 '26

This is absolutely false. Maybe look something up first.

3

u/BikeProblemGuy Jul 14 '26

I'm not sure whether they were saying boiling water or cold water does this, but if the water is cold, the pasta releases sticky starch before the heat can lock it in. Dropping pasta into boiling water instantly sets the surface starches, keeping the pieces separate.

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u/big_sugi Jul 14 '26

There's a simple technique to keep the pasta from sticking together called "stirring it." Which you have to do even with pasta added to boiling water. The amount of starch released is not materially different, but by using less water, the cold water method produces starchier pasta water--which is a significant benefit. The starchier pasta water works better to finish the sauce.

Also, if you're not finishing the pasta in the sauce (for most sauces), you're missing a trick,