# draining spaghetti **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571 "2010-08-26T19:25:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/1 "2010-08-26T19:25:50Z")
Is there a way to make spaghetti not taste…coated? I drain it,a nd rinse well in cold water, yet it still sticks at times, and tastes farina like. or should I just buy different spaghetti(I buy the dry boxed stuff). ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/2 "2010-08-26T19:30:09Z")
Sounds like you may be overcooking it, but could you explain what you mean be coated? Pasta is really starchy and even after you drain and rinse it, if it starts to dry it will become sticky. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/3 "2010-08-26T19:31:01Z")
It may be the brand you buy - we use Barilla, and don’t usually have any issues. It might also be how you’re cooking - the few times I’ve had sticky, floury tasting pasta, it’s usually been cooked too long, or at too low a temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Stormcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@Stormcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormcrow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/4 "2010-08-26T19:31:40Z")
Maybe try the better boxed stuff? I suspect it will stick after it totally dries out no matter what you do - the only way to stop that will be to perhaps toss it with some butter or olive oil. Myself, I just drain it, shake the collander/drainer thingie/watchamacallit a bit and rinse with warm water for maybe ten-fifteen seconds. Always seems to work well enough for me, and doesn’t stick until its gotten fairly dry. Not sure what you mean by “farina-like taste.” Another possibility is that you’re cooking it just a touch too long. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/5 "2010-08-26T19:38:29Z")
[You shouldn’t rinse your pasta unless you’re making a cold pasta salad.](http://www.ilovepasta.org/faqs.html#Q7) ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/6 "2010-08-26T19:42:45Z")
I usually add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to the water before boiling and that seems to keep it from sticking. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/7 "2010-08-26T19:49:46Z")
Wait a minute, you rinse your pasta in cold water? I’ve never heard of such a thing for spaghetti. Cook it at a full boil in plenty of water, toss it with a dollop of olive oil affter draining and you shouldn’t have any sticking problems. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/8 "2010-08-26T19:54:05Z")
Usually I’ll drain and shake (no rinse: As my dad pointed out: I just drained all the water _out_, why would I want to put more in?), and usually I just mix some spaghetti sauce into it to mix it up. That said, I did once (while making penne) decide to instead toss it with a bit of olive oil and some italian style seasoning, and that worked pretty well on its own too. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/9 "2010-08-26T20:03:18Z")
> [@MTCicero](#): > > [You shouldn’t rinse your pasta unless you’re making a cold pasta salad.](http://www.ilovepasta.org/faqs.html#Q7) Well, I’ll be darned. I’ve rinsed pasta my whole life. I just confirmed your “no rinse” method at the web site of my usual pasta provider. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/10 "2010-08-26T20:05:02Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Usually I’ll drain and shake (no rinse: As my dad pointed out: I just drained all the water _out_, why would I want to put more in?) Well, actually, you can use a bit of the good, starchy pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce if it’s too thick. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/11 "2010-08-26T20:12:17Z")
In addition to the problems already mentioned, you may be using too little water to boil your pasta in or too small a pot. A pound of 'ghetti needs something like 4 quarts of water in your biggest pot, or it may get gummy just because the freed starch molecules have nowhere to go but back on the pasta. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/12 "2010-08-26T20:15:07Z")
As noted…no rinsing! This is the major mistake that most people make with pasta. ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/13 "2010-08-26T20:15:15Z")
Thank you all for the good advice! ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/14 "2010-08-26T21:01:25Z")
For best results, use a [tennis racket](http://www.dgaquarterly.org/Portals/0/images/0702/screeningRoom_kitchen.jpg). 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/15 "2010-08-26T21:24:30Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > For best results, use a [tennis racket](http://www.dgaquarterly.org/Portals/0/images/0702/screeningRoom_kitchen.jpg). 🆒 Dinner is served? ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/16 "2010-08-26T21:27:40Z")
I learned from my mom that when you can take a spaghetti noodle out, throw it against the wall, and once it sticks, the pasta is cooked perfectly. Drain and eat! ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/17 "2010-08-26T21:55:14Z")
The best boxed pasta is Barilla. It is designed to be cooked al dente and while it is possible to overcook it, the window between mushy and perfect is measured in minutes, not milliseconds. You should also try Dreamfields pasta. It is designed to bind much of the starch and make it indigestible. It’s targeted at diabetics so that they can have a high glycemic index food like pasta without worrying (too much anyway) about sending their glucose readings into orbit. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/18 "2010-08-26T22:45:46Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > I learned from my mom that when you can take a spaghetti noodle out, throw it against the wall, and once it sticks, the pasta is cooked perfectly. Drain and eat! Unfortunately, she was wrong. Pasta is a bit sticky by nature because of the starch contained therein. By throwing a strand against the wall, all you end up with is: pasta stuck to the wall. If anything, it probably means it was overcooked or was cooked in too little water. I don’t know where this idea originated, but I remember it as well. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/19 "2010-08-26T23:01:48Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Unfortunately, she was wrong. Pasta is a bit sticky by nature because of the starch contained therein. By throwing a strand against the wall, all you end up with is: pasta stuck to the wall. If anything, it probably means it was overcooked or was cooked in too little water. I don’t know where this idea originated, but I remember it as well. I just fish out a strand and bite into it. When it’s just short of done, I scoop out all the pasta out with a tongs or an Asian “spider” and mix it directly into the sauce which is waiting in a skillet, a la Lidia Bastianich. This saves washing a colander. I toss the pasta around in the sauce for several seconds to coat it, then serve it up. As mentioned upthread, if it’s too thick, pasta water is good to thin it out. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571/20 "2010-08-26T23:11:00Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > In addition to the problems already mentioned, you may be using too little water to boil your pasta in or too small a pot. A pound of 'ghetti needs something like 4 quarts of water in your biggest pot, or it may get gummy just because the freed starch molecules have nowhere to go but back on the pasta. I’m bringing this up again because it’s good advice. That “coated” texture usually result from not have enough water. With plenty of water, all that extra starch should just wash away when you drain it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draining-spaghetti/551571.md?page=2)