# Why do I need to salt the water I cook my pasta in? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 14, 2014, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460 "2014-09-14T06:29:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/21 "2014-09-14T16:12:01Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I have seen cooking shows where they have thrown in pinches of salt and maybe a spoon or two of salt(if into a big pot), but I have never seen them throw in handfuls. About 1% by weight of water is about right, on average. I do closer to 2% myself. [Here is a good article](http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/how-salty-should-pasta-water-be.html). I’ve done tastes before side by side and, yes, there is a difference.It’s not quite as dramatic as forgetting the salt in a bread recipe, but it’s definitely noticeable and I prefer it cooked in salted water. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/22 "2014-09-14T16:26:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > About 1% by weight of water is about right, on average. I do closer to 2% myself. [Here is a good article](http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/how-salty-should-pasta-water-be.html). I’ve done tastes before side by side and, yes, there is a difference.It’s not quite as dramatic as forgetting the salt in a bread recipe, but it’s definitely noticeable and I prefer it cooked in salted water. YMMV. That article makes a lot of sense, when comparing the taste of unsalted pasta to salted pasta…unadorned by any sauces. But if you do as **Johnny L.A.** suggests and drain the pasta and finish cooking it in the sauce(which contains salt enough of its own), will you really be able to tell that the pasta wasn’t boiled in salt? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/23 "2014-09-14T16:46:01Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That article makes a lot of sense, when comparing the taste of unsalted pasta to salted pasta…unadorned by any sauces. But if you do as **Johnny L.A.** suggests and drain the pasta and finish cooking it in the sauce(which contains salt enough of its own), will you really be able to tell that the pasta wasn’t boiled in salt? I haven’t tried, but if I finish cooking in sauce (which isn’t too common for me) I only do it no more a minute or so (depending how early I pull it) otherwise, it overcooks. So the pasta has already almost fully absorbed any liquid it’s going to absorb. Like I said above, I use restrained levels of sauce in my pasta, so it’s more noticeable. The pictures [here](http://www.spaghettifan.com/tag/pomodori/) show approximately what I shoot for, maybe even slightly less. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/24 "2014-09-14T16:54:23Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 1.How much salt are you adding to how much water? > 2. How much of that salt do you think is poured down the drain along with the water? > 3. At the end of the process, how much of a difference do you think the little salt that actually got into the pasta itself effected the taste? I can’t speak from direct experience about pasta, but adding a pinch of salt to the saucepan when you are boiling potatoes, for instance, makes a world of difference to the taste. Yes, most of the salt probably goes down the drain, but it still makes a world of difference. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/25 "2014-09-14T16:56:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I use restrained levels of sauce in my pasta, so it’s more noticeable. The pictures [here](http://www.spaghettifan.com/tag/pomodori/) show approximately what I shoot for, maybe even slightly less. I see pasta as a conveyance for the sauce. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/26 "2014-09-14T18:35:08Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I see pasta as a conveyance for the sauce. 😉 I used to think that way too, but discovered that a bland, minimally salty pasta made a bad conveyer. Adding salty stuff to it didn’t change the bland nature. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/27 "2014-09-14T19:20:18Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I have seen cooking shows where they have thrown in pinches of salt and maybe a spoon or two of salt(if into a big pot), but I have never seen them throw in handfuls. Right. The point is that adding the salt–whatever quantity–_ **during** _ the cooking has a different (and usually preferable) effect from just throwing it on right before you eat. The same applies to the use of soy sauce during Chinese cooking, or fish sauce during Thai cooking. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/28 "2014-09-14T19:30:04Z")
If you are of the opinion (as I am) that you enjoy and want to taste the pasta and you’re sparing with the sauce, you need to salt the water. If you are of the opinion that the pasta is just to carry the sauce and you’re going to drown it in sauce anyway then salting the water becomes significantly less important. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/29 "2014-09-14T19:36:41Z")
Moving to CS. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/30 "2014-09-14T20:14:54Z")
Real Italians would call it gravy in English, not sauce. Some dishes are served cooked in the gravy, but in my own experience, limited to Italian Americans of several generations is that the pasta is served as is, as a separate dish, often preceding the main course. And as the others say, salt is to to improve the flavor just as it is with other dishes.Good quality fresh pasta isn’t that bland, but like most other dishes people prefer adding some salt. I’ll just speculate and say that perhaps salt isn’t added to dried pasta when it’s made because the salt would make it more hydroscopic and make the drying process more difficult or shorten the life of the pasta. When I make fresh pasta salt is included in the recipe so I don’t add salt to the water. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/31 "2014-09-14T20:21:23Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 1.How much salt are you adding to how much water? > 2. How much of that salt do you think is poured down the drain along with the water? > 3. At the end of the process, how much of a difference do you think the little salt that actually got into the pasta itself effected the taste? Note: I don’t finish the pasta in sauce–usually we’re eating spaghetti with homemade marinara, and since different folks like different amounts of sauce, we serve them separately. That said, I can **definitely** tell the difference between salted and unsalted noodles. Unsalted noodles are edible, but much less delicious. I give a good second-long pour of salt into the water before adding the pasta, and it makes a huge difference. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/32 "2014-09-14T20:23:07Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Real Italians would call it gravy in English, not sauce. Not explicitly true. My Father and his parents were FOB and they called it sauce. Most of the Italians I grew up around called it sauce. I’d say it’s about 50/50 - gravy/sauce form speaking to all the “real” Italians I know. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/33 "2014-09-14T20:27:14Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Not explicitly true. My Father and his parents were FOB and they called it sauce. Most of the Italians I grew up around called it sauce. I’d say it’s about 50/50 - gravy/sauce form speaking to all the “real” Italians I know. I can’t say you’re wrong. My experience is that immigrants will mostly call it gravy. Each generation increases the percentage calling it sauce. After all, they’re talking about the same thing, and sauce is the typical American word. ---
**Author:** ![Killing\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/76d3ee/32.png) [@Killing\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Killing_Time)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/34 "2014-09-14T20:47:20Z")
In my opinion, almost all restaurants use way, way too much salt. Salt is a cheap and easy way to mask the lack of flavor in bad food. I use it very sparingly at home, but when I go out, I almost always have the reaction: “Damn, this sure is salty food.” I think the more salt you use, the more you get accustomed to that taste, and the less salty it tastes, and you have to keep using more and more to actually notice it anymore. It also makes you thirsty, and therefore is a great way for restaurants to sell you more drinks, which is where they make their money. ---
**Author:** ![pseudograph](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pseudograph/32/19768_2.png) [@pseudograph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudograph)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/35 "2014-09-14T23:03:57Z")
> [@Killing\_Time](#): > > I think the more salt you use, the more you get accustomed to that taste, and the less salty it tastes, and you have to keep using more and more to actually notice it anymore. It’s like heroine that way. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/36 "2014-09-14T23:09:40Z")
> [@pseudograph](#): > > It’s like heroine that way. Heroines are usually high maintence. I prefer women with less courage. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/37 "2014-09-14T23:24:13Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Real Italians would call it gravy in English, not sauce. Some dishes are served cooked in the gravy, but in my own experience, limited to Italian Americans of several generations is that the pasta is served as is, as a separate dish, often preceding the main course. Agreed with **zoid**. “Sauce = Gravy” is something that some Italian-Americans do and they’ve somehow convinced the world that we all do it. In fact, before reading about it here, I’d never heard of such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/38 "2014-09-14T23:27:27Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Agreed with **zoid**. “Sauce = Gravy” is something that some Italian-Americans do and they’ve somehow convinced the world that we all do it. In fact, before reading about it here, I’d never heard of such a thing. I think it’s also very much a regional thing. I’ve heard it pretty commonly in New York, and semi-commonly in Chicago. I have some OTB Italian friends here in Chicago (from Naples, moved when they were teenagers), and they just call it “sauce” themselves. I associate it more strongly with New York, but also a little bit with Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/39 "2014-09-15T00:19:17Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Not explicitly true. My Father and his parents were FOB and they called it sauce. Most of the Italians I grew up around called it sauce. I’d say it’s about 50/50 - gravy/sauce form speaking to all the “real” Italians I know. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Agreed with **zoid**. “Sauce = Gravy” is something that some Italian-Americans do and they’ve somehow convinced the world that we all do it. In fact, before reading about it here, I’d never heard of such a thing. > [@pulykamell](#): > > I think it’s also very much a regional thing. I’ve heard it pretty commonly in New York, and semi-commonly in Chicago. I have some OTB Italian friends here in Chicago (from Naples, moved when they were teenagers), and they just call it “sauce” themselves. I associate it more strongly with New York, but also a little bit with Chicago. I made an overly exclusive statement, that upon review sounds like a No True Scotsman argument. I apologize, that was not my intent. Most of my experience has been in the Northeast, and that might be the regional factor. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460/40 "2014-09-15T05:57:28Z")
> [@Killing\_Time](#): > > In my opinion, almost all restaurants use way, way too much salt. Salt is a cheap and easy way to mask the lack of flavor in bad food. I use it very sparingly at home, but when I go out, I almost always have the reaction: “Damn, this sure is salty food.” I think the more salt you use, the more you get accustomed to that taste, and the less salty it tastes, and you have to keep using more and more to actually notice it anymore. Agreed. I stopped using the salt shaker years ago though I do add salt in my cooking (except for pasta which I _may_ begin salting). Once I stopped using the salt shaker and started reading packaging I was amazed at how much salt was to be found in soups and anything else in a can. This is the reason that if I can’t find a fresh vegetable I will buy it frozen. If I can’t find it frozen I may buy it in a can but will rinse the hell out of it after opening. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-need-to-salt-the-water-i-cook-my-pasta-in/698460.md?page=3)