# Why do you put oil in that boiling pot of pasta? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 28, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403 "2021-10-28T17:21:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/1 "2021-10-28T17:21:34Z")
Well? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/2 "2021-10-28T17:22:37Z")
Keeps the pot from overboiling. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/3 "2021-10-28T17:22:52Z")
I thought it was to keep it from sticking together. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/4 "2021-10-28T17:24:23Z")
Aye. . ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/5 "2021-10-28T17:24:37Z")
I don’t, and my pasta neither boils over nor sticks together. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/6 "2021-10-28T17:27:14Z")
I do not, nor do I add salt. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/7 "2021-10-28T17:27:15Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I don’t, and my pasta neither boils over nor sticks together. Yeah, that. I put salt in the water, but never oil. Not sure why you would. It will just sit on top until you dump it out, then the oil is going to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pasta. Just not a good idea in general. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/8 "2021-10-28T17:27:30Z")
I don’t. You shouldn’t either. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/9 "2021-10-28T17:28:54Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I don’t, and my pasta neither boils over nor sticks together. This. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/10 "2021-10-28T17:29:57Z")
This is what I thought. And it does seem to work. I suppose if you’re going to stay in the kitchen with a watchful eye, it’s not necessary though. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/11 "2021-10-28T17:31:08Z")
I do not because it makes it harder for the sauce to stay on the drained pasta. Of course, pasta is good in it’s own right, but is really just a delivery mechanism for sauce. Why mess with that? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/12 "2021-10-28T17:32:12Z")
Most professional chefs that I’ve seen or have read say not to, for the reason @snowthx stated. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/13 "2021-10-28T17:32:52Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > This is what I thought. And it does seem to work. I suppose if you’re going to stay in the kitchen with a watchful eye, it’s not necessary though. I use it in the microwave on one particular dish. Adding the noodles and the sauce and the water fills the bowl just a little too much, so a spray of oil on top keeps me from having another mess to clean up. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/14 "2021-10-28T17:40:42Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > …nor do I add salt. Dietary restriction reasons, I assume. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/15 "2021-10-28T17:44:42Z")
There’s more oil in the sauce than in the correct amount of oil, a few drops IMHO, as boil-over insurance. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/16 "2021-10-28T18:14:16Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Dietary restriction reasons, I assume. Sort of. I have hypertension so in my case lower salt is good. But I also have a weird salt perception. I’m not good at “salting to taste”. A salt grinder is on the table for my gf’s use, and I’ll sometimes ask her to taste what I’m cooking and salt it to her taste. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/17 "2021-10-28T18:20:04Z")
In spite of knowing the downsides, I used to do it to prevent boil-over on an electric stove as reducing the heat to the “boil/but not too much” level took too long. Now that I have induction (and the same would have been true with gas), it’s easy to avoid boil over, so no oil is used. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2021, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/18 "2021-10-28T18:21:12Z")
That’s the only reason to do it. It does work, but I just use a larger cooking vessel, so I don’t need to worry about boiling over. (Or, actually, these days I just start with pasta in a smaller amount of cold water from the beginning and bring it up to a boil until done.) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/19 "2021-10-28T18:22:12Z")
Someone posted years ago that the only use for oil was to keep cooked pasta from sticking to itself. I continue to squirt olive oil into boiling pasta much as some folks throw salt over their shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/20 "2021-10-28T18:28:17Z")
I don’t put oil in the water, nor salt but ater draining I do dribble a little into the hot pasta to help it separate. As long as it is only a little it makes no appreciable difference to sauce adhesion. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403.md?page=2)