# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/63 "2022-03-18T01:48:43Z")
A trick I recently invented is adding Provencal herbed garlic butter when reheating leftover spaghetti (in my case, I always make the thinner spaghettini). As I noted in the poll, I usually plate the spaghetti and add sauce over the top, then any sauteed mushrooms and then parmesan. But leftovers really require that the spaghetti be mixed with the sauce, which I do in a casserole dish and then cover and refrigerate. I found that adding a few pats of Provencal garlic butter just before reheating leftovers in the microwave gives it a touch of the rich tang of Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. ETA: The principle here – and spaghetti is a good example – is that many Italian dishes are beautifully enhanced by garlic butter. This is the stuff I’m talking about – essential for sauteeing mushrooms: > **[Lactantia® Garlic Butter](https://lactantia.ca/food_product/provencal-garlic-butter/)** > > Make the ultimate garlic bread or add some extra flavour to your favourite dishes with Lactantia® Garlic Butter. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/64 "2022-03-18T01:56:28Z")
Kenji’s the man. You know how many years it took me to learn “dried herbs up front, fresh herbs at the end”? An embarrassing number. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/65 "2022-03-18T01:58:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > A small amount of pasta water not only helps thicken the sauce, but also makes it smoother. Interesting; I’ll have to try that. I usually thicken with cheese. > [@pulykamell](#): > > If I make too much sauce (which I often do), I just spoon off the amount I need for the pasta I’m making. Awhile back I heard some chef on the radio saying that if you came to his restaurant, no, you can’t have it your way. He’s the chef, not you. You wouldn’t tell Van Gogh how to paint The Starry Night, would you? Trust him to prepare something delicious or stay at home and fix it yourself. I imagine in a lot of families, here’s the food (and you get used to what’s served to you and it seems “correct” or whatever). And if you visit the dish’s home country…well, here’s how they serve it in Italy. Italians come here and visit an Italian eatery and what’s this heresy? It seems “right” to me that they aren’t combined. We always kept the two separate and each person chose how much of each. My mom would sometimes get some noodles and put some margarine on them, no sauce. She’d also eat a pancake with no syrup—I think she wanted to avoid overpowering it, to taste what’s underneath so to speak. Others would add more toppings as their tastes dictated. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/66 "2022-03-18T02:00:03Z")
The ease and accessibility of great culinary instructional videos out there today is astounding. It is so much easier researching a recipe, seeing technique, and researching recipes and how-tos from their place of origin. Serious Eats is almost always my first stop whenever I want to learn a new recipe or just browse for cooking techniques to fill in the blanks in my skillset. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/67 "2022-03-18T02:02:56Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > It seems “right” to me that they aren’t combined. We always kept the two separate and each person chose how much of each. My mom would sometimes get some noodles and put some margarine on them, no sauce. She’d also eat a pancake with no syrup—I think she wanted to avoid overpowering it, to taste what’s underneath so to speak. Others would add more toppings as their tastes dictated. I typically sauce it for the adults, and for the kids I leave it separate for them to decide if they want sauce or not (quite often, they just want plain pasta and parmesan cheese. I’ve tried sneaking domestic and Argentinian "parmesan"s past them, but no go. It has to be parmigiano reggiano, though I have found a Lithuanian cheese of all things whose name I forget that they found has a similar amount of salt, umami, and nuttiness that is acceptable to them.) To me, though, the pasta and sauce do taste much more incorporated when they are cooked together for a little bit at the end, and the sauce better coats and flavors the pasta. But do it whatever way works for you, of course. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/68 "2022-03-18T02:04:23Z")
Yeah, Youtube has become an amazing repository of music and instructional videos for nearly anything you can think of. I especially like the cooking technique videos from great (but humble) chefs, like Jacques Pepin. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/69 "2022-03-18T02:05:09Z")
His simple French omelet video two ways is a beauty to watch (one the traditional way, another “country-style” that is perhaps more like scrambled eggs.) What a wonderful chef and gentle personality. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/70 "2022-03-18T02:07:28Z")
Yeah, seen that one and I emulate his technique for my own omelets. As for saucing, it kinda depends. If the sauce has shrimp in it, it really doesn’t work to mix it with the pasta, as the shrimp sinks to the bottom. So I remove them and put them on top of the pasta that’s been mixed with the rest of the sauce. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/71 "2022-03-18T02:08:16Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Awhile back I heard some chef on the radio saying that if you came to his restaurant, no, you can’t have it your way. He’s the chef, not you. You wouldn’t tell Van Gogh how to paint The Starry Night, would you? Yeah I’m no master chef. In my house people can have it their way. They plate according to the ratio they like. They like to grate the cheese on first and then the sauce? Fine. I’m not cooking for myself alone. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/72 "2022-03-18T02:11:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > But do it whatever way works for you, of course. I caught a tip in SDMB earlier about putting some baking soda on a steak to make it more tender. I googled it and yep, you can do that. Another suggestion said use some water with baking soda dissolved in it. I hear some people caramelize onions with baking soda, so apparently I’m doing it wrong. Point being, there’s always more to learn. When I can’t quite emulate what I get in a restaurant, maybe this is why. There’s always a tradeoff of course, but I look at it like, “Maybe try this?” ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/73 "2022-03-18T02:11:41Z")
One other thing I’ll add to this thread that I’ve mentioned elsewhere. There is no need to use a huge pot and a gallon of water, bring it to a boil and then dump in the pasta. Pasta cooks just fine _and will never stick_ if you cook it in an appropriately-sized frying pan. Start with cold water in the pan. Put the pasta in the cold water, then turn on the heat, let it come to a boil and cook for the recommended time. This has the added benefit of concentrating the pasta starch in the water for adding to your sauce later. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/74 "2022-03-18T12:52:30Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > You’ve cooked your noodles and prepared your sauce for it. What now? Depends on what I’m making and for whom. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/75 "2022-03-18T13:42:57Z")
Great video, but he’s breaking 2 bedrock kitchen rules - always wear shoes when using a big knife, and always wear a shirt when boiling anything. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/76 "2022-03-18T14:18:01Z")
It’s a COVID late night video. I’ll cut him some slack. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/77 "2022-03-18T18:39:22Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Great video, but he’s breaking 2 bedrock kitchen rules - always wear shoes when using a big knife, and always wear a shirt when boiling anything. #3 Don’t fry bacon while nude. [Why yes, I do have personal experience] ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/78 "2022-03-19T02:22:26Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > I hear some people caramelize onions with baking soda, so apparently I’m doing it wrong. I tried this (as I heard it was “faster”) and ended with a vaguely onion-flavored paste. It was brown, I’ll give it that… I’ll stick with my tried and true method, too much butter, a pinch of salt, and plenty of time. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2022, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/79 "2022-03-19T02:31:05Z")
I just do it over max heat. It requires full attention though and some water on hand to keep from burning. But you can caramelize onions satisfactorily within 15 minutes this way. In the oven slowly is the easiest and best for doing a whole mess of onions where you don’t want to stand over and babysit them. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2022, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/80 "2022-03-19T02:35:07Z")
I’ve been doing it sous vide. Google for various methods, I do high heat for 24 hours, sliced onions in a bag with a bit of beer. 15 minute sauté then. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2022, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/81 "2022-03-19T02:52:32Z")
You and your sous vide. 🙂 For all the foodie that I am, I’ve never gone down that road. But I did buy my brother an Anova sous vide thingie for his birthday years ago, and he’s gone seriously nuts with it. Every year for St. Patrick’s Day he corns his own beef and sous vides it for I believe 36 hours. It’s some fantastic stuff. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403/82 "2022-03-19T03:21:12Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > There is no need to use a huge pot and a gallon of water, bring it to a boil and then dump in the pasta. Pasta cooks just fine _and will never stick_ if you cook it in an appropriately-sized frying pan. Start with cold water in the pan. Put the pasta in the cold water, then turn on the heat, let it come to a boil and cook for the recommended time. To clarify… I don’t make pasta (I buy the dried stuff on the supermarket shelf). Does your advice apply to that sort, time-wise? Let’s say the water takes 5 minutes to boil. Start the cook time after that 5 minutes? > [@Kron](#): > > I tried this (as I heard it was “faster”) and ended with a vaguely onion-flavored paste. > > It was brown, I’ll give it that… Brown, yes…Alton Brown. I haven’t tried the recipe below and I don’t use dark brown sugar. I just cook them a lot with some oil and salt. But I wondered how baking soda would help. > **[Onion Dip From Scratch Recipe | Green Onion Dip Recipe | Alton Brown](https://altonbrown.com/recipes/onion-dip-from-scratch/)** > > Made from caramelized onions, sour cream, and mayonnaise, Alton Brown's Onion Dip from Scratch recipe is easy and better than store-bought. Try it out! > [@pulykamell](#): > > In the oven slowly is the easiest and best for doing a whole mess of onions where you don’t want to stand over and babysit them. I’ve also used the crock pot. > [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve been doing it sous vide. Google for various methods, I do high heat for 24 hours, sliced onions in a bag with a bit of beer. 15 minute sauté then. High heat=165F or…? Sounds interesting, but 24 hours? Wow. I may give that a try as well. > [@pulykamell](#): > > You and your sous vide. 🙂 For all the foodie that I am, I’ve never gone down that road. I’d recommend…we’ve had some good luck with ours. Mrs. L really likes the egg bite things from Starbucks and elsewhere, so she got a bunch of little mason jars and made her own. It was much cheaper plus you controlled what went in etc. That worked great until the mason jar rings etc. started rusting. A few years ago, Mrs. L’s coworker brought us some bear meat. I read up on it and it said that if bear is undercooked, you can get trichinosis. But it’s easy to overcook it. I would think for things with that small window of acceptable temps, the sous vide would be ideal (but we didn’t own one at the time, so we had some overcooked bear). I imagine that another application would be seafood. I don’t eat much of it but I hear it’s easy to overcook. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-put-oil-in-that-boiling-pot-of-pasta/953403.md?page=5)