cook to al dente and rinse; reserving some cooking water. separate spaghetti into strands [for indiv portions] on a sheet pan with wax paper and let cool. cook for 2 minutes in some of the reserved spaghetti water and top with your fixins.

or use an instant pot and search for instrux.

a pound of spahgetti is allegedly 8 servings ....

Do any of you put oil in the pasta water?

no ... toppings don't adhere well ... but I use VERY salty water [like seawater]

Stir? I use a small pot, just water, ease the spagetti in as it softens so it doesn't break, and stir until it floats around happily. Dump in a colander and run cool water, lifting and flipping to separate and expose, if it's not going right into a pan with sauce. I do buy the good stuff, though—brass die cut, special flour, etc.— very textured, which might be the real trick. It doesn't shed a lot of starch, either, so no using pasta water to thicken the sauce.

What is the spaghetti intended for? Immediate eating? Cold eating? Reheating,?

I‘ve had this happen more than once or twice. I hate it, and actively avoid. Use plenty of water so it can move, then stir and break up with tongs at the beginning of cooking until the water is back to a full boil.

This is also a leading reason that I #gasp# break spaghetti in half. This way I can drop it in in a starburst shape and it’s less able to stick together. A wide-based pot would work just as well, if this offende la propria sensibilità.

I've not come across that or have ever witnessed a 'gloop' of noodles in a lifetime of cooking all types of noodles.

All i can think of is your water is not hot enough. You don't need a ton of water. But it needs to be rapidly boiling. Adding the pasta will cool it down a bit but will quickly come up to a rapid boil. Stir with a big wooden spoon. Cook to one or two minutes shy of the package directions. Take out a noodle and check it by cutting it. The core should be all one color. If adding to sauce, cook slightly underdone, (al-dente).

If the water is not at a rapid boil, the pasta will sink to the bottom and 'clump'. A rapid boil and a quick stir will keep the noodles active and moving.

No need to keep stiring but do make sure it comes back up to a lively boil. Just stir once or twice during the cooking time.

No oil, 'brakish' salted water, not sea water, (too salty for us). Do not rinse under water.

Place a small soup bowl in the sink under your strainer to catch some of the pasta water. I have a wide shallow bowl that my collander nests into holding it upright.

I thought bronze dye pasta is starchier due to the rough surface. Pretty sure it is.

Have sauce and the rest of the meal ready before starting your pasta.

Add your still hot and wet pasta to your sauce asap and toss/stir. Don't let the pasta sit around.

Bronze dye pasta will absorb some sauce and flavor it. Really holds onto the sauce. Cheaper pasta has a hard slick surface. It is easier to produce moving so fast through the extruder. Then quick dried.

Bronze dye pasta runs slower through the extruder and dried much slower. It has a slightly rough surface like sandpaper. Doesn't have to be expensive. One of our favorites is 9$ for 4 one pound packages. That is 24 servings for 9$.

We cook a 1/3rd a pound at a time. 2 servings with a bit of leftovers for a next day lunch snack.

One exception to using oil is setting aside to add to soups a few minutes befor serving. Restaurants do that so the pasta does not sit in the broth and turn to mush.

Recently came across a good arguement for a certain pasta dish that does rinse under water but can't remember what it was.

An alternative method which saves fuel is as follows. Bring plenty of water to the boil.(I've never noticed a difference between salted or unsalted.) Add the pasta and stir a little to separate. Bring the water back to the boil and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and put the lid on the pan. Leave for 8 minutes. The result is perfect al dente pasta. I always serve immediately so I neither rinse nor cool.

The picture looks as if he put in a whole wodge of pasta and left it in less than boiling water for much too long.

I always stir with a fork after putting the dry pasta in the water.

Having grown up with a Sicilian grandmother, I was taught the proper pasta technique while I was still in knee pants. Get the water boiling. Add some olive oil and salt. One box of spaghetti feeds four people. Even if it's just the two of us, I make the whole box. You can always use the leftovers for carbonara the next day. Never break or bend the pasta, it will bend on its own. Stir constantly until it does, then lower the heat and boil the pasta as recommended until finished.

I've never noticed a difference between salted or unsalted.

Beyond the instructions on the box, I’ve seen so many cooking show judges knit their brows and ask, “Did you salt the pasta water?” that I assumed it made a difference.

In my kitchen it would rarely be noticed, as pasta is a textural filler for gobs of something, a supporting actor. I’ve also consciously lowered my sodium intake, both for health reasons and for what I perceive to be enhanced food enjoyment, so generally no need to add salt where I don’t specifically taste it.

But anyway, this comment caught my eye. So I boiled a few pieces of fusilli in two pots, one generously salted and the other not. After cooking, I rinsed both batches so that residual salt water wouldn’t affect taste, and performed blind taste tests with my kids. None of us could notice any difference.

This leads me to guess that what the cooking judges are missing is a seasoned surface which, unless the pasta is drenched in sauce in an unmannerly fashion as I do, would indeed be noticed and could be achieved effectively and evenly with residual cooking water. As long as you don’t rinse!

S, I think starchiness is from the kind of flour. Also if the pasta has loose flour clinging to it. I've rarely had the latter, though I'm sure more loose flour would cling to rough pasta.

FOAS, thanks for the experiment. I only rinse pasta if it's not going straight in sauce. Trial and error, it keeps best if rinsed and cooled. I do always drain well. I used to salt the water, but I found no benefit to it. I used to use more water, but cut back during drought, and found a few stirs in a small pot worked just as well as wasted gallons.

There's no ”right” way, except what works for you.

Those gobs are the result of not stirring the pasta adequately just after adding it to boiling water. Has happened to me on occasion. Using one of those multiprong pasta servers works nicely for stirring it.

A broad bottom pot also helps. You don't really need gallons of water to cook spaghetti. I like to use my Analon 12" multi purpose saute/ frying pan for pasta when it isn't being used for the sauce. Boil water, add pasta, stir, return to boil, cover pan, turn off heat.

I have tried the salted water. cannot tell the difference. We prefer to add what salt each of us wants. I prefer more, he likes very little. I NEVER salt the pasta water anymore!

Supply chain issue. Faulty supplies happen more often nowadays. Had to return a box of ice cream last week. The store agreed and shocked at the quality of that box.

Don't blame yourself. Buy a different brand.

dcarch

Think of the glops as ad-libbed tamales. Hubby is a genius!

So Sooz, what did he do?

Salted boiling water. No oil! Stir frequently till al dente. Save a little pasta water just in case it's needed. Don't rinse unless you're making a pasta salad -- something I never do.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/09/15/should-you-rinse-pasta-after-cooking/

Sooz, just curious what brand of pasta that was? Lot of good advice here, including adding the pasta to boiling water and immediately stirring to separate. I do salt the water but never add oil.

I never rinse the pasta for a warm dish but do for cold, or if not using it right away. As already mentioned, start checking for al dente 2-3 minutes before the suggested cooking time. No glops!

”There's no ”right” way, except what works for you.”

Agree!

No time to read all the comments right now, so skipped down to say that it looks both overcooked and unstirred. Also hot overcooked pasta will wind up sticking together if it's sitting for awhile. You can toss it with a little oil after draining and rinsing to reduce the chance of that.

Apologies if I'm repeating anything...

And then, there's .. Assassin's spaghetti [Spaghetti all'assassina].

Oil and stirring pretty early on. Like, the moment it all is in the water and bendable.

It does look unstirred. Even using the boiling water method, you have to stir it to make sure it does not stick together. I do the cold water method- always salted and never oil in the water. Oil, saucing, or water holding I do after the cooking and draining.

Somewhere (here?) I read of a method to add the spaghetti to boiling water, cover, turn off the heat. Let it sit until done. It is perfect every time, no sticking, no boiling over. Never mushy. I don't do it any other way now.

Why should you "never oil the water"? I certainly don't have clumping? What's the issue?

If you add oil to the water it can prevent the sauce from sticking to the pasta.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/your-ten-step-guide-to-perfect-pasta-946855/

Judi, there's oil in the sauce. The oil in the water helps the pasta from sticking to itself.

No, stirring the pasta is what prevents it from sticking.

4. Do not put oil in the pot.

As Italian American chef Lidia Bastianich advised, never add oil to your pasta water. While some people believe it keeps pasta from sticking together, oil can clog the pasta’s starchy pores and make it slick, preventing sauce from sticking. And since oil is less dense than water, it doesn’t absorb. Instead, it rests as a slick layer atop the water, waiting to freshly coat the pasta as it’s poured out and drained.

I suspect there’s little validity either side of the argument. Yes the oil floats which means it’ll be poured off first, before it has time to affect the surface of the pasta. A billion nonna’s can’t be ruining their pasta but I doubt they’re helping it, either. If my Sicilian grandparents used oil, I know I would as well!

It just depends on what works for you. I don’t have a need for oil in the water due to stirring well after adding the pasta, and occasional stirring after that. There’s usually at least some oil (or butter) in the sauce. I don’t have a need to add more to the pasta water. I know it works for some. I’ve seen Ina G add oil to her water.

ETA - Here’s some pro info for adding oil. Still no need IMO.

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/oil-in-pasta-water#:~:text=And%20no%2C%20the%20oil%20doesn,simply%20emulsified%20into%20the%20sauce.

If my Sicilian grandparents used oil, I know I would as well!

My Italian MIL taught me to make Pasta e Fagioli. At first I followed her directions to a tee, but over the years I've improved on it. My husband will tell you the same. He should know; he's eaten it all his life.

I don’t have a need for oil in the water due to stirring well after adding the pasta, and occasional stirring after that.

And controlling the heat. When the water returns to a boil after adding the pasta I monitor it, lowering the heat to keep it at a reasonable boil. Boil overs as mentioned in that BA link are never an issue.

Of course he will. You’re still alive and the one he’s stuck with. 😉

After I drain the pasta And put back in the pot, THAT is when I add a little olive oil, if needed.

No Italian Nona, just Southern grandma sense.

“Boil overs as mentioned in that BA link are never an issue.”

Right…easy to prevent.

Olychick, that's how my mother taught me to cook rice--boil and set aside. I think it was Russ Parsons who said to boil rice in a big pot of water like pasta and scoop it out with a strainer.

Wellllll, I’m not sure what he did except he probably didn’t use oil or salt … and my best guess is that what he used was from Trader Joe because that’s usually where we buy spaghetti.

Thanks!!

Smiles,

Sooz

I've never used oil in the water and also never had an issue with the pasta sticking together. Why waste good, expensive oil?

I suspect the reason for salting the water is not so much to flavour the pasta as to raise the boiling point of the water a little. But you do need to stir it a few times at least when you've first put the spaghetti in the pot to be sure it separates, or it will stick together in clumps as in your picture. And that also looks way overcooked.

I agree on not bothering to put oil in the water. The Italian son in law and the rest of the Italian relations don't do it. Cooking pasta is really not that difficult. I always used to simply boil it, with excellent results, but now I do the turning off lidded method I mentioned above since I heard of it a while ago. It's absolutely foolproof and saves energy. I always serve pasta immediately, never reheated and never cold, so clumping under those so circumstances isn't within my experience. 75gr (2.6oz) per head or 100gr per head for very hungry big eaters.

Floral, I think if anyone ever tries the turning off heat/lid on method and sees how perfect the spaghetti turns out, they'd never boil again! I was amazed at how easy it is and also that it never overcooks, so it doesn't have to be watched as closely.

Yes. I was sceptical when I first read it. I thought the pasta would go soggy sitting in hot water. But it doesn't.

FWIW, I usually lower the heat a bit once the water returns to a boil - just enough to make it bubble rather than boil hard.

And I add nether salt nor oil to the water - oil makes a mess, IMPE. I cook a few minutes past al dente too - I like my pasta a bit softer.

Was that angel hair pasta? It looks like it - that kind cooks much more quickly than most shapes. so much easier to overcook.

“I usually lower the heat a bit once the water returns to a boil - just enough to make it bubble rather than boil hard.”

Same here…and occasionally stir.👍🏻

“…and my best guess is that what he used was from Trader Joe…”

Just guessing it was from a lack of stirring and over cooking, especially if you’ve used TJ’s spaghetti before with no problem.

Thanks to the ones who posted about the bringing to a boil and then turning off and let set. I just used it and it worked great on macaroni. I did not have to watch, except for the first few minutes!

Interesting to know Sherry. I've only used it for spaghetti. I don't cook macaroni often, but I'll remember to try this method when I do.

I use it for any pasta, except, of course orzo, which isn't cooked separately anyway.

Link: 5 Smart Tips for Cooking Better Pasta We all make mistakes when we're cooking pasta, from undersalting to overcooking. Here's how to make perfect pasta every time.

I haven't tried the turn off the heat and cover method, but I will in the future. I also allow 1/3 pound for two servings, so that I get six servings of dried pasta from one pound, or 2.67 oz, or 75 grams per person, and I weigh the pasta before cooking it.

I never add salt to the water and especially never add oil. When I make fresh pasta, I add salt to the pasta dough. I agree with Colleen that the reason to add salt to the water is to raise the boiling temperature, but I still do not find it necessary or even helpful - just a waste of salt. In fact, I really do not mind adding a bit of salt to a pasta dish at the table, if necessary, but usually the sauce has enough salt in it, especially if it is pesto. I generally prefer food to be undersalted, as I have an aversion to salt.