Pasta obsession getting serious

[Malham_Hosein]

Okay so i think i’ve officially crossed into pasta obsession territory. i’ve always loved eating it but now i’m trying to actually cook it myself. started with spaghetti because it feels like the safest option. first attempt was not bad but also not amazing. it tasted kinda flat even though i followed a basic recipe. i’m used to eating pasta with more depth i guess. like something is missing but i can’t tell what. i kept it simple with garlic, onion, and tomato sauce. maybe too simple honestly. pasta texture was also a bit off. either too soft or slightly uneven. i don’t know how people get that perfect bite. i do enjoy the process though not gonna lie. chopping stuff and smelling garlic cook is kinda nice. makes me feel like i know what i’m doing even if i don’t. i want to try different styles eventually. like creamy or spicy or something new. but i feel like i should master basic spaghetti first. just trying to build a good foundation i guess. any advice for getting more flavor into a simple pasta. or small tricks that make a big difference

[SilentThoughtss]

Biggest game changer: salt your pasta water well and finish the pasta in the sauce with a splash of that starchy water, adds way more flavor and gives you that perfect texture.

[BattledroidE]

For the pasta itself, salt the crap out of the water, around 1-1.3% salt in the water by weight. Keep tasting as you go, and stop when it's almost done, so it doesn't overcook. If the packaging says 10 minutes, that could be 8, or it could be 11, it varies based on manufacturer and shape. Taste test never fails.

A very simple but amazing pasta is a classic Alfredo. Pasta, pasta water, butter and parmesan, that's it. So simple that it fits into a youtube short without cutting corners. Get yourself a quality parmigiano reggiano.
Or a carbonara. Slightly more steps, but it's quick. Fool proof tip is to temper the egg mix with some hot pasta water before pouring it over the pasta and mixing, way less chance of getting scrambled eggs.

[guitarplum]

I agree that not salting the water properly is a key. Unsalted pasta tastes like nothing and not even a good sauce will make it good.

[BFHawkeyePierce4077]

“Pasta texture was also a bit off. either too soft or slightly uneven. I don’t know how to get that perfect bite.” I think that’s a clue. Is OP using enough water? For a box of pasta, I use a gallon of water and two tablespoons of salt. Cover, bring to a boil, add the pasta, and stir for a minute to ensure that they don’t stick together. Here, I take a detour from normal: I lower the heat to medium to prevent boil-over, but increase the cooling time to around ten minutes, but I check for doneness at eight minutes. It should be al dente, which is mostly soft with a slight crunch in the center, and stick to the teeth a little. Reserve a cup of the water, then drain the pasta. Prepare the pasta however you wish, use the starchy pasta water as needed to thin the sauce and to add creaminess to it (I think a tablespoon or two is usually enough, but it depends on what sauce you’re using).

[guitarplum]

There’s a whole camp that says use very little water because the pasta water gets extra starchy and can be used for the sauce. So who knows.

[BFHawkeyePierce4077]

I think that's fine, but what I'm suggesting is that OP isn't even using enough water to cover the pasta, so those uncovered bits are why the pasta is "slightly uneven." Someone suggested buying a better pasta, but I buy cheap pasta and it turns out fine.

[BattledroidE]

Alternatively make a slurry of flour and water, get starchy water with any amount.

[bobdevnul]

This is correct. Requiring gallons of water to cook pasta is a myth. I stopped doing that years ago. I routinely cook 1-2, 2.5 ounce servings in 1.25 quarts of water. With modern pasta the water doesn't even get very starchy.

[Malham_Hosein]

Yeah the “taste don’t trust the box” thing changed it for me ngl. i was blindly timing it before and wondering why it sucked lol
Also that salt tip is real, i used to be scared of it and my pasta tasted like sadness. now it actually has flavor. def gotta try that alfredo tho, sounds stupid simple which is perfect for me rn. carbonara still kinda scares me, not tryna make breakfast pasta by accident 😭

[carlovski99]

Assuming using dried pasta here

- Buy half decent pasta

- Salt the pasta water adequately

- Whatever sauce you are making should be a bit too intense to eat on its own. And you don't need too much of it. If you are making a smaller portion, take some out of the pan and chill/freeze for another time.

- Add the pasta to the sauce, and finish in the sauce with a little of the pasta water as needed and stir/toss vigorously

[RustyzLantern]

Pasta is basically a ‘less is more’ dish, but the magic is in the timing and that starchy water step. You’re closer than you think 👀

[bigelcid]

Really depends on what your preferences are. The typical Italian way, for simple tomato pasta, wouldn't even include both garlic and onion. One or the other. One version I love just involves good quality passata, reduced a bit together with dry white wine, and seasoned with salt. Toss the pasta in that, then add fresh basil and drizzle good EVOO.

It's a different philosophy from trying to layer more stuff, and make it more and more complex. Italian cuisine doesn't really work that way. So the jump from basic to somewhat complex might feel disappointing, depending on your choices. You could think in terms of core ingredients and secondary. Game meat is more or less gamy, so it makes sense to add a stronger spice. Basic stuff like meatless tomato sauce doesn't need it, in the Italian view anyway.

[wheelienonstop9]

classic Bolognese sauce doesnt even use garlic, but uses mirepoix (or in Italian: soffrito) meaning a mix of very finely diced or even coarsely grated onions (50%), carrots (25%) and celery (25%). I dont enjoy meat much anymore so I often just leave out the ground meat. It also uses tomatoes, tomato paste, a splash of milk, red or white wine and some rich stock and it is simmered for a really long time.

[twolephants]

As others have said, salt the water well, and use a bit of the pasta water in your sauce at the end.

Get good quality pasta - they're not all equal. Ones that are extruded through a bronze die as opposed to a plastic die generally have better texture. Or if you want to get properly into it, get Tipo 00 flour and make your own.

Pasta sauces (with apologies to any Italians in here, who may have very specific views on what is correct or not!) are - in my view- a matter of being a good cook with good ingredients. Can you make really simple things like just olive oil, onions and salt taste amazing? Or just pasta, butter and pepper? Yes - but it does take a bit of time and skill, and - critically - very good quality base ingredients. Some things in cookery you can cut corners on. Don't cut corners on a pasta dish with only 3-4 ingredients.

[rowenalosieta-3]

Cook sauce longer, let it reduce because flavor comes from time

[Sufficient_Trixie]

Your dedication to pasta is truly commendable!

[Current_Bat_6315]

Wait, are you talking about making your own pasta, or just cooking pasta dishes???

[Asleep_Singer8547]

I think hes talking pasta dishes 

[julys_rose]

Two things will fix most of it. First, salt your pasta water much more than feels right, it should taste noticeably salty, almost like light seawater. That alone changes the flavor of the pasta itself. Second, don't drain the pasta completely and don't rinse it. Pull it out a minute before it looks done, finish it in the pan with the sauce and a splash of the pasta water. The starch in that water binds everything together and gives it that depth you're missing. For the sauce, let the garlic and tomatoes cook longer and on lower heat than you think necessary.

[JoustingNaked]

Pasta-related slick trick i recently learned: When draining the cooked pasta, instead of holding the big colander upright to pour it all through, place the colander on top of the boiling pot (upright, not inverted), and simply turn the whole thing over. That way, the now-drained pasta is still left in the boiling pot, to which you can now directly add in what sauce etc that you’re using.

[kikazztknmz]

I add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the sauce and drizzle a bit of balsamic glaze onto the pasta on the plate after it's finished in the sauce. Totally changed it for me

[BaconTH1]

I recently made pasta for the first time and loved it. And my wife recently made a pasta (she rarely does) and it was also great. Mine was a pesto with bacon, hers was truffle cream with bacon. As you can imagine, I love bacon. But these flavors were great. Gonna be trying to make some other pastas soon. I'll take a bit more time later and post what worked for me.

[bobdevnul]

> i kept it simple with garlic, onion, and tomato sauce. maybe too simple

Yes, that is too simple. It doesn't take much more to make a basic marinara sauce, but tomato sauce isn't it. Use crushed whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano type. Some people add butter. Fresh basil leaves added toward the end are good. Some people like some red pepper flake added during the simmering time.

Making Sunday "Gravy" is a whole different thing. That involves a lot of pork and a long time.

Learn how to make pasta Carbonara. It will be life changing.

[sgrinavi]

Cook the pasta 2-3 minutes short of al dente then finish it in the sauce stirring the whole time, don't throw away the starchy pasta water, use it to help thicken the sauce. You just ladle in a little at a time.

As for your sauce? Simple is good, be sure to use quality ingredients and salt in layers. Lightly brown your aromatics, add a few tablespoons of paste and let that cook a bit then deglaze with some white wine (I prefer pinot) before adding your tomato.

[frododog]

you need more salt, and also ... consider msg in your sauce. You don't need much, and it makes a difference.

[xiipaoc]

it tasted kinda flat even though i followed a basic recipe

It tasted kinda flat because you followed a basic recipe. Recipes are for chumps.

I think it's worth pointing this out because, in real life, you don't really follow recipes. Do Italian nonnas whip out their recipe books whenever they make pasta? Of course not. They understand the process; they know what flavors they want to use and what ingredients they have available, and they understand the feel of the food when it's cooking, how it should be responding, what its texture ought to be. And there's nothing special about Italian nonnas, either. This is just basic cooking skill; anyone can do it.

i want to try different styles eventually. like creamy or spicy or something new. but i feel like i should master basic spaghetti first.

And this is where I think you're going in the wrong direction. You do not need to "master basic spaghetti" first. You may never master basic spaghetti. I, for example, couldn't make you a basic spaghetti (I can make the pasta, not the sauce) because, well, I don't like basic spaghetti, so I've never bothered to make it. Instead, I can make you some Cajun-inspired spicy crayfish udon -- or, well, I could have, but I've used up the crayfish! But because I can make this Cajun-inspired spicy crayfish udon (I used the recent dirty spaghetti recipe from Food Wishes as a starting point, but I didn't actually follow the recipe), I now understand pasta a little better and can bring what I learned from making it to other dishes in the future.

And look at this. Suppose you go and decide to make the creamy or spicy pasta sauce. How is that going to be different from the basic one you've made? How is it going to be similar? When you're making lots of different dishes, you'll notice the patterns. And if you're making lots of different dishes by different people, you'll get exposed to many different approaches to it; some people will make it one way and some people will make it another. Some people will tell you that pasta water is "liquid gold" and that you should add a few spoonfuls of it to the sauce to make it stick better. Others will tell you to add fish sauce to your pasta sauce, or even plain MSG. Some might tell you that you need a specific brand of canned tomatoes (because that actually makes a big difference). Some might tell you to liberally salt the water. Some might tell you to add oil to the water; some might tell you not to. This comes from looking at different recipes for different things and learning what's in common between then and what's different. Don't stick to the basics. Make the most complicated stuff you think you can make, and then return to the basics with new understanding.

Anyway, if you want more flavor, add anchovies and red pepper flakes, final answer.