Can we talk about the fact that I salted my pasta water wrong for 11 years?

For real, 11 years. I was one of those people who tossed in a tiny pinch at the start because some cooking show said it was "just for flavor." Then a buddy from Naples cooked at my place in March and watched me do it. He grabbed the box of salt and dumped in what looked like half a cup. I almost yelled at him. He said the water should taste like the sea. I tried it. It tasted like the ocean. The pasta came out seasoned all the way through instead of just on the outside. Same box of spaghetti I always buy, same sauce, totally different plate. The tip off was honestly his face. He just stared at my pinch and shook his head like I'd insulted his grandmother. So now I'm wondering what else I've been half doing for a decade. What everyday thing did you find out you'd been getting wrong the whole time, and who finally told you?

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henrygrant10d ago

Eleven years of tiny pinches and the pasta was just sitting there wondering why it bothered showing up. Your Naples friend probably needed a chair after watching that performance. The sea water thing sounds crazy until you try it, then you realize every pot you ever made was basically wet cardboard with sauce on top. My own cooking sins are too many to list here but I did learn the hard way that you salt the water and not the pasta after it cooks.

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