The way people salt pasta water is driving me crazy

I was working a dinner shift in Denver last month and the new guy dumped a whole cup of salt into a 5 gallon pot of water. I had to throw out the whole batch. Look, I get that the water should taste like the sea, but not the Dead Sea. For a standard 4 quart pot, I use about 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Measuring helps. Anyone else have a go-to amount or do you just eyeball it?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_allen18d ago

Read somewhere that a chef said it should taste like the ocean.

ramirez.sage18d ago

Oh man, that's one of those chef sayings that actually makes sense once you try it. If your pasta water doesn't taste like a mild sea breeze you're probably undersalting. I go with about a tablespoon of kosher salt per gallon of water, maybe a little more if I'm feeling edgy. It should be salty enough that you notice it but not so much that you're coughing like you got hit by a wave.