"Michael Horowitz" > wrote in message
...
> Recipes for making pasta vary - some say use oil, others don't mention
> it.
> Why or why not is oil used? - Mike
>

I assume you mean in the cooking water, not in the pasta itself. The
supposed reason for putting a little oil in the water is to coat the pasta
and prevent it from sticking together. But it will also prevent many sauces
from adhering to the pasta, and is a bad idea for that reason. Anyway, good
quality pasta properly cooked will not stick if used properly. The idea of
putting a pile of plain pasta on a plate and then ladling sauce over it
would seem strange to most Italians. Much better to mix the pasta as soon as
it is drained with some sauce. THis keeps it from sticking and lets the
flavor penetrate. Then plate it and add more sauce if desired.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.