"Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
...
> Michael Horowitz wrote:
>> 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're talking about adding oil to the cooking water. There are
> several discussion points about it, all false.
>
> 1) it prevents pastas from sticking together.
> 2) it prevents sauces from sticking to the cooked pasta.
>
> The only thing that keeps pasta from sticking together is turbulence.
> Rapidly boiling water and reasonably frequent stirring. Oil in the water
> won't stick to the pasta and, since it's lighter than water, will float
> out of the pot with the first pourings.
>
> Putting butter or oil on the cooked pasta absolutely won't keep sauce from
> sticking. But it will keep the pasta from sticking together. And it adds a
> nice flavor note to the dish. Both in my restaurants where we literally
> served tons of pasta over the years, and at home, I've cooked it, drained
> it and tossed with oil for holding. Both my Italian grandmothers did it
> that way. Cook, drain, toss with oil, sauce. Or rather, my Sicilian
> grandmother tossed it with olive oil and my northern Italian grandmother
> used butter. At home nowadays I use butter.
>
> I tested the whole thing years - decades - ago and then have repeated the
> tests for the cooking classes I've taught. Everyone had these theories
> before we tried it. BOOM go the theories...
>
> The only thing that oil in the cooking water will do is suppress foaming.
> But so will turning the heat down a tiny bit to moderate the boil.
>
> Conclusions:
> 1) there's no good reason to put oil in the cooking water.
> 2) there's a good reason to toss the pasta (any kind) with a little oil or
> butter after draining.
>
> Pastorio

My mother-in-law has always cooked spaghetti (not angel hair) by covering
the pot when it boils and turning off the heat. I have done that myself and
it works -- I prefer #9.
Dee