Totally Elevate Your Pasta Water By Upping The Starch
If you're a pasta lover, then you probably already know the enormous benefits of saving your pasta water — you know, the water in which pasta has been cooked — to use in other dishes. Pasta water is having a moment on social media right now because it's akin to liquid gold for at-home chefs and foodies. This is because the starch released from the pasta during the cooking process gives the water a thicker consistency, with more starchiness, making it a useful ingredient for many recipes. You can create savory sauces, creamy soups, and even glazes for vegetables with this free and easy-to-use liquid.
To reap the benefits of pasta water, all you have to do is drain it into a bowl or pot after boiling your pasta, then use it in whatever dishes you're making. If you really want to elevate your pasta water, though, you should add more starch to it. It isn't difficult to do and it allows you to bring a richer flavor to the meals you are making.
Upping the starch to up its usefulness
Pasta is typically made from durum wheat flour, also known as semolina flour. This type of flour is high in protein and gluten, which gives pasta its characteristic chewy texture and allows it to hold its shape during cooking. Semolina flour has a slightly coarser texture than all-purpose flour, which makes it ideal for dishes that require a firmer texture, such as pasta. It also produces a high amount of starch when it's cooked.
When using semolina flour as a thickener, you can add it to boiling water before you cook the pasta. Just bring the water to a boil, add the flour, and stir. Then, allow the water to come back to a boil and add your pasta. Cook it as you normally would, then reserve the pasta water. If this is your first time adding semolina flour to your pasta water, be sure to add just a little bit at a time so that you don't overdo it. Semolina flour will have a grainy texture and if you add too much, it can ruin your pasta water. You will want to test the first few batches to make sure you add just the right amount for what you are trying to achieve.
Using and storing thickened pasta water
The added starch in this pasta water can give you even thicker and creamier sauces and soup bases than regular pasta water, because the added starch acts as a binding agent for your other ingredients. This water is versatile and you can use it with any type of sauce or soup, whether it's an oil, butter, or tomato base. You can also pour it in stir fries to create a sauce that coats the vegetables and meat, adding more flavor and body to the dish, or add a silky texture to vegetables or beans by boiling them in the water.
Pasta water, like any food or liquid, can spoil if left out at room temperature for too long. If you're planning to use the pasta water right away, you can keep it in a pot or container with a lid, at room temperature, for a few hours. However, if you're not going to use it immediately, it's best to refrigerate it. You can transfer the pasta water to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can also pour cooled pasta water into ice trays, a Ziploc bag, or airtight container and freeze it. It will last for up to three months when stored this way.