Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <pasta><food-science><salt><boiling>
Title: Why add salt to the water when cooking pasta?
Question: What is the effect of adding salt to the water when cooking pasta?

Answers:
sents: text: The salt adds flavor, but it also helps reduce the gelation of the starch in the pasta.
text: The starch in food is the form of microscopic grains.
text: When these grains come into contact with water, they will trap some of it (think cornstarch in cold water), but when the water is hot they swell up like balloons and merge with each other, and you have starch gelation.
text: Another thing you may want to add to the pasta water is some acid (lemon or cream of tartar).
text: Tap water in most cities is made alkaline, which increases the starch loss from the pasta to the water, making the pasta stickier.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/183/papin
score: 158
sents: text: It means that the pasta is seasoned as it is cooked.
text: To see if this matters to you, cook up some pasta in plain water and then some in salted water and see if you can taste the difference.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/210/Sam Holder
score: 25
sents: text: The addition of salt has at least 2 things going for it: It does help keep the pasta from cooking into water, thus improving texture (less sticky/gummy).
text: When less of the starch and protein is leached out of the pasta, it will foam less as well!(Perform the 2 batch test, side by side.
text: The salted water will foam less, and it will be less murky when the cooking is done)
text: It does improve the flavour (at least for most of us).
text: Just don't go crazy with the salt, and you'll be fine!
text: Yes, you can omit the salt, and you can acidify the water, but neither will produce a finished product that I'd care to eat.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/23710/Lonnie Moore
score: 8
sents: text: Personally, I add salt to water to reduce the bubbling while the water is boiling and allows me to walk away from the pot for a minute.
text: I hate it when the pot bubbles over and some water falls over the sides of the pot.
text: Something about the salt changes the waters ability to create bubbles.
text: This is just my observation.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1553/djangofan
score: 2
sents: text: As has been mentioned, whether you add salt or not it is for taste.
text: Salt will decrease the amount of time to boil, but only if used in significant quantity.
text: 80% water 20% salt will only increase the boiling point of the water 4 degrees.
text: The same volume of straight water will take longer to boil for the simple fact there is more water.
text: Pasta sticking is in large part due to the water itself.
text: Most tap water is leans to the alkaline side of the chart.
text: Adding some vinegar or lemon juice to water to raise its acidity will keep the pasta from sticking.
text: How much?
text: You'll have to experiment.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/22700/user22700
score: 2
sents: text: I have found that adding salt to pasta water helps the pasta hold the water when it comes in contact with the salt in the sauce.
text: When the pasta was not cooked in salted water it weeps when sauce is served on top of undressed pasta.
text: Dont know why?
text: Just an observation.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/33529/josh p
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Salt adds flavour, but in sufficient quantities also shortens boiling time and reduces bubbling. It also reduces the gelation of the starch and helps the pasta hold the water when in contact with the sauce.
In large amounts, salt will speed up cooking time. It will also season the pasta as it cooks.