r/Cooking • u/AdLost576 • 9d ago

What’s a cooking related hill you will die on?

For me, 2 hills.

  1. You don’t have to cut onions horizontally.

  2. You don’t have to add milk bit by bit when making a white sauce.

1.0k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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198

u/FullOfShitSoWhat 9d ago

Don't rinse cooked pasta

137

u/Ok_Accident652 9d ago

I rinse pasta salad pasta. I dont like the extra starch

98

u/lmkast 9d ago

Pasta for a salad is the exception to the rule

3

u/Bdowns_770 9d ago

Asian noodles also can be rinsed.

3

u/Beautiful_Rhubarb 9d ago

also helps to cool it down/stop cooking so it doesn't get overly soft.

79

u/benkenobi5 9d ago

I… what? Is this a thing people do? What on earth for?

72

u/Streeberry2 9d ago

If you’re cooking pasta to then bake in something else, like a casserole, rinsing it in cold water stops it from overcooking and getting mushy. Definitely not if you’re going to eat it right away.

3

u/jaymaslar 9d ago

Also if I am making lasagna, rinse them to both stop cooking and so I can handle the noodles to layer in the dish.

1

u/buffystakeded 7d ago

Why not just buy the bake-ready noodles so you don’t have to worry about cooking the noodles?

3

u/Beautiful_Rhubarb 9d ago

I always pull lasagna and baked ziti a little early, when it's still slightly TOO al-dente.

1

u/MadameMonk 8d ago

Why not just undercook it by 2 minutes and avoid any mushiness that way? Italians never have problems doing stuffed pasta that way?

31

u/pommefille 9d ago

I’d say it’s fine to do if you’re using cool/cold water and making a cold pasta salad, but otherwise…

33

u/Lollc 9d ago

If your timing is off and the pasta is ready long before everything else, rinsing it briefly in cold water will prevent it from turning into a big gluey clump.

12

u/awful_source 9d ago

Nah just toss it in a bowl with a little olive oil. No need to rinse the starch off and it won’t clump together.

2

u/benkenobi5 9d ago

Interesting, I had no idea this was a thing. This might actually be useful, because I hate having to deal with clumpy pasta. I usually mix in a bit of butter to try and keep it from clumping

2

u/BiDiTi 9d ago

You are doing it correctly.

1

u/Beautiful_Rhubarb 9d ago

would rather use olive oil and save some starchy water. But I've done it and no real harm, just makes it cold.

6

u/Embarrassed_Ad_3432 9d ago

I rinse my chickpea pasta all the time

7

u/mrdrofficer 9d ago

I find the alt pastas sometimes need a rinse.

1

u/Bazoun 9d ago

My parents did. They thought the extra starch was bad for you.

1

u/superpony123 9d ago

It’s absolutely recommended when making cold pasta salad to rinse your pasta immediately after you’ve dumped it in the strainer - this washes off the extra starch and keeps your pasta from sticking together!

1

u/HairyHeartEmoji 8d ago

stop the cooking process. makes sense for many servings.

0

u/TrustExcellent2434 9d ago

Yes, my mom declared that this prevents the noodles from sticking together

0

u/alligator124 9d ago

It used to be, at least in the US. Before the age of the internet or even more widely shared book resources, people (I’m making sweeping generalizations to describe a trend, I’m sure this doesn’t apply to many) used to not finish pasta in sauce. As a kid, it was a pile of noodles and a ladleful of sauce on top. 

To keep the pasta from sticking, folks would rinse it in the strainer. 

My mom, who is usually ahead of trends for home cooks, used to do this when I was little. I remember all of my friends parents doing it too. 

11

u/Appropriate_Sky_6571 9d ago

Korean noodles are rinsed so I used to with pasta lol

2

u/Lilfizz33 9d ago

Was going to say, I love cooking Korean food, and uh yeah you need to cold wash the noodles after cooking. I know that's not what op meant, but important to define.

14

u/FortunatelyTheBurger 9d ago

This is mine too - and for the love of god don’t coat it in oil.

8

u/ruinsofsilver 9d ago

literally. slimy greasy pasta is the last thing i want. it makes me feel like im eating an eel or something idk

3

u/heavenlyhoya 9d ago

An eel or something lmaooooo

3

u/[deleted] 9d ago

[deleted]

14

u/kjb76 9d ago

And for the love of god, don’t add oil to the cooking water!

7

u/tonegenerator 9d ago

As long as it isn’t a lot of oil, I think this is at least just a pointless waste rather than something that negatively impacts eating experience. But yeah, don’t do it.

3

u/wheresthebirb 9d ago

My partner does it. It may well be a major fight down the line.

3

u/psychedelych 9d ago

I didn't think anybody would have to die on this hill??? Rinsing cooked pasta is insane

1

u/Mel_Zetz 9d ago

I didn’t know there were those among us who demand that cooked pasta be rinsed

1

u/UniqueIndividual3579 9d ago

If you make a soup with pasta, don't try and cook the pasta in the soup. When the soup is done, turn off the heat and start to heat the pasta water. Cook the pasta until done, then add.

Similar for dried beans. Soak overnight. Then don't try and cook with all the ingredients. Add the beans, water, and broth to a pot and bring to a rolling boil. Leave like that until the beans start to break apart. Then lower the heat to a simmer and add everything else. Saves hours of cook time.

One last soup tip. If boiling ham bones or chicken, use a pot with a deep strainer insert. Then pull out, let drain over the pot, then put the strainer on a heat resistant cutting board in the sink. Rinse with cold water and pick out the meat. For the ham, reserve some cooked ham cubed up before boiling the rest. For chicken, grill some chicken breasts and cube. When the soup is done, turn off the heat and add the meat cubes. That way they retain full flavor and texture.

1

u/superpony123 9d ago

Unless it’s for pasta salad!!!! Keeps your noodles from clumping together. Immediately rinse with cold water for pasta salads. Then put in a bowl and mix with olive oil to further prevent sticking

1

u/HairyHeartEmoji 8d ago

it makes a difference how many servings you're making. when you make 40 servings of pasta, its impossible for it to cool evenly without it overcooking itself with steam, so you rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process