What type of salt do you use for boiling pasta?

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Soldato
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We just use generic fine table salt, but one of our friends was horrified that we don’t use nice sea salt or rock salt flakes :confused:

Our pasta tastes great, as long as I sneak in a little more than my salt-averse girlfriend:p

We do have sea salt flakes in for other purposes, but actually it doesn’t get used that much.

What do you use, do you think it matters?
 
For cooking, any table salt.

Only use posh salt for texture, like on top of a cookie, or on a side dish to "dip" your way steak into.

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tom_e said:
I don't but if I do then table salt because salty water is salty water
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throwaway4372 said:
Why salt in pasta water? Not something I've ever considered a need for tbh, standard issue water works perfectly.
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How are you mentalists not salting pasta water? Am I in the wrong subforum or something?! Cooking pasta without salting the water is beyond awful !! :eek:
Raymond Lin said:
For cooking, any table salt.

Only use posh salt for texture, like on top of a cookie, or on a side dish to "dip" your way steak into.
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Yeah same. Although actually we have sea salt flakes in the grinder which often is what goes in sauces etc.

Also, table salt has anti-caking agent in it which I assume is why some people get uppity about it.
 
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Don't salt pasta or vegetable water, if you want to add salt to things you can, you can't take it out if you don't want salt
 
Honestly guys I'm in shock here :D I thought this was a subforum for hobbyist cooks! :eek:
dave28 said:
reduces the starch, less mushy due to boiling point difference and better taste apparently. I have never tried side by side comparisson though.
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You want the starch in the water to add a swig of it to your sauce. Helps emulsify the fat and water content of your sauce and thicken it (slightly).
TBirdUK said:
I use Lo Salt and some olive oil, makes a big difference if you rinse the pasta when cooked
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When it comes to things like salt and butter, the real stuff in moderation is infinitely better if you're trying to be healthy. No need to really be that moderate when adding salt to pasta water. 1.5 tsp for roughly a litre gives about 1% salinity iirc which is about correct. And most of it will go down the drain anyway.
Maundie said:
Don't salt pasta or vegetable water, if you want to add salt to things you can, you can't take it out if you don't want salt
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But I do want salt. Because I'm cooking and seasoning food is absolutely essential to cooking well :confused: :o How many times do you see on Masterchef where people get docked points for poor seasoning. They're not talking about spices :p Seasoning veg is absolutely essential too. Cook some tender stem broccoli, just steam or boil it (in plain water if you like!) then take half of it plain. Eat that and compare that to the other half if you sprinkle a pinch of salt over it. It's an absolute world of difference.

I was going to post various articles from Serious Eats but it seems like a Jamie Oliver video from 12 years ago might be more apt here! ;) :D Note; salt in water, oil not necessary, save some starchy water for your sauce. Easy.

 
Agree just table salt. No benefit to using fancier salt in water.

Pasta not cooked in salty water tastes like cardboard.
 
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oil is supposed to stop it boiling over I thought - reduced surface tension ... but I wouldn't be putting olive oil in, any more (even though reducing pasta sticking maybe a myth)
 
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