Why add salt to pasta water?

Once the water reaches a rolling boil, Giuliana adds a generous amount of salt to enhance the pasta’s flavor, but no oil—she explains why adding oil to the water is not a good idea. Next Giuliana shows us how to tell when the pasta is about to reach the ‘al dente’ stage. Before draining the pasta, she saves a few cups of the cooking water. Learn why pasta water is such a valuable ingredient!

Then let’s go to the last segment, where the pasta and sauce meet for the perfect marriage of flavors.