Tip For Pasta

[ChowJon99x]

again, like tea, cooked pasta is really a high percentage of water. And if that water tastes better, then the pasta tastes tons better.

If you can afford it, doing all your cooking with bottled/ spring water makes the food taste ten times better, but especially for things that grab a lot of water...like pasta, rice...and, of course, tea and coffee...

[hannaone]

Instead of bottled water consider using different broths - beef, pork, vegetable, chicken, seafood.
Each type of broth adds a different flavor profile.
Some examples -
Seafood or fish with pasta - use a broth similar to Japanese or Korean kelp/seaweed/anchovy broths
Beef with pasta - Use a good home made beef broth
etc

[Greekfood Koukla]

To boil pasta? Then what do you do with the broth?

I agree that various broths add flavor, but I usually finish cooking my pasta in some broth when it's in the pan right before it's served. That way, the broth actually gets absorbed into the sauce and pasta.

[hannaone]

Reduce it until it thickens somewhat and use as a base for different sauces.

[chicgail]

I have used bottled spring water for coffee for years -- it makes a huge difference. I have to admit that I feel guilty about it, and at the same time, don't think filtered water is as good as spring water b/c it doesn't have the same minerals in it.

At the same time, I wouldn't consider using it for pasta unless I had those big 10-gal refillable dispensers -- too expensive and too wasteful.

[Jacquilynne]

I think it really only makes sense to use bottled/filtered water where the water remains as part of your final dish. So, sure, tea, yes. But pasta? Not unless you city water is naaaaasty.

[ipsedixit]

... or perhaps if you are planning to eat the pasta plain (ie., sans sauce or toppings).

[Greekfood Koukla]

I agree, if you're going to eat the pasta plain, then maybe, but not necessarily, would you actually taste a difference. And sorry, I don't buy that bottled water makes the food taste any better. I use bottled water almost exclusively when I'm in Florida, (sorry, don't like the tap water there) and I've never tasted any difference in flavor. It's a nice thought, but utter rubbish in my opinion.

[ipsedixit]

Or just add some thyme and/or salt to your water.

[Sooeygun]

Agreed. If you have the water properly salted, I don't know how you would be able to tell which water you used. Although, I live somewhere with tap water is that tastes fine.

[Kelli2006]

Filtered tap water is just as good as bottled and it's much cheaper.

[DanaB]

I use my britta pitcher water to make coffee, but would never think of it for pasta, and would certainly never use bottled water for either. We need to wean ourselves off bottled water generally, as it's a HUGE waste of plastic, especially in the U.S., where the water is safe in just about every corner of the country. If it's a taste issue (this being Chowhound, I would hope taste would be an issue :-), I'd agree with you that using a filter, either on your tap or in a pitcher, is the best bet.

[Kelli2006]

Ive used the Brita water for making rice and pasta on the first and 3 weeks of the month when I smell the added chlorine from the water filtration plant, but 90% of the time I use ordinary tap water.

I worked at a Italian restaurant where they cooked the pasta in chicken stock but we used a pasta insert.

[lgss]

And reduces the number of plastic bottles in the landfills....

[AngelSanctuary]

Oooh, I disagree...I think filtered water tastes pretty much taste like the tap water. I think Evian tastes a lot better.

...I don't boil pasta in bottled water though, I'm not crazy or rolling in cash.

[monku]

I caught my wife boiling pasta with bottled water and she wondered why I got upset.