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My old sous at a spot in Portland swore I should salt pasta water like the sea, and I finally tested it
Back in 2019 this sous chef I worked under in Portland kept saying the water should taste like the ocean, and I nodded along for two years without really checking. Last month I finally measured it out, and to get that salty I was dumping in about 3 tablespoons per gallon, which felt insane. First batch came out way too salty once it reduced with the sauce, so I dialed it back to 1.5 tablespoons and the pasta tasted way better. Now I'm wondering if that ocean line is just one of those things we all repeat without thinking. Anyone else find their sweet spot is way lower than what the old heads preach?
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faithb7613d ago
Worked a line for years where the running joke was that if the pasta water didn't sting your eyes it wasn't ready. Built a whole personality around it too, real proud of my salty wrists. Then I finally measured and found out I was basically making a brine for a small turkey. Half that amount and the sauce actually tastes like tomatoes instead of a salt lick. The ocean thing sounds cool in a kitchen but most of us are just bad at guessing.
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