This 1 Common Pasta 'Unsticking' Trick Actually Makes It Slimy

We’ve already shared the secret ingredient some Italians use to balance the acidity of tomatoes in their pasta sauce (nope, it’s not just sugar).

We’ve even revealed the true definition of “al dente,” which experts say a lot of us misunderstand. 

But what about common pasta-cooking hacks, like salting the water until it’s as saline as the sea or chucking in a bit of olive oil so the twirls, shells, or strands don’t stick together? 

Pros don’t always agree on those. Gordon Ramsay adds oil to his pasta to prevent it from clinging to itself, for instance, while Italian-American chef Lidia Bastianich told The Smithsonian the step is pointless at best.

But there’s one supposedly de-starching step culinary experts all agree is making your pasta taste far, far worse. 

Which is? 

Rinsing your pasta in cold water after it’s cooked is likely to make it more, not less, sticky, the pros say. 

In an article titled Rinsing Pasta Is Like Washing Liquid Gold Down The Drain (well, then), Food Republic shared that “When you toss noodles into a colander and run water all over them after cooking, you might think you’re helping them become less sticky.”

“But you also rinse away important starch from the surfaces.”

That means it’s less likely to cling to the sauces surrounding it, too ― so while the pasta might not stick to itself as much, it’ll repel whatever you’re draping it in.

So, the sauce will kind of “clam up” around the pasta, slimily gathering near, but never smoothly coating, the food. 

A writer at Bon Appetit went so far as to call rinsing cooked pasta a “crime” and “counterproductive.” 

And Southern Living simply wrote, “In almost every case, you should not rinse pasta after it’s cooked.” 

Is it ever forgivable?

As with all rules, there are exceptions.

The same Bon Appetit writer who discouraged the practice conceded it has its place for some dishes ―“If you’re making a dish that will be served chilled or at room temp — think cold soba, rice noodles, pasta salad—you do want to rinse so that you get toothsome (sorry) individual strands rather than one big gummy clump,” she said. 

And speaking to Southern Living, chef Fred Tiess said, “For egg noodles that you will be adding to a soup later then yes, you should rinse them in cold water then store them covered in the refrigerator until needed.” 

He added, “If you are making a macaroni salad with mayonnaise, then rinsing and fully cooling the macaroni will help you keep the dish at a safe temperature.”

Otherwise, though? Experts seem to have reached a rare culinary consensus ― never, ever rinse your cooked pasta.