Chef settles debate on whether to salt pasta water - but some still disagree

Some people swear by salting their pasta water (stock photo) (Image: Getty)

The debate on whether or not to salt your pasta water has been raging for years.

Of all the things you can cook, pasta isn't exactly one of the hardest. For the most part, you simply put some water on the stove to boil, and then once it's bubbling, chuck your dried pasta in for around 10 minutes.

But if you want to make pasta that truly tastes delicious, there is some debate over the correct technique. Some chefs and foodies will swear by adding salt to the water before you add in your pasta, while others insist that's unnecessary.

Salting your pasta water is supposed to improve the taste of the carbohydrates, as they absorb the flavour of the salty water when they cook. But those who claim it's not needed say that if you're coating your pasta in a sauce, then it doesn't need to be lightly salted on its own.

Now, one chef has finally settled the debate by cooking pasta in salted and unsalted water side by side to find out which method makes the best dish.

Mattia Moleri posted a video on TikTok in which he said a comment was left on one of his previous videos asking him to put the pasta water debate to the test.

He said: "There's a debate on the internet about whether or not to salt your pasta water, so let's find out once and for all."

The chef made the video as part of his Food Myths series, where he tests various cooking methods and kitchen hacks to see if they actually work. He explained the pasta water clip was "easy" to film as he only needed to cook two batches of pasta, one with salt in the water and one without.

While his pasta was cooking, Mattia said that even if you do like to salt your water, the common belief that there should be so much salt it "tastes like the ocean" is incorrect, as that is "way too salty". He explained the correct ratio should be 10g of salt for every litre of water you use.

Once his pasta was cooked, Mattia plated it up and sat down to tuck in. He took a bite from each batch and immediately concluded there was "no question" about the winner - as one tasted far better than the other.

He said: "You have to salt your pasta water."

In the caption of his video, Mattia said he "knew the outcome" before he even started the experiment but wanted to test it out anyway for the "sake of science".

And even though he thought he'd settled the debate, commenters on the chef's clip were still split. Many said they never salt their pasta because they use a "salty sauce", while simply said they "don't like the taste" of salted pasta.

But one person pointed out a practical use for salting pasta water. They said: "You don't salt the water for the taste; you salt it because when the pasta cooks, it releases starch on the water. The salt reduces the stickiness."