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4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt! Recipe calls for 1.5lb. pasta I am using only .5lb! Do I...

post #1 of 7
10/9/12 at 5:42pm
Thread Starter 

Hey guys good evening! I consider intelligent in certain areas of math however I honestly truly don't know how to figure this "math problem" out in my head!

 

I am making spaghetti meatballs and recipe calls to boil 1.5lb. pasta in 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt! I only want to cook up .5 lb. pasta! In my head I am thinking it doesn't matter the amount of pasta you use because the salt to water ratio isn't changing, is this true? Do I need to change any quantities?

 

Can someone kindly explain this for me? Thank you very much see ya

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post #2 of 7
10/9/12 at 8:07pm

It should not make a difference how much water you use as long as it will cover the pasta.  The salt/water measurements may be a little more critical as it would be possible to over salt the pasta. 

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post #3 of 7
10/9/12 at 10:35pm
Thread Starter 

hey jimbo i appreciate the reply, yea you see that is what i was talking about, i am concerned about the water/salt ratio! even with my basic knowledge of science it seems pretty simple: the amount of salt in the water is not changed, only the pasta, so the pasta shouldn't be absorbing  any more salt, it should stay equal . .

 

still unsure though..... pasta tasted fine!

thanks!

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post #4 of 7
10/10/12 at 2:21am

It's not enough that the water cover the pasta, it has to have plenty of room to move around as it boils.  Otherwise  when the pasta hits the water, it will cool down too much, the pasta will start to soften without really cooking and the end result may be a sticky, the water cloudy.  Use lots of water.  The amount is really not so much a matter of measurement as it is depth in the pot, so the pasta can slosh around.  A very wide pot will need more water.   Plus, a tbsp of salt is far too LITTLE for 4 quarts of water.  I use a handful of salt, it would probably be 4 heaping tbsp.  It makes a difference. 

"Siduri said, 'Gilgamesh, where are you roaming? You will never find the eternal life that you seek...Savour your food, make each of your days a delight, ... let music and dancing fill your house, love the child who holds you by the hand and give your wife pleasure in your embrace.'"
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post #5 of 7
10/10/12 at 4:51am

Words of wisdom from Gma Van's kitchen....

 

Your pasta water needs to be abundant, like the sea.

It also needs to be as salty as the sea.

Had a cup of fresh sea water for me to sip from, and that is a lot more than a 1:4 ratio!

 

Basically, what siduri said, lol.

 

mimi

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post #6 of 7
10/10/12 at 5:12am

Big pot, lots of water, handful of salt.  That's what works for me. 

"You are what you eat, so don't be fast, cheap, easy, or fake."

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post #7 of 7
10/11/12 at 3:49pm

I agree big pot lots of water. 7qt per pound and the water should taste like the sea.

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ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Cooking Discussions › Food & Cooking › 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt! Recipe calls for 1.5lb. pasta I am using only .5lb! Do I need to change any ratios?