You’ve been cooking your pasta all wrong, says chef who compares common mistake to ‘washing liquid gold down the sink’

A PROFESSIONAL chef shared the mistake most people make when cooking pasta.

The expert explained why the error is bringing down the level of your food.

Professional chef and author Marcus Samuelsson shared the tip via his website Food Republic.

The expert revealed that a common step should be skipped to save the integrity of your dish.

"One thing you definitely shouldn't do? Rinse your pasta," the professional said.

He explained that people often carry out the technique to prevent their pasta noodles from clumping together.

"You also rinse away important starch from the surfaces," the chef said.

He compared the action to "washing liquid gold down your sink."

"This can certainly help prevent the noodles from clumping to each other, but it also means that any sauce you add won't cling to the noodles as well, either."

As well as effecting your sauces, the process can also remove an important ingredient from your dish.

"Even though the package instructions will usually just tell you to strain the pasta after cooking, that might not be the wisest move," the expert explained.

"The starch in pasta almost acts like glue — in fact, the word pasta literally means paste in Italian.

"So the water that's left after cooking pasta becomes a magical concoction that can actually improve your final dish."

He recommended saving some of the water from your pasta after boiling.

"Set aside a cup or two before you strain your noodles, then add some back in with your sauce as you toss the pasta together," he advised.

"All the starch in the water will help the sauce stick to the noodles rather than just sit on top of it."

However, even if you forget to save the boiled water, your dish can still be salvaged.

How many calories should men and women consume?

According to the British Nutrition Foundation

Female

Energy - Around 2,000kcal

Fat - No more than 78g (or 35% food energy)

Saturated Fat - No more than 24g (or 11% food energy)

Carbohydrate - At least 267g (or 50% food energy)

Free sugars - No more than 27g (or 5% food energy)

Protein - 45g

Fibre - 30g

Salt - No more than 6g

Male

Energy - Around 2,500kcal

Fat - No more than 97g

Saturated Fat - No more than 31g

Carbohydrate - At least 333g

Free sugars - No more than 33g

Protein - 55g

Fibre - 30g

Salt - No more than 6g

As long as you resist the urge to rinse your pasta after cooking, the starch on the noodles will help the sauce cling to them.

There is one exception to this steadfast rule however.

According to the expert, there is one situation where it actually more favourable to rinse your noodles.

He explained that anyone planning to enjoy their pasta cold or at room temperature should still rinse it after cooking.

"Running pasta under cold water after boiling will help to stop the cooking process, preventing your pasta salad from becoming mushy," he said.

"Rinsing pasta also washes away the starch on the surface, which will keep the noodles from becoming one big clump when they're chilled or left at room temperature."