Can you cook pasta in less water?

The traditional advice is a big pot of rolling, well-salted water for every packet of pasta. It works, it's forgiving, and it's how most of us learned. But it isn't the only way, and the alternative has some real advantages.

What the experiments found

Harold McGee, the writer on kitchen science, put the big-pot rule to the test in a 2009 New York Times column. In an interview with BASF's magazine, he explains that pasta can be cooked in minimal amounts of water, even starting from cold, because noodles absorb water only very slowly at temperatures well below the boil. A summary of the column on kottke.org quotes him on cooking pasta in a much smaller volume of boiling water without sticking: short shapes needed only occasional stirring, while long strands needed a quick wetting first and frequent stirring for the first minute or two. He also described the resulting cooking water as thicker and pleasant tasting.

In short: the big pot is a safety margin, not a law.

What changes when you use less water

Sticking

The usual reasoning for a big pot is that it dilutes the starch and gives the pasta room to move, so it needs less attention. In a small pot, you make up for that with stirring, especially in the first couple of minutes, as McGee advised. Give it a good stir as it goes in and several more in the first couple of minutes.

Starchier water

With less water around the same amount of pasta, the starch released during cooking is more concentrated. That cloudy, slightly thick water is excellent for finishing sauces: it helps fat and water bind into a glossy coating, which is the whole point of saving pasta water. Dishes like cacio e pepe, aglio e olio and butter-and-cheese pasta benefit most. If you are making cacio e pepe, starchier water can make the sauce easier to bring together.

Salt

Less water means the same pinch of salt goes further, so season the water more lightly than you would a big pot, then taste the pasta.

Timing

Cooking in less water doesn't change how you judge doneness: bite it. See how to tell when pasta is al dente.

How to do it

• Use a wide pan or a pot just big enough for the pasta to lie down covered with a little water to spare. A deep frying pan or sauté pan works for long shapes.
• Cover the pasta with water, with a small margin. It can start cold or already boiling.
• Stir often, especially at the start.
• Keep the heat steady so it simmers briskly.
• Add a splash of hot water if it gets too low before the pasta is done.
• Save the starchy water, then drain or lift the pasta straight into the sauce.

When it's worth it

• Sauces that rely on starchy water: cacio e pepe, aglio e olio, lemon pasta, pasta with butter and cheese.
• Small kitchens and small batches: cooking for one or two, in a holiday rental, or on a camping stove.
• When you want to save time and energy bringing water to the boil.

When to stick with the big pot

• Large batches, where a crowded small pot sticks and cooks unevenly.
• Fresh egg pasta, which is delicate and likes room to move.
• Stuffed pasta, which can break if stirred hard.
• When you'd rather not stand and stir.

A related technique, cooking pasta in the sauce itself, risotto-style, takes the idea further; see pasta cooked in the sauce.