Kitchen

[Sapphiregal]

Every time I make spaghetti, as soon as I pour the sauce over the pasta, I get a plate full of water. I know it has something to do with the starch in the pasta, but, I don't know the secret to fixing it. Any suggestions?

[mary0129]

my guess is you need to let the pasta sit in the colander longer to get more water out. Shake it around.

[PinkyPetunia]

It would seem you don't drain your pasta well enough.

[Mom2Dogs]

@Sapphiregal  When I make spaghetti, after I drain it, I put it back in the original pot on the stove..there is still a little heat in the pan and the burner is still warm....that helps take the excess moisture off the pasta.

I made spaghetti tonight, no soupy plate.

[aroc3435]

@Sapphiregal   I take a stainless steel  mixing bowl and put in my  kitchen sink and drain the cooked spaghetti in a colander so that I keep some of the starchy cooking water and put a little of that in my sauce.

I put the colander with the pasta after shaking it thoroughly back over the pot.   Sitting briefly on the burner with the  retained heat should steam off any excess water.

Watch how Lydia Bastianich or another Italian cook, like Nick Stellino, handles pasta.  Tons of free videos out there on the net.

Hope these ideas help. 

aroc3435

Washington, DC

[Foxxee]

How thin is your spaghetti sauce?  I simmer until it's very thick.  Sauces from jars have always been too thin for me, so I simmer until thick, as well.

I boil my spaghetti noodles al dente. Mine are a bit more firm.  Drain well.  Stir the noodles in the drainer to rid them of excess water. Let sit a few minutes.  

[Sweetbay magnolia]

My advice? Cook the sauce for hours in a slow cooker.  I just made a nice red sauce.  6 hours on low with the lid, a few hours after on high without the lid, and then the lid back on.  I think it cooked for 12 hours and it was luscious.  I hate that wateriness!

[jlkz]

On Monday I made a huge batch of marinara sauce: used 450 ounces of Cento San Marzano plum tomatoes, 24 ounces of Cento tomato paste and seasonings.  From start to finish: 2.5 hours.  Cooled it overnite and ziploc bagged it next AM.

The sauce cooked down considerably during that time.

When I started the bagging next morning, the long handled wooden spoon stood straight up by itself in the middle of the pot:  no watery pasta when that sauce was spread over it.

Have been doing it this way for many years to great compliments on the " depth of flavor ".   Yes, 2.5 hours !

[Sapphiregal]

Thanks for your replies. The problem is not due to not draining all the water off. I googled it and it seems like some of you have mentioned. The sauce needs to simmer for quite awhile and really thicken. One suggestion was to add cornstarch to thicken. So, given that I did not have time for my sauce to simmer forever, I went with the cornstarch idea. Worked great! No spaghetti floating in water on my plate!!  Next time I will start early to allow a long simmer.

[Sooner]

I also think some brands of pasta are harder and slicker than others, and do not absorb liquid so the sauce slides off and breaks.

I am not sure which ones, but occasionally notice it.