Should pasta be rinsed after cooking?

One of the most common misconceptions about pasta is whether or not it should be rinsed after cooking.

This is probably a debate that you have already witnessed and for which it seems difficult to have a clear opinion.

Let’s start by dispelling the belief that rinsing pasta after cooking prevents it from sticking together. This is not true. (see blog post on this subject, 24 July 2021)

Rinsing pasta will depend on how it is eaten.

If you are eating it hot, it is not advisable to do so.

Rinsing not only softens the pasta and makes it less tasty, but it also removes all the starch released during cooking (which gives it its chewy texture) and helps the sauce hold together.

We recommend that you toss your pasta in the sauce without rinsing it in a pan for about 1 minute, so that your sauce releases all its flavours.

However, if you eat them cold, in a pasta salad for example, you can rinse them in a colander to stop the cooking process.

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