Michael Ruhlman

Salting Water

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By Michael Ruhlman

Published 2011

  • About
Consider the many recipes that say, “Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.” What exactly does that mean? It’s like a recipe that reads, “Get a piece of meat and give it flavor.”
Here is the truth about salted water. There are two kinds: 1) water you use to cook pasta, grains, and legumes, and 2) water you use to cook green vegetables.

There was a time in my life, ages ten through thirty-three, when I would put a pinch of salt into a big pot of pasta water, believing it would actually do something. What was I thinking? Was I thinking?