Everyone wonders if they should add salt to their pasta water. To break it down, the answer is a resounding yes! Salt significantly contributes to a flavorful pasta, but what is the magic it does? Conducting a dive into the swirling, steaming pot, we explore how salty your pasta water should be, whether oil is an optimal addition or a no-no, and more.

Barilla, the acclaimed pasta maker, suggests that to hit the sweet spot, four teaspoons of salt per gallon of water is ideal. Don't aim for an ocean-like salinity, but enough to pave the way for the delightful flavors of your chosen sauce to shine. Remember to ensure your water is well salted before introducing the pasta for the perfect blend of flavors throughout.

Beyond just a flavor enhancer, salt controls the starch gelatinization during cooking, a phase where starch grains expand and burst in hot water. This control, combined with a gentle stirring when you initially drop your pasta, helps in minimizing its stickiness.

Harold McGee, a renowned food writer and historian, suggests cooking one pound of pasta in five quarts of boiling salted water, equivalent to four teaspoons of salt. The pasta will soak up roughly 1.6 to 1.8 times its weight in this seasoned water.

One could be tempted to add oil to the boiling pot, but we'd not advise it. The oil creates a hindrance to the pasta's ability to soak in the rich flavors of the sauce - a crime against your delectable cacio e pepe!

Pasta, whether it's the dry Italian-type or fresh, contain proteins and starch. While the former is made from a dough of durum wheat flour and water, the latter includes soft wheat along with water and/or eggs. They both expand while cooking and simultaneously soaking in the water. The outer layer of proteins breaks down, resulting in starches seeping out-a favorable trait for thickening up the pasta water.

The pasta maintains a firm inner layer thanks to a more profound protein presence, ensuring an al dente ("to the tooth" in Italian) feel with each bite.

Underestimating the power of salt on pasta would be a culinary mistake. By ensuring to salt your water right at the start, you are guaranteeing a strong, salty base on which your pasta dish will build upon towards a flavorful burst. So, don't hold back on that salt shaker the next time you're making your favorite rigatoni dish.