Most people have no idea how to strain pasta correctly. Professional chef shares the best method

It doesn’t take a professional chef to boil and serve some pasta, right?

Well, that’s not the entire truth. We all know that boiling pasta can be quite tricky and we’ve certainly all been served pasta that was far from “properly cooked”, al dente, or even decent.

Now, how difficult can the whole process be? You just boil some water, add the pasta, cook for a certain time, strain, serve.

Wait! We just said “strain”. Do we even know how pasta should be strained? Have you ever thought that you might be using your pasta strainer in a wrong way?

TikTok user sw1ssm1ss, aka Stephy Meier, recently uploaded a video where she reveals the secret of pasta straining.

The young woman shows a new trick she discovered when it comes to straining pasta using a strainer, and it doesn’t involve putting the strainer in the sink.

Rather, she places the colander inside the pot once the pasta is cooked, and then she flips it, letting the water go and securely keeping the pasta “trapped” between the pot and the strainer.

The video has gone viral with almost 560k views.

“Mind blown,” a user wrote, while someone else commented: “why didn’t I ever think of doing this?”

Well, maybe the answer to the last question is “because this way doesn’t make much sense”?

But let’s see if this method of straining pasta actually works- spoiler alert: it doesn’t! And, if not, why?

First of all, this is not the first time someone suggests that pasta strainers should be used like this. A few years ago, there was a similar hack posted on Twitter and it went viral then, too.

Good morning to everyone. Just saw this on Facebook and spazzed. pic.twitter.com/YB8qJ2a1g5

— The Benevolent BellaBands, Bby. (@Daibellaaa) October 2, 2017

Still, to this day we all keep straining pasta the “traditional” way. And there’s a reason for that.

According to Giada De Laurentiis, celebrity chef and pasta expert, while this looks like a clever trick, it’s not really safe. It gets risky if you don’t have a strainer that fits perfectly in the pot. Also, it’s always a shame to let all that yummy pasta water go to waste.

James Briscione, director of culinary research for the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, explained why this hack is dangerous.

“There’s a high risk of burning yourself, either on the pot or with the water when you pour it out,” he told TODAY. “If you aren’t holding it securely, you have a good chance of pouring pasta into your sink, which is not hygienic. Depending how hot your pot is, there’s also a good possibility of melting the colander and ruining your pot.”

Does it make sense now? It totally does to us.

But, what is actually the right way to strain pasta? Guess what- the colander is not the answer.

You simply need to scoop the pasta from the pot and into the sauce. Right, there will be some extra water but you totally need that to give the whole dish better flavor and texture.

So, next time you cook pasta, please don’t be tempted to follow this hack- you’re risking the flavor of the dish and, possibly, your fingers or kitchen utensils!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.