[fredgarvin]

Paying $50 for unsalted noodles and sauce is the last thing you'll ever find me doing. 

[WGH]

According to Google: The salinity (saltiness) of the ocean is about 35 parts per thousand. This means that in every liter of water, there are 35 grams of salt, or about 3.5% of the weight of sea water comes from salts.

35 grams = 1.23 ounces

1.23 ounces of table salt = 6.13 teaspoons, about 2 tablespoons per liter.

1 Gallon [Fluid, US] = 3.7854118 Liters

Therefore if the pasta water is as salty as the ocean then 7-1/2 tablespoons of salt, almost 1/2 cup (actually .47 cups) would be added.

I usually add small handful, about a couple of tablespoons of salt to a couple of quarts of water.

Regarding the salt used on cooking shows, these guys and gals are usually trained chefs who have owned and managed many successful restaurants. The unfortunate fact is the majority of the public likes really salty food so these chefs have learned to salt right up to the edge of over salting so they stay in business. Fast food does the same thing.

[srb]

Nice computations.  I agree, the saying to make the water "as salty as the ocean" is probably overkill by 2X +.

I think the most important aspect to boiling pasta (dried or fresh) is the volume of water.  There is a tendency to use less water than needed, particular for one or two portions, but if the volume of water is too little, the concentration of released starch in the water coats the pasta too much and makes it sticky and/or mushy.

[Rob Babcock]

Again, it's a figure of speech.  I salt the water but generally don't add any salt to the sauce.  Cheese is salty enough.  If you don't like seasoning or salt you probably won't befriend many chefs!  Anything up to a scant 1/4 cup of salt for 5 quarts of water should be fine.  It shouldn't taste salty at all, the salt will bring out the flavors of the pasta not drown them out.

Of course I'm the last person to tell anyone how to eat!  I'm just talking about taste.

[S Clark]

On the fettucine alfredo ... I'd suggest never paying less than $50 for a serve while insisting that all the ingredients be of the highest possible quality.

Where is home for you?  The best steak I can buy in my town doesn't run $50, but pasta??

[jules]

The comment was slightly tongue in cheek, on the grounds that $50 might be a handy disincentive to eating food on a regular basis that's high in both fats and salt. More seriously though fettuncine alfredo is the sort of dish that really depends on top quality ingredients that make the difference between it being something that's sublime and something that could be just stodgy. I probably wouldn't pay $50 but if it was really top quality I'd be ok with the $23 

[fredgarvin]

The comment was slightly tongue in cheek, on the grounds that $50 might be a handy disincentive to eating food on a regular basis that's high in both fats and salt. More seriously though fettuncine alfredo is the sort of dish that really depends on top quality ingredients that make the difference between it being something that's sublime and something that could be just stodgy. I probably wouldn't pay $50 but if it was really top quality I'd be ok with the $23 

That's a dish I just don't eat more than once or twice a year, to be honest. My wife is a great cook and caterer. You are right too that many people eat far too much salt. A lot of folks grew up on and still eat prepared food, which is generally over salted.

I did have some sturgeon in a white sauce over fettucine recently, in Portland. It was delicious.

[rollo]

 As an Italian Sea salt is most desired for Pasta. Generous amount of a handful for one lb. pasta.


charles

[rollo]

$10.67/lb. is actually a pretty good price for Reggiano.  Is that a Costco, Sam's or similar purchase?

 Depends if DOP Reggiano. The real deal is quite expensive. tomatoes as well. Unless using fresh buy DOP from Italy.


charles

[Photon46]

  Good Chinese food is also a real pain to do at home depending on what it is.

Rob, just curious why you say good Chinese is hard to do at home (other than the difficulty of getting adequate BTUs for good wok hei.)

[WGH]

Don't forget about the water. If I'm making a simple pasta dish with just 3 or 4 premium ingredients I always use bottled water to boil the pasta.

Tucson uses Central Arizona Project (CAP) water delivered through a 336 mile open aqueduct from Lake Havasu. The CAP water is mixed with ground water but both are very hard resulting in off tasting ice cubes and home brewed tea.

[Rob Babcock]

Rob, just curious why you say good Chinese is hard to do at home (other than the difficulty of getting adequate BTUs for good wok hei.)

That's part of it.  I moved recently for work and I have a 6 month lease on an apt; it's the first time I've lived in an apt since maybe George Bush senior was president.  My stove is small and electric so not very high heat and any attempt to get a pan properly screaming hot results in the fire alarm going off.  Then there's the ingredients.  Pretty hard to find anything off the beaten path of midwestern meat and taters here.  If I want decent soy (especially dark soy) I have to get it from Amazon.  No diakon, nothing of the sort of spices and veggies I like to use.

To be honest, any scratch cooking is difficult in my current place.  Luckily I work 65 hours a week and have no desire to cook when I'm home.

[jules]

Aaagh, while I get that you don't want to cook at home after a 65 hr week Rob, the puny electric plate would drive me nuts.

How about one of these:





They cost peanuts and put out something close to commercial burners.

[Doesn't help with the ingredients though  ]

edit: Ooops, realized your alarms would not be amused!!

[Rob Babcock]

Ah, it's temporary.  At the end of my lease I'll probably move.  And hopefully within a month or two I'll get things sorted to the point where I'm down to 50 hours a week or so.

[Photon46]

My condolences on the temporary situation Rob. No access to good Asian and Mid-Eastern grocery stores would drive me bonkers!