Before draining your pasta in the sink, always be sure to reserve half a cup to one cup of the pasta water (I like to use a mug for this). If you're making any number of sauces besides a tomato-based sauce (like a simple butter and cheese sauce, cacio e pepe, carbonara, or a garlic and white wine sauce), pasta water is the "secret" ingredient that brings the sauce together and creates the silkiest possible consistency. The reason? The residual water is starchy from the cooked pasta and salty (because you liberally salted your water!), and when you add a tablespoon or two at a time, it allows the pasta to cling to the sauce even more and creates a cohesive, creamy sauce. If your pasta has been sitting at room temperature for a while on the stove, you can add some to loosen it up.
Get the recipe: Gwyneth Paltrow's carbonara
