{"id":1705,"date":"2026-01-14T14:26:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T14:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=1705"},"modified":"2026-01-14T14:26:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T14:26:12","slug":"10-chef-approved-pasta-tricks-thatll-change-the-way-you-cook-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=1705","title":{"rendered":"10 Chef-Approved Pasta Tricks That\u2019ll Change the Way You Cook Forever"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-page_1-0\" data-sc-sticky-offset=\"90\" data-sc-ad-label-height=\"24\" data-sc-ad-track-spacing=\"100\" data-sc-min-track-height=\"250\" data-sc-max-track-height=\"600\" data-sc-breakpoint=\"50em\" data-sc-load-immediate=\"4\" data-sc-content-positions=\"[1, 1250, 1550, 1950, 2350, 2750, 3150, 3550, 3950]\" data-bind-scroll-on-start=\"true\">\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> \u201cWe cook and eat a lot of pasta, but I bet you don&#8217;t know all there is to know about it,\u201d Culinary Producer Nicole McLaughlin says in a new video. \u201cI&#8217;ve got surprising ways to boil and strain your pasta, some great cooking hacks, and some fabulous recipes at the end.\u201d From tried-and-true tricks to TikTok hacks, here are some of Nicole\u2019s favorite pasta shortcuts.\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_3-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block allrecipes-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-landscape figure-high-res\"><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-figure-caption text-utility-100 figure-article-caption\"> <span class=\"figure-article-caption-owner\"><\/p>\n<p>Rachel Marek \/ Food Sylist: Addylen Evans<\/p>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span class=\"heading-toc\" id=\"toc-nicoles-best-pasta-hacks\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"mntl-sc-block_4-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block allrecipes-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading\"> <span class=\"mntl-sc-block-heading__text text-title-300\"> Nicole&#8217;s Best Pasta Hacks <\/span> <\/h2>\n<ol id=\"mntl-sc-block_5-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\n<li><strong>Twisted Noodle Hack<\/strong>: It\u2019s tempting to break spaghetti noodles in half before you throw them in the pot to submerge everything at once. You actually shouldn\u2019t do that, though: It makes twirling difficult and doesn\u2019t allow the sauce to cling properly. Instead, simply add the noodles in a twirling motion to prevent the dreaded overhang.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reverse Strainer<\/strong>: If you\u2019re serving your pasta in the pot you cooked it in, there\u2019s no sense in straining it in the sink just to put it right back. But, if you have a colander that fits easily in the boiling pot, you can place the strainer on top of the pot and pour just the water down the drain.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spoon Spillover Stopper<\/strong>: You probably already know this one. Placing a wooden spoon on top of a pot of water prevents it from boiling over.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Butter Barrier<\/strong>: We\u2019ve all heard about the spoon trick, but did you know you can stop water from boiling over by rubbing some fat (either butter or oil) around the rim?\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>No Strainer? No Problem<\/strong>: Wedge a toothpick or the thinnest part of a fork between your pot and its lid. Hold the lid down while you pour the pasta water into the sink.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><span class=\"mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-sc-block-adslot-inline\"\/><\/p>\n<li><strong>Perfect Pasta Portions<\/strong>: If you have a pasta ladle with a hole in the bottom, you can use it to perfectly portion your spaghetti or angel hair noodles. Cook what fits and throw the rest back in the box for later.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Microwave Al Dente<\/strong>: Here\u2019s an old college trick Nicole still uses today. Cooking your pasta in the microwave is an easy way to make dinner and keep cleanup to a minimum. Just don\u2019t forget to salt the water!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reheat Leftover Pasta<\/strong>: Ever wondered why your leftover pasta sticks together when reheated? That\u2019s because the sauce dried up in the fridge. Adding a tablespoon or two of water before microwaving leftovers will make your meal as good as new.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pasta Water Ice Cubes<\/strong>: Pasta water helps emulsify and thicken sauces, which is why you see it listed in so many recipes. Freezing it in an ice cube tray is a great way to always have the essential ingredient on hand.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scissors<\/strong>: You don\u2019t need a pasta roller to make homemade pasta\u2014just use kitchen shears to cut your dough into whatever shape you want.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_7-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Put your new pasta knowledge to the test with these fun, Nicole-approved recipes:\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_9-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block allrecipes-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-landscape figure-high-res\"><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_2-0\" class=\"comp mntl-figure-caption text-utility-100 figure-article-caption\"> <span class=\"figure-article-caption-owner\"><\/p>\n<p>ALLRECIPES \/ ANA CADENA<\/p>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe cook and eat a lot of pasta, but I bet you don&#8217;t know all there is to know about it,\u201d Culinary Producer Nicole McLaughlin says in a new video. \u201cI&#8217;ve got surprising ways to boil and strain your pasta, some great cooking hacks, and some fabulous recipes at the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kitchen-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}