It’s not the sauce — it’s the technique

Ever wonder why restaurant pasta feels silky, glossy, and perfectly balanced? The answer lies in how it's cooked — not just what’s cooked. Most home cooks skip the crucial details.

It begins with salted water. Use more salt than you think. Then, don’t just drain your pasta — save that starchy water!

Emulsify, don’t drown

Tossing your pasta directly in the sauce with a splash of pasta water creates an emulsion that clings to each noodle. It’s the technique behind that glossy restaurant finish.

Finishing with olive oil or grated cheese in the pan—not on the plate—brings it all together.

Don’t rinse pasta. That outer starch is gold when it comes to building texture and binding sauces naturally.

Also, timing matters. Undercook your pasta by one minute, then finish it in the sauce — that’s how you build flavor.

Try this at home

• Use a wide pan for tossing pasta.

• Add ½ cup of pasta water to every batch of sauce.

• Always finish cooking pasta in the sauce, not separately.