Toss A Bouillon Cube Into Your Pasta Water For Umami-Packed Noodles

We all know by now that salting pasta water is essential. While the old adage to "salt it like the sea" might be a little overboard (properly salted pasta water should have a subtly salty taste, not gag-worthy like the ocean), it is an important step in making great pasta. This is because, while a delicious sauce is all well and good, we want to give ourselves the best possible foundation for our dish — and that means seasoning from the very beginning. Salting the pasta as it cooks provides a savory lift to anything we might pair it with later. It also ensures that when you add that all-important pasta water to your sauce later on, it'll enhance the final dish rather than dilute it.

If you want to take things even further than simply adding salt, why not toss in a bouillon cube while your pasta boils? Since pasta absorbs the flavors of whatever is in the water it's cooked in, it will take on a subtly meaty (or vegetal, depending on the type of bouillon you use) quality, packed with umami. This can really enhance the dish you're making, adding depth to a mean fettuccine Bolognese, or bringing in richness to complement a perfect pasta al limone.

Make sure you don't throw away that pasta water once your noodles are done cooking. That stuff is known as liquid gold for a reason! It's not just about reducing waste — this cooking water is the key to making restaurant-quality pasta at home. It's packed with starch, which acts as a thickener and binder, giving your sauces a glossy texture and mouthfeel. It also ensures your sauce will properly coat the pasta, getting into all those nooks and crannies for maximum flavor in every bite.

Using bouillon to give that water a little something extra is well worth it. In dishes like classic carbonara or cacio e pepe, pasta water is an essential component of the sauce itself, so that boost of salty savoriness will be imbued into every part of the dish, taking it to the next level. And if you accidentally dump out that pasta water, no worries! You can easily create an umami-packed alternative by combining a cup of water with two tablespoons of semolina flour and heating it with a bouillon cube.