Should you rinse pasta in cold water for pasta salad?

Who doesn’t love pasta? Simply seasoned with a knob of butter, mixed with a tomato sauce, in a salad or gratin, it’s very simple, we love them! Economical, practical, quick to cook and very easy to use, they are suitable for all preparations. We knew that you shouldn’t add oil to the cooking water, but what about the rinsing step when you want to prepare a pasta salad? Is it necessary or on the contrary harmful?

First imperative, choose the right format! Opt for short pasta (fusilli or twisted type), and forget spaghetti, which is best enjoyed with a hot sauce!

Next, pour your pasta into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for the time indicated on the package.

When they are cooked to perfection (prefer them al dente so that they hold together better afterwards), drain them immediately in a colander… and rinse them in cold water. This step will make it possible to immediately stop cooking, speed up cooling and remove excess starch which could cause them to stick together (which, let’s face it, is immediately much less appetizing…)

Running the pasta under cold water will also allow you to mix it with the other ingredients (tomatoes, ham, smoked salmon, broccoli or green beans, the choice is wide!) quickly, without heating them. And you can perfectly serve a warm pasta salad!

Rinsing with cold water is therefore entirely possible. The only downside is that it eliminates the salty flavor of the pasta at the same time. The tip, if you’re not in a hurry and you don’t plan to serve your pasta salad in the next few minutes? Drizzle them with a drizzle of olive oil (quality one, of course!) and mix gently. This will prevent them from sticking together and forming an unappetizing bundle! Bonus, the oil will also enhance their flavors.

This way, you can keep your cooked pasta cool for several hours before serving it in a salad.