If pasta sticks together after it's cooked, is it overcooked?

[BAPyessir6]

I cook pasta (just made fettuccini Alfredo) and I'm trying to figure this out. So I cook the pasta to al dente then drain it, put it into the sauce as quick as I can (it sometimes sticks a bit in the strainer cause I'm not quick enough). So. . .if it sticks in the strainer as it cools, is it signifying that I overcooked the pasta?

Or after the pasta is cooked, cooled, and fridged for the next day, if it sticks together when you try to take some out to reheat, is that a sign of it being overcooked, or does pasta naturally clump together after it's fridged?

Or am I just not using enough sauce?

 

[Kathleen]

I don't really know the answer to your question, but mine will clump together often as well. However, I wonder whether it is because I pack it pretty tightly into the container before I refrigerate and I generally microwave to reheat. With your post, I wonder whether I could reheat it in a bigger pan using a splash of sauce or reserved pasta water.

 

[Steve Kroll]

If your pasta sticks together, it usually means 1.) you aren't using enough water, and 2.) you need to stir it occasionally.

 

[Kathleen]

Mine only sticks like this after refrigeration.

 

[Andy M.]

Pasta surfaces are loaded with starch. That's what causes the sticking. As Steve said, stirring during the cooking process will help with that. If you're going to refrigerate cooked pasta, consider tossing git with a little oil before refrigerating.

 

[Badjak]

Pasta surfaces are loaded with starch. That's what causes the sticking. As Steve said, stirring during the cooking process will help with that. If you're going to refrigerate cooked pasta, consider tossing git with a little oil before refrigerating.

This!
Or rinse with water after cooking to get rid of excess starge

 

[larry_stewart]

For pastas that have already been sauce up, although they may stick after refrigeration, but as long as they were adequately mixed in with the sauce, usually after reheating ( and stirring) I dont have muchofa sticking issue. If it is plain extra pasta, A quick dip, stir and drain into hot water usually does the trick to me.

Cream sauces , such as Alfredo, will coagulate as they chill, climbing everything together ( also sauces with butter , cheese, a lot of fats...), so the reheating process usually will ' melt/ liquify' the sauce, therefore allowing the pasta strands to free up ( I most cases). Be sure to stir asa reheating, as the outer parts will heat up quicker, and as you stir, the heat will be more evenly distributed, breaking the mass apart. Dont go too crazy, as you may over stir and break of the pasta.

 

[dragnlaw]

Believe I mentioned this in another thread somewhere. I used to often cook my pasta ahead of meal time when kids were all on different schedules. Cooked drained (don't remember if I rinsed or not but probably), tossed with just enough oil to prevent sticking, store in fridge. Kept two pots simmering on low heat, one sauce, one water. As each one came along grab a serving of pasta, dunked it in the hot water, give a stir to warm, scooped it out to plate, ladled some sauce on. Serve.

and as Andy has said, it is the starch that is coating it that is sticking. Remember that pasta's are made out of water and flour.

 

[dragnlaw]

My friends once told me....

To test for spaghetti's doness, throw a strand against the wall. If it sticks it's ready!

It works! But unfortunately it doesn't tell you if it is overcooked.

 

[forty_caliber]

Drop some olive oil into the pasta water before adding pasta. I don't measure, just a gurgle or so.

.40

 

[tovy]

Is it fresh pasta? If so I would suggest stirring more frequently and perhaps using some more water.

 

[BAPyessir6]

One of my friends told me that if pasta sticks together at all, during any time after the cooking process, (either after cooling or refrigeration) it's totally overcooked.

I just found that weird, as every pasta I grew up eating stuck together at least slightly after cooking.

 

[Meryl]

Oh yes, throwing spaghetti on the wall to check if it's cooked? Just another myth, we wouldn't dream of treating spaghetti that way, it would be a sacrilege!

 

[Steve Kroll]

Oh yes, throwing spaghetti on the wall to check if it's cooked? Just another myth, we wouldn't dream of treating spaghetti that way, it would be a sacrilege!

I wouldn't dream of treating my walls that way.

 

[dragnlaw]

Hey, it was 60 years ago and I was learning! The guys though it was funny until I handed them a rag to clean.

 

[dcSaute]

there are many many many "cook's tales" about how to cook pasta.....

using oil in the water during cooking - OMG! the sauce won't stick to the pasta . . .
I've found being stingy with the amount of water greatly increases the stick factor.

using oil / melting / melted butter on the just-out-of-the-pot pasta does reduce/eliminate 'sticking' - but whether that is a good or bad thing depends on what the end use/recipe is....
using (long) pasta as a "bed" ala pilaf for a yummy on-top thing . . . unsticky pasta is a good thing.
for spaghetti&meatballs (the sauce bit goes without saying . . . ) sticky pasta is a bad thing - unless the sauce of many alternatives is immediately applied . . . whether mixed 'in a bowl' or 'on the plate'
I do a shrimp&clam white sauce over linguini - it's done hot&bothered right out of the colander - so there's no sticking.

but, , , it is "true" that over cooking pasta can bring out the sticky starches to an unwanted / unacceptable level. timers . . . they are a good thing . . .

 

[dragnlaw]

timers . . . they are a good thing . . .

Absolutely. Set your timer to about 3 minutes before the recommended time. Take out a strand and eat it. Hard in the middle, keep cooking another 2 to 3 minutes, try again. Keep on doing that until it reaches the degree you are looking for.
This pretty much holds true whether it is spaghetti, macaroni, linguine, rigatoni, .. any pasta!

I used to add oil to the boiling water as I was told it helped reduce foaming up - to my mind it did. Never found it bothered with the sauce sticking. Caveat:- back in the day with young family about the only pasta I really made was spaghetti. And my sauce was really thick with jarred sauce plus canned tomatoes, ground meat, extra onions, garlic... and was delicious, even if I do say so myself.

 

[Meryl]

The cooking times on the packets are not really precise, I just taste pasta to see if it's cooked. I find that spaghetti and other long pasta should be necessarily cooked "al dente".

 

[Meryl]

All cooked pasta (whether it's overcooked or not) sticks together if it hasn't been rinsed or had oil mixed into it.

 

[caseydog]

Drop some olive oil into the pasta water before adding pasta. I don't measure, just a gurgle or so.

.40

Noooooo! Putting oil into your pasta water will coat the pasta with oil, which will prevent pasta sticking together, but will also prevent sauces from being absorbed by your pasta.

The reason to slightly undercook pasta is so you can finish cooking it in your sauce, and the not quite fully cooked pasta will soak up your sauce, kinda' like a sponge.

Mix the al dente pasta with your sauce, stir it around, and add a little bit of starchy pasta water. The starch will help the sauce bind to the pasta.

Meryl, please correct me if I got any of that wrong.

CD