Reserve a cup of pasta water. It's not optional.

Yes, do it. Every time.

Pasta water is liquid gold because of the starch. When you cook pasta, the starch leaches into the water. That starchy water helps sauce cling to the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl. More importantly, it emulsifies oil and fat-based sauces (like cacio e pepe or aglio e olio), giving you that silky, restaurant texture instead of a greasy mess. You literally can’t get the same result with plain tap water.

How much to save: About 1 cup per pound of pasta. But really, just grab a large coffee mug (250–300ml) right before you drain. That’s enough for one batch. You won’t use it all—you add it a splash at a time while tossing the pasta and sauce until it looks right. Too much makes soup; too little leaves the sauce tight.

Remember to season your pasta water first (salty like the sea). That’s the other chef trick nobody mentions enough.

Future you will thank Present you for that mug of starchy magic.