The towel trick beats hand-snapping every time.

Yes, it works: wrap the dry spaghetti in a clean kitchen towel and snap with firm pressure. You get clean, even breaks instead of flying shards.

Hand-snapping spaghetti is a crap shoot. The pasta bends, then cracks unevenly – you end up with one long piece and a handful of dust. Not great for soups or stir-fries where you want uniform texture.

The towel method solves this. Lay the spaghetti flat, fold the towel over it, then press down with one hand while snapping with the other. The towel absorbs the shock and keeps the pieces contained. You can even break into thirds or fourths if you measure against the pan.

For stir-fries, I break to roughly the length of the spatula. For soups, match the spoon’s depth. Same principle: towel, pressure, clean snap.

This is one of those “five second prep” things that makes the whole dish feel deliberate.