How do restaurants really make creamy, sticky, full body pasta sauces consistently (ingredients, fish)
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How do restaurants really make creamy, sticky, full body pasta sauces consistently?
In my personal experience, using pasta water, and some kind of stock along with white wine will make the sauce very runny. I just tried to make scallop/seafood pasta tonight. I added white wine, and some stock made from the boiling pasta water, and lobster bouillon. By just the white wine, it already seemed too watery/runny, but I added the stock anyways. I just skipped the pasta water. At the end of it all, I had to add heavy cream. But still not the best result I was hoping for.
Whenever I watch the pros on YT, they add loads and loads of pasta water. It is mostly water but the sauce becomes creamy, and sticks to the pasta well. When I do it, the bottom of bowl/plate has all the sauce. Do I need to be making sauce with higher heat so as soon as the liquids hit pan, the water vaporizes away?
What did happen tonight is the scallops produced a good amount of orangy, reddish fond on the pan. When I added the white wine I scraped it all up, and the liquid in the pan turned to orangy/reddish which is what I wanted. Perhaps I did not need to add stock at that point. I also made the stock using the boiling pasta water by mixing it in small bowl with bouillon. So there is the starchy pasta water in it. Perhaps I am not adding enough salt to the boiling water. Or is it because I am using store bought packaged pasta? Is fresh pasta better for making starchy pasta water?
Here is an example of chefs adding a ladles and ladles of pasta water. I dont see how it can work. Pasta water is after all mostly water.
Why are you adding bullion at all. As for the white wine, after you add it, are you letting it burn off the alcohol which would reduce the liquid down to nearly nothing? Are you undercooking the pasta a little so it finishes cooking (and adds starch) to the sauce?
I've been experimenting with pasta water. As a result. I'm cooking my pasta in far less water than we've all been taught and the box instructions tell you to. The pasta comes out the same, but that water is much more starchy, making it a better thickener and adding creaminess to the sauce.
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We make our spaghetti sauce in a large batch, and freeze all but that night's dinner in containers for future use. We always put it on in the morning and it cooks all day, on high in the crock pot. By dinner time it's become nice and thick from the evaporation, no pasta water or thickening agents. I have not had any problems with other sauces being watery, unless I use diced tomatoes and don't drain them first. I never use stock or water, just the tomatoes or tomato sauce, a little wine sometimes, and of course the spices. I have run into too much olive oil in Pesto, however, and am more careful about making it now.
Why are you adding bullion at all. As for the white wine, after you add it, are you letting it burn off the alcohol which would reduce the liquid down to nearly nothing? Are you undercooking the pasta a little so it finishes cooking (and adds starch) to the sauce?
I've been experimenting with pasta water. As a result. I'm cooking my pasta in far less water than we've all been taught and the box instructions tell you to. The pasta comes out the same, but that water is much more starchy, making it a better thickener and adding creaminess to the sauce.
I want to get that seafoody taste that I have tasted before in restaurants. I have tried with just seafood in olive oil and white wine, but did not get it. So I figure add some stock.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140
We make our spaghetti sauce in a large batch, and freeze all but that night's dinner in containers for future use. We always put it on in the morning and it cooks all day, on high in the crock pot. By dinner time it's become nice and thick from the evaporation, no pasta water or thickening agents. I have not had any problems with other sauces being watery, unless I use diced tomatoes and don't drain them first. I never use stock or water, just the tomatoes or tomato sauce, a little wine sometimes, and of course the spices. I have run into too much olive oil in Pesto, however, and am more careful about making it now.
Are you making bolognese?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TimAZ
Lots of butter will make any sauce creamy.
I have to try that classic Al Burro sauce no cream one day.
Last edited by NJ Brazen_3133; 07-12-2023 at 01:14 PM..
How do restaurants really make creamy, sticky, full body pasta sauces consistently?...........
Lots of corn starch. Unless you are dining at a high end and very expensive restaurant and then they are using heavy cream and butter. Real cream makes a world of difference in dishes, but you aren't going to get expensive cream at a chain restaurant.
You can use cream at home, though, where it doesn't matter so much if one of the ingredients adds $5 to the cost of a dish.
How do restaurants really make creamy, sticky, full body pasta sauces consistently?
In my personal experience, using pasta water, and some kind of stock along with white wine will make the sauce very runny. I just tried to make scallop/seafood pasta tonight. I added white wine, and some stock made from the boiling pasta water, and lobster bouillon. By just the white wine, it already seemed too watery/runny, but I added the stock anyways. I just skipped the pasta water. At the end of it all, I had to add heavy cream. But still not the best result I was hoping for.
Whenever I watch the pros on YT, they add loads and loads of pasta water. It is mostly water but the sauce becomes creamy, and sticks to the pasta well. When I do it, the bottom of bowl/plate has all the sauce. Do I need to be making sauce with higher heat so as soon as the liquids hit pan, the water vaporizes away?
What did happen tonight is the scallops produced a good amount of orangy, reddish fond on the pan. When I added the white wine I scraped it all up, and the liquid in the pan turned to orangy/reddish which is what I wanted. Perhaps I did not need to add stock at that point. I also made the stock using the boiling pasta water by mixing it in small bowl with bouillon. So there is the starchy pasta water in it. Perhaps I am not adding enough salt to the boiling water. Or is it because I am using store bought packaged pasta? Is fresh pasta better for making starchy pasta water?
Here is an example of chefs adding a ladles and ladles of pasta water. I dont see how it can work. Pasta water is after all mostly water.
A couple of things I saw. First, looks like he used as much butter was water. Second, he mostly cooked the paster in the pan with the sauce so it was both absorbing water and adding starch the whole time. And third, didn't look like he actually used that much water. Each ladle looked like it was only a third to half full. So maybe a cup of water all total. Just enough to cook the pasta.
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