Save the pasta water, save the world...

I have always considered the directions on packages of pasta to require ridiculous amounts of water. Yes, the pasta needs to move freely while it's boiling, but 6 quarts per pound is not necessary. In fact, I checked the Revere Ware pot that my mom always made a pound of 'ronis in, which is now my 'roni pot, and it's a mere 4 1/2 quarts. Ergo, I've been using about 2 1/2 or 3 quarts to make a pound of pasta for nearly two decades, and it's always come out very nicely. What's absolutely absurd and wasteful is that the 9 ounce packages of refrigerated tortellini and ravioli call for 4 quarts (a gallon) of water. I think I might have used a quart (if even that), and they also came out nicely.  One needs only half the water the package calls for (or less) to make good 'ronis. 

In a New York Times article dated February 24, 2009

Harold McGee challenged the conventional method of cooking pasta, which calls for boiling six quarts of water per pound of pasta. He also starts his pasta in cold water, instead of boiling the water then adding pasta. The potential environmental impact is stunning.  

"After some experiments, I’ve found that we can indeed make pasta in just a few cups of water and save a good deal of energy. Not that much in your kitchen or mine — just the amount needed to keep a burner on high for a few more minutes. But Americans cook something like a billion pounds of pasta a year, so those minutes could add up.

My rough figuring indicates an energy savings at the stove top of several trillion B.T.U.s. At the power plant, that would mean saving 250,000 to 500,000 barrels of oil, or $10 million to $20 million at current prices. Significant numbers, though these days they sound like small drops in a very large pot." 

I will still boil the water, then add the pasta, because I can rely on it to come out well. I do turn off the water a couple minutes before the pasta is done cooking, and just let it soak in the hot water.

This article in About.com explains a minimal-water technique for making pasta. I probably won't do it, but it's there for those who want to try it.

If pasta companies changed their box directions to reflect how much water one really needs, more people would conserve water and energy. (Letter-writing campaign?) Given the water situation in parts of the USA, like the fight over the reservoir that currently supplies Atlanta and is drying up, and the need for us to be more self-sufficient and not be beholden to foreign oil, every person and pot of pasta we can get to make these small changes is a baby step forward.