Water in the pan before the pasta? I cooked it wrong for a decade

I always dumped pasta into boiling water and called it done. Last month my sister watched me make spaghetti and goes "why aren't you salting the water before it boils?" I said salt is salt. She showed me that adding salt to cold water means it dissolves into the pasta better, same with oil. Tried it that night with a box of penne and honestly the noodles tasted saltier on their own, no sauce needed. Who else never knew that timing mattered? Anyone got other pre-boil tricks I'm missing?

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joel_martinez23d ago

My roommate finally got me to salt the water when it's cold too, and it's wild how much flavor the pasta picks up. Also, save a cup of that starchy pasta water before you drain it, it's the secret to making sauce stick to the noodles.