How to Re-Use Cooking Water

Don’t throw away the water in which you cook pasta, rice, vegetables and the likes: you can use it again and give it a second life right in your kitchen – or in your garden.

Basically when you’re preparing something like 4-cheese sauce or any condiment involving creaminess, cooking water is your best ally to blend together all the flavours and make the final result as creamy and smooth as it can be.

Cooking water in which you have cooked the pasta or rice can be used in the dough for pizza or focaccia or even bread. As this water will already be salty, there is no need to add more salt to the dough you are kneading.

If you are going to make some pasta or rice dish with vegetable like spinach or carrots, cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, etc. which you boiled or just blanched them in cooking water: since they are rich in vitamins and minerals which are released in the water when the vegetables are boiled o just blanched, you can used it in turn to cook pasta or rice using the same pot.

And last but not least, if you did not add any salt to the cooking water when you just blanched vegetables, try using it to water your apartment plants or your garden. Just let it cool completely before using it, et voilà – your plants will thank you.