The Pasta Draining Tactic So Your Noodles Never Leave The Pot

Surprises in the kitchen aren't usually a good thing. They might bring to mind food-related injuries or forgotten ingredients that have gone moldy in the fridge. However, every now and then you learn something surprising about very mundane kitchen tasks. And on that note, we should tell you — there's a new way to strain pasta in town. 

Maybe this is how it was always meant to be done, or maybe it's the result of modern experimentation and viral internet communication. Whatever the case, a tweet on X (formerly known as Twitter), has shown pasta lovers a brand new way to drain the water without the noodles ever leaving the pot. The tweet is accompanied by some photo evidence, suggesting that it could be worth a try. The key to this noodle hack? Turning the strainer upside down. However, although it looks easy enough, it's not exactly a foolproof system.

Draining pasta couldn't be simpler — you place the strainer in the sink and pour the pasta into it, letting the boiling water run down the plughole. However, to use this new technique for draining pasta, you need to place the strainer in the pot on top of the pasta and water with both pot and strainer handles aligned. With a tight, maybe even oven-mitted, grip on the handles, flip your pot upside down over the sink. The water will escape through the strainer, while the pasta remains in the pot. Well, that's the idea anyway. There are a couple of things that could go wrong.

If you're using angel hair pasta, which is notoriously thin and delicate (so stop smothering it in sauce), it could slip out around the sides if you don't have a firm grip. Pasta shells, meanwhile, would have a lot more trouble escaping. You should also pay attention to the water level in your pot. If the water is too high, it could overflow when you place your strainer in it or when you tip it up, causing a big mess with very hot water. Luckily, there are endless delicious pasta recipes to try, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to practice and perfect this hack.