This Salting Tip Makes Buttered Noodles Taste Way Better

Buttered noodles are an easy weeknight dinner that is both filling and comforting. You don't need many ingredients (or much time) to make creamy garlic butter noodles, but there is one trick that will make them taste way better. Tasting Table spoke with Ed Scarpone, culinary director at Giulietta, a New York City Italian restaurant, to get his tips for elevating this classic budget comfort meal.

"Salt enhances the butter flavor," Scarpone explains. "It allows the taste of the fat to shine through and suppresses bitterness." However, when and how you add salt and other seasonings will make a difference. Adding salt at both the start and finish of the dish is the way to go. Scarpone begins by preparing the pasta in well-salted water, essentially salting the noodles from within. "When pasta is properly seasoned from the cooking water and finished with a touch of salt at the end," he explains, "it sharpens the butter's dairy notes and makes the dish taste fuller and rounder rather than flat." 

Rather than using salted butter to dress your noodles, opt for a high-quality unsalted variety. A higher quality butter will stand out among so few ingredients, elevating the entire dish. And because you're using unsalted butter, that final sprinkling of salt at the end is key.

Scarpone also gave us some other great ways to upgrade simple buttered noodles and turn the dish into a restaurant-worthy meal. Instead of just melting butter in the microwave and pouring it over your pasta, you want to "emulsify [it] with a splash of pasta water." To do this, reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water and then drain your pasta (but don't rinse it). Put the butter and reserved pasta water in the pot and slowly heat everything over low heat, tossing and turning the pot gently to coat the pasta evenly. "[This method] coats the noodles evenly and doesn't leave the greasy feeling that oil and fat can leave on your lips," he explains. 

If you want a richer, fresher butter flavor, you can "finish [the dish] with cold butter off heat for a richer, glossier pasta like you would get with most sauces," Scarpone suggests. "This technique gives you the raw butter flavor people love." Before serving, add salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste and garnish the dish with some fresh basil or parsley, red chili flakes, and grated parmesan and pecorino.

For a flavorful twist on classic buttered noodles, you can start with compound butter instead of plain, unsalted butter. Emulsify your butter with the seasonings, herbs, and cheese of your choice. Then add in your pasta and reserved pasta water into the pan, shaking or stirring gently to integrate all of the ingredients together.