This Popular Trick to Cook Pasta Really Does Work

Have you ever thrown a couple strands of spaghetti or linguine against the wall to see if it's done?

Did it stick? If so that means it's ready to eat and if it doesn't stick then we're supposed to keep on boiling it, right?

According to the Interesting Facts website, this piece of pasta wisdom to boil the perfect pasta is an urban legend passed down through the generations. Whether it's tossing a strand or two of spaghetti or any pasta for that matter against the wall in your kitchen or fridge to see if it sticks doesn't work.

Yes, it sticks, but it always will.

Once any pasta has boiled for a couple of minutes it will stick to the wall even if it's undercooked, boiled to perfection, or overcooked because it's been in that bubbling water for 20 minutes.

So where did this now debunked pasta-testing trick of tossing spaghetti against a wall to confirm it's edibility actually come from. According to the Go Pesto website, no one is really sure how or why it started. There is a book, though, called "You Can Cook If You Can Read" published in 1946 where this recommendation was discovered for the first time.

While it may be a fun to throw pasta against the kitchen wall, cabinets, or your ceiling, especially with younger kids to have a bit of family fun in the kitchen, we all know it comes down to following boiling instructions and simply tasting the spaghetti, rotini, tagliatelle, or even shells that you plan to have for dinner.

This myth did give us the saying "let's throw things at the wall and see what sticks" sometimes said while brainstorming ideas at work or even figuring out plans with family or friends.