Here’s Why You Should Always Save Your Pasta Water

After boiling a large pot of pasta, it’s become a habit to toss the boiled water down the drain.

Rather than using a colander to drain your spaghetti, the leftover boiled water can be used for something more productive than just throwing it away!

According to many gardeners and conservationists, you can use your pasta water to hydrate your plants rather than letting the drain take all of the benefits.

“The next time you make pasta, don’t waste your used cooking water by pouring it down the drain. Instead, let it cool, and use it to water your plants,’ says Danielle Nierenberg, President of the non-profit organization Food Tank.

Danielle Nierenberg

And not only can pasta water keep your plants green and flourishing, but you can also use the same pasta water to cook sauces or soup.

Not to mention, the water can be re-used to boil eggs or cook vegetables, but if you’re finished cooking meals for the day, let the pasta water cool down first, and then take the pot to the garden!

With the minerals and vitamins from the boiled water, pasta water makes excellent contribution to plant growth and can even act as a fertilizer.

The only catch is to make sure the water you used to cook your penne or angel hair, didn’t have salt already mixed in; so if you’re going to water the front lawn or your plants, it should be just plain water.

So the next time it’s pasta night, not only will be you eating a plate of pasta for dinner but you’ll be watering you plants and in the process, being eco-friendly for preserving water!