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The kids are alright.
A majority of Gen Z home cooks are making spaghetti fit for an Italian family dinner, according to a new survey — while most baby boomers are hopelessly lost behind a pasta pot.
Barilla commissioned the starchy study to better understand America’s relationship with the Sunday favorite — revealing a surprising generational divide in kitchens across the country.
The pasta maker discovered that a paltry 33% of boomers know that they need to salt their pasta water — compared to 56% of Gen Z and 51% of millennials who do.
The finding left in-house chef Lorenzo Boni feeling a little bit salty — saying in a written statement that four teaspoons of the table seasoning should be added to every gallon of water on the boil.
Chef Silvia Colloca took the briny directive one step further, insisting that real Italians add salt to pasta water “by the fistful.”
“This is because salt is actually part of your overall seasoning,” Colloca told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“No matter how spectacular the sauce is, if you don’t salt the water enough the pasta will be bland and, therefore, the whole dish will be bland. Your pasta cooking water should taste almost as salty as the sea.”
Colloca also explained that it matters very little to salt before or after pasta water reaches a boil. It can even be done in cold water if you stir enough, she added.
Salt isn’t the only thing causing the young and old generations to mix like water and oil.
The other issue is, well, oil.
Although Boni stressed that there is no need to add olive oil to boiling pasta water, a whopping 65% of boomers commit the spaghetti sin.
According to Barilla, roughly half of Gen Zers know better.
“If you do, the oil will float to the top, rendering it completely useless, then when you drain your pasta the oil coating will prevent the sauce from adhering properly,” according to Colloca.
“The only way to stop pasta from sticking together is to boil it in plenty of salted water, making sure you stir as you drop it in and a few times as it cooks.”
And finally, addressing one more Nonna no-no, 62% of boomers think it’s acceptable to snap spaghetti in half — compared to 45% of Gen Z amateur chefs.
“The length of the pasta plays a critical role in how it interacts with the sauce. Longer strands enhance sauce retention, creating a more flavorful and cohesive bite,” the pasta pros at Barilla explained in a written statement.
“Breaking it disrupts this harmony,” they warned, gravely.
Other chefs have called spaghetti far too thin for dishes where it is commonly used, like bolognese. Instead, they say, look to thicker strands like tagliatelle for the meaty meal.
