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Pasta lovers are often guilty of draining their pasta water down the sink before adding sauce. But there is an important reason to save your pasta water and it is pretty scientific. Because pasta is made of flour, it releases starch into the cooking water as it boils, creating a white, cloudy liquid that emulsifies sauces it is added to. Emulsification is the process of blending two liquids that would otherwise repel each other ― in the case of pasta, it’s oil and water ― into a smooth, inseparable mixture. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Starchy pasta water is also a thickener, so saving some and mixing it into sauce creates something creamy and thick that won’t ever separate. This makes for a better sauce, so if you ladle some pasta water out before draining the rest you are going to be giving serious chef vibes. With that said, it is time to impress everyone you ever cook for again - just from the simple act of saving a small bit of water. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

They aren't eating hot dogs at the hot dog eating contest.

Defining Dishes is a new IndyEats column that explores the significance of food at key moments in our lives. From recipes that have been passed down for generations, to flavours that hold a special place in our hearts, food shapes every part of our lives in ways we might not have ever imagined. My earliest memory of Taiwanese beef noodle soup is the first time I compared the version my mother makes and then going out to eat it at restaurants. It was just terrible outside the walls of my home, just a sad watery soup with no flavour. I was born in Washington DC but grew up in Orlando. In America, and even in some places in Taiwan, there are a lot of places that are lazy when it comes to making beef noodle soup. They just whip up a thin broth with ginger, spring onions, some type of chilli. Then there are other places trying to do expensive s***. They’ll try and promote it by saying, “Oh, I use dry aged beef” or “I use this super expensive stock”. But that’s all unnecessary. What Taiwanese beef noodle soup needs is time, not anything fancy. What do we do when we cook? We apply the right level of heat to the proper amount of time to the proper ratio of ingredients. That’s it. With this dish, the longer you let it simmer, the better it is. The flavour develops and becomes richer, the beef becomes fall-apart tender. It’s so simple and humble, all it takes is time. I make mine using two separate stocks. I make a master stock, which begins with simmering meat and bones for a long time so it becomes really flavourful. Then I make another stock with my aromatics – including ginger, spring onions, garlic, fresh chili peppers and dried red chili peppers, and Szechuan peppercorns – and sauces, like dark and light soy sauce and rice wine. Doing it separately allows me to strain the aromatics out and keep the broth really clean so that each bite is consistent. For the protein, I use beef shank and oxtail. The thing that sets my beef noodle soup apart is that I use chilli oil as well as fresh chilli for that acid kick. That’s something I haven’t seen other people do, most dishes use just chilli oil. I’m also quite loyal to tomatoes in my beef noodle soup. A lot of people make it with either tomato or no tomato, it’s one of those divisive things. People will ask, “Are you a tomato beef noodle soup guy or you’re not a tomato guy?” I’m a tomato guy because it gives the dish more umami and another layer of acidity. The chillies and tomatoes combined deliver different levels of acidity. Between those three, they cut through the fattiness of the beef. I don’t over-skim my soup either, I leave all the globs of fat in there to keep it rich, but the acidity stops it from being excessive. I’m agnostic about the type of noodle I use in my soup. I served it once to my homies with a really good number 10 Italian spaghetti, which is a finer noodle than regular spaghetti. They were like, “Yo, this is crazy”. It totally changed the dish, I’ve never had it like that. Most people use a Chinese wheat noodle, some do knife-cut noodles and others do hand-pulled. They’re all fine for me. I’m mainly here for the broth, which I’ll just drink a lot of the time. I do like knife-cut noodles though, I would love to try that. But mostly I will serve it with a Chinese wheat noodle or spaghetti, because it’s the closest you can get to wheat noodles if you can’t get them. The difference between my mum’s beef noodle soup and mine is that she doesn’t add the chilli oil and fresh chillies. But I have to say that my mum will tell you that my beef noodle soup smokes hers. It’s just that much better. She does not f*** with me anymore. There are certain dishes that I practice so much and she just says, “I’m not playing with you anymore, right?” But she’s still the best at home-style small dishes and stir fries, like baby dried fish with peanuts, red-cooked pork or lion’s head meatballs. But some other dishes, my mum gives me the nod. She doesn’t make them anymore, she’s like, “You make it”. It’s fun to say, “Alright, you taught me and I really, really mastered it”. I was never one to do it just like my mum. I was always going to learn how she does it and then I’m going to make it a little bit better. Beef noodle soup is incredibly close to my heart, it’s the only dish that occupied an entire chapter of my memoir, Fresh Off The Boat. I wrote at the time that the best part of beef noodle soup is that there are no rules and you can add whatever you like as long as it has the essentials: beef, noodle, and soup. I like it the most because there is nowhere to hide with this dish. Just take your time. Eddie Huang is the chef-founder of Baohaus. He wears many hats, including author, presenter and director. Read More Eddie Huang: ‘I’ll never eat at BAO London – I know mine’s better’

Pride Month is officially here and that can only mean one thing: time to load

Few things are more satisfying than cooking up a storm on the BBQ. Whether you’re catering for a crowd or firing up for a quick midweek dinner – as the weather starts to warm up, so do our grills. BBQing used to have a somewhat basic reputation for chucking unseasoned steaks on the grill and calling it a day. However, there are worlds of possibilities when it comes to cooking over fire – for example, did you know you could even whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies outside? New BBQ cookbooks released in preparation for summer take us all over the world with their recipes, and could even convince you to build your own grill from scratch… DJ BBQ’s Backyard Baking: 50 Awesome Recipes For Baking Over Live Fire By: David Wright, Chris Taylor and Christian Stevenson Think BBQs are just for hunks of meat? Think again. DJ BBQ’s Backyard Baking proves baking doesn’t have to be an indoor, rainy day pursuit – and can be just as delicious and as much fun over the open fire outside. This book is a collaboration from three foodies – Christian Stevenson (better known as DJ BBQ), his regular co-author Chris Taylor and baker David Wright. The trio argue both cooking over fire and baking are often seen as overly complicated pursuits that are easy to get wrong – but in this book, they set out to prove this misconception wrong. The book starts with the basics – the equipment and set-ups you’ll need, with a baking focus – and then launches into a host of technicolour recipes. Dishes range from simple crowdpleasers, such as campfire bread and chocolate chip cookies (which yes, you can bake on a BBQ, you’ll discover) to the more adventurous, including lamb kofta sausage rolls and a full Moroccan-inspired chicken dinner. There’s even a recipe for charcoal ice cream – which isn’t black like you might see on Instagram, but is full of those beautiful, smokey flavours. With DJ BBQ’s signature brand of wit and irreverence, this book will open up the worlds of possibilities within outdoor cooking. Quadrille, £20. Photography by David Loftus. Available now. The DIY BBQ Cookbook: How To Build Your Own BBQ And Cook Up A Feast By: James Whetlor This is one for the DIY enthusiasts – anyone who really wants to their hands dirty when BBQing, from start to finish. While it’s all very well and good to use a regular, shop-bought BBQ, food writer James Whetlor is a huge proponent for making your own. Why? Because shop-bought versions are often expensive, and near-impossible to cart with you on a jaunt to the beach or a day in the park. But Whetlor predominantly highlights how fun it is to make your own BBQ. You don’t have to be a DIY wizard or a building maestro to do so – some of the simplest set-ups will be hugely effective. You’ll need a few basic bits of kit for a DIY BBQ – including breeze blocks, pots, planks and chains – all of which Whetlor says is available at your local DIY store. He also urges safety – wearing work gloves and goggles when building. Whetlor gives a comprehensive guide on building your own BBQ – covering all the different options, from small versions to one that can smoke a whole pig – and there’s even an ingenious step-by-step guide for building your own tandoor oven out of a flowerpot. If you’re tentative about building your own BBQ, Whetlor’s guide is so comprehensive he’ll put any nerves at rest – and then he follows up with the best bit: what to cook on your new creation. Dishes range from vibrant veggie options – mushroom tacos and miso-marinated aubergine steaks – to meaty dishes (coconut hot wings, tandoori quail, spicy pork ribs and more). Quadrille, £20. Photography by Sam Folan. Available now. Big Green Egg Feasts: Innovative Recipes To Cook For Friends And Family By: Tim Hayward While this book is predominantly geared towards people with Green Eggs – a specific type of ceramic BBQ – don’t be put off, because the recipes will suit anyone, with any type of BBQ. The beauty of a Green Egg is it covers so many different types of cooking – you can slow-roast, wok-fry and cook pizzas on there – but you’ll just as easily be able to do that without one, be it on stove or in your oven, if it’s not a recipe that specifically calls for BBQing. If you’ve got a Green Egg, food writer Tim Hayward will take you through the best ways to use it, making sure you get the most out of this (admittedly expensive) piece of kit. But the real strength of this cookbook lies in the sheer range of recipes included from all over the world. You’ll get step-by-step guides on how to make lobster rolls from the US, Indian chicken curry, a whole rack of spiced lamb from the Maghreb region in north-west Africa and Mexican taco recipes to feed a crowd. Dishes are vibrant, colourful and will be everything you want to make this summer – with or without a BBQ. Quadrille, £30. Photography by Sam Folan. Available now. Read More These recipes will keep you hydrated on hot days Three tomato salad recipes that aren’t boring Try one of these pasta recipes this British Tomato Fortnight Uncorked: How do I keep my wine cool at a picnic? Banging brunch recipes worth getting out of bed for Think pink: Three ways with rhubarb to make the most of the season

Toothpaste, chocolate, washing powder and deodorant -- everyday products are increasingly under lock and key at US retailers, as petty theft and organized shoplifting rise while...