Hmm. Well, you can vary the taste by throwing salt into the pot, but I’ve never found a level of salt that I thought would raise the quality more than a point on a ten point scale. Adding spices while boiling, like powdered garlic, will alter the taste somewhat but I think they’re more effective in sauces / applied afterwards, and are often visible.
If someone wants to experiment, my starting point would be this:
Take some good olive oil (extra-virgin, first cold press, etc.) and grate fresh garlic into it. Stir and let it stand covered for an hour or so. Once your pasta is ready, drain it, and then toss with the garlic-infused olive oil.
Apparently my mother tried to make some spaghetti according to my grandmother’s instructions, but it never tasted the same to me. So either it was something really subtle, or there was a placebo effect involved (or both).
ETA: Though now that I think of it, I’m not entirely sure of the “bland” thing anymore—there might have been a sauce involved as well. Damn unreliable memories.
Hmm. Well, you can vary the taste by throwing salt into the pot, but I’ve never found a level of salt that I thought would raise the quality more than a point on a ten point scale. Adding spices while boiling, like powdered garlic, will alter the taste somewhat but I think they’re more effective in sauces / applied afterwards, and are often visible.
If someone wants to experiment, my starting point would be this:
Take some good olive oil (extra-virgin, first cold press, etc.) and grate fresh garlic into it. Stir and let it stand covered for an hour or so. Once your pasta is ready, drain it, and then toss with the garlic-infused olive oil.
Apparently my mother tried to make some spaghetti according to my grandmother’s instructions, but it never tasted the same to me. So either it was something really subtle, or there was a placebo effect involved (or both).
ETA: Though now that I think of it, I’m not entirely sure of the “bland” thing anymore—there might have been a sauce involved as well. Damn unreliable memories.