Rachael Ray Shares Key Ingredient For 'Perfect Pasta Every Time'

Rachael Ray is the proud author of not five, not 10, but over 25 successful cookbooks! Once that little fact sinks in, you'll be even more amazed to know that the "The Rachael Ray Show" host writes anywhere between nine to a staggering 15 recipes each week (via She Knows). While Ray probably has little in common with the rest of us who would rather sneak in a takeout or two than cook 15 meals a week, rest assured, she has top-notch tips to share with the world which fans would be wise to pay heed to.

Of all the secrets the seasoned chef has to share, Ray has often spoken about the many tricks to making the perfect pasta. If you're thinking that pasta requires little except boiled noodles and a jar of store-bought tomato sauce dumped on top, Ray's tips will have you think otherwise.

To make the entire tomato sauce for your pasta taste like cheese, for example, she recommends adding the rind of a parmesan cheese into the pot of sauce while it's cooking (via YouTube). When sprinkling dried herbs like oregano onto your pasta, Ray suggests lightly crushing them between your palms to "wake them" first.

These little tricks may go a long way in adding a bit of oomph to just another plate of plain ol' pasta. The latest piece of pasta advice that Ray spills on Instagram is, according to her, "the secret ingredient to perfect pasta every time."

According to the "30 Minute Meals" star, it is important to save the water leftover from boiling pasta in a cup (via Instagram). While you should be saving the water every time, this is even more important when you're working with a thick and pasty pasta sauce. The "salty, starchy" pasta water is so essential that Ray even goes on to call it an ingredient in its own right! The pasta water, she explains, helps "marry" the sauce with the pasta so that you get an even coating of sauce to pasta in every single bite.

While fans are loving Ray's tip, they're also applauding the thorough explanation that she follows it up with: "Excellent explanation of why using the salty, starchy pasta water is pure gold." Another user says that Ray's tip is a lesson successfully learned: "Every time I make pasta I say out loud 'and now we marry you together to join like Rachel said'!"

Another piece of advice that Ray shares in her video has fans even more surprised, however. When salting the water for the pasta to boil in, Ray says to add salt only after the water has started boiling. Adding in any beforehand will make the salt sink to the bottom of the pot and scar it. Even those who already knew about the glory of saving pasta water were surprised by this little nugget of information: "I didn't know to add salt WHEN the water boils!!!!!!"