Do you throw away your cooking water? You can reuse it in 7 ingenious ways
Whether its pasta, rice or potatoes that have been cooked, the cooking water is very rich in starch and mineral salts and is therefore still very useful not only in the kitchen, but also for your plants and even as a beauty remedy for skin and hair. But how many times a week do we take the pot from the stove and throw away the water after cooking? So, why then continue to do this when you can use it in another way?
Here are 7 ingenious ways to reuse this cooking water: we are sure you will find this information enlightening.
1. Sauces, soups, vegetables and doughs
The cooking water from pasta and rice can be reused during cooking, to soften sauces or condiments; alternatively you can keep it after draining and reuse it in subsequent meals. For example as a base for soups and for the preparation of broths or for steaming vegetables. Not only that: if you plan to knead pizza, bread, focaccia or any other salty dough, instead of using tap water, you can reuse the water in which pasta was boiled (paying attention to the salt content).
2. Soaking legumes and cereals
Once the water has cooled, it can also be reused for soaking legumes and cereals: leave them overnight to soften them without wasting any more water. Once done, throw the water away as it will contain, in addition to starch, also toxic saponins released by the legumes. Be careful to use only unsalted water for this purpose, as otherwise it may harden the skins.
3. Dish degreaser
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When draining off the water, collect it in a basin: it will come in handy at the end of a meal to wash dirty dishes and dirty pots. The starch present in it will help you to soften the encrustations and dissolve the fats.
4. Relaxing foot bath
At the end of the day, when you get home with tired feet after hours of standing in your shoes, you can treat yourself to a relaxing foot bath thanks to the cooking water from your meals. You will love this use especially if you tend to have swollen ankles. You can also add a few drops of essential oil to make this pampering even more enjoyable.
5. Hair treatment
The high quantity of starch and mineral salts makes cooking water a panacea for dry and brittle hair: spray it on dry hair before shampooing. We leave it on for at least 30 minutes, then proceed with a normal wash. By repeating this practice periodically, your hair will be stronger and easier to style!
6. Salt dough
Are you at home with your children and don't know what to do? After lunch, take the cooking water from your pasta and reuse it to make salt dough: just add a little flour and you will see that your children will be happy and have fun all afternoon!
7. Water the plants
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If you have not salted the water for your pasta, you can let it cool in a watering can; it will be a perfect fertilizer for your plants, which will grow healthier and more luxuriant!
What do you do with your cooking water - throw it away or reuse it?
