Occasionally, when cooking pasta, you see ‘the chef’ pouring in a spoon of cooking oil in the pot of water.

Olive oil is said to prevent the pot from boiling over and keeps the pasta from sticking together. But the general consensus is that it does more harm than good. It can prevent the sauce from sticking to the pasta.

Since oil is less dense than water and is composed of hydrophobic mole­cules, it creates a layer across the top of the water. When the pasta is drained, it is poured through this oiled layer and leaves a fresh coat of oil on the pasta.

To avoid pasta from sticking together simply stir it often. Having said this, olive oil stops the water foaming or boiling over (which has no consequence on taste).