Add Easy Luxury To Buttered Noodles With This Quick Trick

Children and adults alike can all enjoy the simple comfort food that is buttered noodles. Whether it's spaghetti or farfalle, this age-old crowd-pleaser is an inexpensive way for college students and busy parents to get an easy, quick bite. Add some parmesan cheese, pepper, or parsley, and you can dress this dish up a bit without too much hassle. Those seeking to elevate the dish even higher might turn to chili flakes, mushrooms, or maybe some grilled chicken. However, you can easily transform these noodles with just one surprising addition: water.

No, we're not saying to add water to the noodles while they cook; that's kind of a given. Instead, combine some butter and water to create a shiny sauce for the pasta. This trick might sound a bit confusing, considering water and oils don't exactly mix with ease. But, when you whisk cold butter into simmering water, the result is a thickened, creamy, yellow sauce that can evenly coat noodles of any shape. Called beurre monté, this French sauce has long existed as an addition to vegetables, seafood, steak, and, of course, pasta.

The science of why just butter and water become this luxurious sauce is actually pretty simple. Usually, when you heat butter up, you may notice that it separates (which is how you can make clarified butter). This is because heat causes the fat and dairy solid components to lose cohesion and separate. When you mix refrigerated butter into hot water, however, that separation doesn't happen. The fat becomes suspended in tiny droplets of water during whisking, where it stays and keeps all the components incorporated and stable. That means the melted butter stays thickened and emulsified, letting it better cling to your noodles.

The beurre monté technique is easy and quick once you get used to the process. First, you need to put water into a pot and heat it gently, only using a few tablespoons. About 1 tablespoon of water per half-stick of butter should do it. The heating part doesn't take very long, so keep a watchful eye. When it's the right time to add butter to this pasta sauce, you see steam and need to act quickly. Whisk small chilled cubes of salted or unsalted butter into the water over heat until the whole thing emulsifies and thickens. You can then take it off of the heat and add it to any noodles you want, or refrigerate the sauce for later use. If you see it start to separate, whisk vigorously again to bring it all back together.

The French use their "magic butter sauce" for tons of other dishes besides pasta, and you can too! You can season this glossy sauce with salt, pepper, garlic, lemon, or other spices, then apply it to roasted veggies, such as asparagus and broccoli, for extra flavor. Toss shrimp or other seafood in it before serving to bring out their rich flavors. You can even pour it over pan-seared steak for additional salt and decadence.

If you're stuck on adding this sauce to noodles, you can still kick things up a notch. Make a seafood linguini with butter sauce, scallops, and clams that's sure to impress on any date night; toss your beurre monté pasta with pancetta and peas then top with parmesan for a classic Italian vibe; or go all-veggie with spinach and peppers to create a buttery and colorful presentation. There are many pasta recipes that never get old in addition to these, so consider changing up the proteins and veggies to try something new.