A TikTok hack told me I've been straining my pasta incorrectly this whole time

So I obviously put it to the test and... OMG it cuts out an entire step. 

Usually, when I see a hack online telling me I've been doing something wrong my whole life, I roll my eyes a little.

Surely if there was a 'right' way of doing something, we'd already be doing it, right?

I then keep scrolling and this pattern repeats itself as soon as another hack video comes along with its wild claims.

But this week, a video said that there was a "correct" way to strain pasta and it stopped me in my tracks.

For once I actually thought the hack made more sense than the way we currently do it.

If you're like most of the population and haven't developed your cooking skills entirely from TikTok, then you probably make your pasta like this:

1. Boil water
2. Cook pasta
3. Drain pasta using a colander in the sink
4. Pour the pasta back into the pot and add your sauce

It's a bit of a back-and-forth tango, switching between pot to colander and then back to pot.

So when this person claimed his way cut out step three entirely, you better believe I gave it a go.

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The anticipation! Image: Supplied

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The new and improved straining process

The tip came from TikToker Life Hack Dad and the video now has over 12 million views - so it's clearly blowing a lot of people's minds, not just mine.

I followed his process step by step to see if it really did save time and fuss. Here's how it went. 

I started boiling my pasta as normal... taking the 'ol kettle shortcut as per usual.

I added a generous sprinkle of salt... still the same so far...

After putting my pasta into the water and letting it cook away, I prepared the signature move.

I grabbed the colander, palms sweaty with nerves.

Was I going to pull this off? 

Was this going to be a huge fail and pasta would go everywhere? Unsure.

I pulled myself together and got down to business.

The timer went off, the pasta was al dente... there was only one thing left to do.

The Flip and Drain. 

I brought the pasta over to the sink and placed my colander snugly inside the pot. 

Yes, you heard that right. The colander goes INSIDE the pot and acts as an in-built strainer. 

With my oven mitts on, I grasped the pot's handles and held the colander in place as I gently tipped the pasta water into the sink. 

GUYS! IT WORKED!!! 

I then smugly returned my pasta (which never left the pot, I might add) back to the stove and added my sauces. 

She's gone and done it! Image: Supplied

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The verdict

Safe to say this hack really is one of the goodies. 

I genuinely think I'll be incorporating this into my cooking repertoire for a few reasons:

1. It cuts out an entire step 
2. Some of the pasta water stays in the pot, meaning you don't have to remember to 'save a cup' (why do we always forget to do that?)
3. It looks cool as hell and my boyfriend will be impressed when he witnesses me just casually doing it and thinks to himself, wow, that's so nifty! Then I will claim that I just invented it one day when I was daydreaming about how to make the pasta straining process more efficient. 

UPDATE: I've since shown my boyfriend the hack and he said: "That's silly, why don't you just keep the lid on and strain it that way?"

*Sigh*

"Because it wouldn't look as cool, obviously!"

Originally published as A TikTok hack told me I've been straining my pasta incorrectly this whole time