I once tried to dual purpose water from pasta – it was during a fire ban on a camping trip, and we were low on fuel. Without the benefit of a fire to boil water, I thought I’d take advantage of already hot water, and make myself a cup of coffee. Some of the people on the trip were not coffee drinkers, and were concerned about the use of fuel to fuel my addiction (important lesson: never rely on other people’s assessment of fuel levels, even when you are using their stoves!). Brilliant idea: use the pasta water to make the coffee. Couldn’t be that bad, could it?
Yes. Yes, it could. The coffee was quite starchy, with an undeniable pasta scent and taste. It was gross. While I cannot recall if I finished my entire cup, I must admit that I consumed far more than I should have.
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