Season Your Pasta Water

Herbs and spices coloring the
water and making it taste good.

The next time you make pasta for a dish, try seasoning your pasta water. Celebrity Chef Rachel Ray says this is the only chance you get to really infuse your pasta with flavor and I agree.  Typically pasta is really boring on its own, so it's nice to give it a little boost even when you're going to cover it in sauce.

I think it's a good way to enhance your foods.  I've added herbs and spices, but most commonly I'll add a dash of cayenne pepper to the water to enhance the pasta with a little zip but without making the dish super spicy.

I also used this concept when making rice, quinoa, or couscous.  I use flavors that either complement the rest of the meal or flavors that are already in another dish to help tie everything together.  Typically this means I use chicken stock as the liquid, but also throwing in a touch of anything else that seems good.