A mum’s TikTok video on draining pasta has been viewed almost one million times. / Tiktok @athomewithshannon
You can always rely on TikTok to teach you something new, or not.
This mum's viral video showing the "right" way to drain pasta has been met with plenty of criticism, with one expert saying it is not only being "dangerous", but totally "incorrect" too.
According to TikTok star ShannonDoherty, who uses the handle @athomewithshannon, her "hack" is particularly "life-changing".
She even surprised herself after discovering what she described as the "right" way to use a colander when making pasta.
In her clip, the mother-of-three shares audio asking TikTok users to share the life hack that became an "unconscious standard practice in your life".
"This life hack was totally life-changing for me. I think about it every night making dinner. How did I not know this?" she wrote in the comments section of the post.
"How was I doing this wrong my whole life? This was one of those life hacks that I use every day."
In the clip, she shows her followers how to use the utensil, but not in the way you think.
She begins by removing a boiling pot of pasta from the stove. She then places a colander in the sink to show how not to use it by pretending to pour the pasta water into it.
Instead, she places the pot of pasta on a kitchen bench and puts the colander inside the pot.
She then holds the two staked together and drains the pasta water into the sink.
Her clip has been "liked' almost one million times after people applauded her for the tip thinking they've been using the utensil wrong their entire life.
One user wrote: "42 years old ... I finally learned something today."
"I also recently saw this and couldn't believe I was doing it wrong my entire life," another person commented.
"Freaking brilliant," a third wrote, while a fourth said they had showed their mother who described it as a "game-changer".
However, the "genius" and "more logical" hack, as others described it, was also met with plenty of criticism, with some saying they just "can't understand at all how that's better".
Apparently we've been draining our pasta wrong. Photo / Getty Images
"I don't think this is a better way to strain pasta however your energy and vibe is a 10/10," one person told the mum.
"Same. Don't get this at all. This is not faster (slightly slower in fact), doesn't save any mess. Just ... why?" another woman added, while a third person said: "That's so much harder than just dumping it in there."
Others said her method damages and squishes the pasta – with the water also going to waste.
Luciana Sampogna, who runs Cucina Italiana Cooking School in Sydney, told news.com.au the hack is a safety issue with a high risk of burning yourself particularly when pouring the water out.
"The boiling water is also heavy, hence the risk for someone to get easily burnt," Sampogna said.
As for the pasta component, she said the water is the most important ingredient.
"We (save the water) in case we need to fix any problems such as dryness and of course to give a creaminess to the pasta," Sampogna explained.
"We always need water that is rich in starch (from the pasta/flour) and that helps to dilute the sauce, but at the same time, as it has starch, it gives the right consistency.
