First things first: pasta with different structure will give you different results. If you use smooth pasta it will cook uniformly, non smooth pasta like rigatoni, don't have that quality, but they make the sauce stick.
Pasta goes into boiling water, everybody knows that. But not many know that there has to be plenty of water, because pasta likes space. Every 100g of pasta require one liter of water. 300g means 3 liters.
What about salt? Is there a rule for that too? Yes, actually there's two: salt has to be added after water has reached boiling temperature, or boiling will be delayed. If you have one liter of water add 10g of salt, for 2 liters add 20g and so on.
Unlike what many people think, there's no need to add oil to the water. If the pasta turns out sticky, it means that the its quality was bad, or you used too little water.
When the water has diluted the salt, add the pasta. If you're using spaghetti, refrain from breaking them so they won't stick out. Broken spaghetti are not spaghetti.
Pasta will make water temperature go down, so try to bring back the boil quickly: increase the heat and put a lid on the pan. When water has reached the temperature again, take off the lid, and bring back the level of heat you had before. Turn it up a little bit is fine, as long as the water doesn't pass the brim of the pan.
Stir the pasta every 2-3 minutes, keep it moving to make sure it won't stick. The cooking times in the packet usually are for pasta al dente. This means that it will be cooked but it won't melt in your mouth, you'll still have to bite it.
Not to leave pasta overcook is the essence, and for a threefold reason: it won't take long to digest, it will keep cooking on your dish without turning into jelly, and most of all: Italians cook it this way.
When it's time, have the colander ready in the sink, and drain the pasta. Get rid of all the water (in some cases you might still need a little bit of it. Add the pasta to the sauce, if it's in another pan, and let it go for 2-3 minutes, until everything is well mixed.
Pasta should be eaten immediately, but if you're going to eat it at work the next day, or if you're preparing a cold pasta salad, put it under cold water after draining it. This will stop the cooking.
Pasta goes into boiling water, everybody knows that. But not many know that there has to be plenty of water, because pasta likes space. Every 100g of pasta require one liter of water. 300g means 3 liters.
What about salt? Is there a rule for that too? Yes, actually there's two: salt has to be added after water has reached boiling temperature, or boiling will be delayed. If you have one liter of water add 10g of salt, for 2 liters add 20g and so on.
Unlike what many people think, there's no need to add oil to the water. If the pasta turns out sticky, it means that the its quality was bad, or you used too little water.
When the water has diluted the salt, add the pasta. If you're using spaghetti, refrain from breaking them so they won't stick out. Broken spaghetti are not spaghetti.
Pasta will make water temperature go down, so try to bring back the boil quickly: increase the heat and put a lid on the pan. When water has reached the temperature again, take off the lid, and bring back the level of heat you had before. Turn it up a little bit is fine, as long as the water doesn't pass the brim of the pan.
Stir the pasta every 2-3 minutes, keep it moving to make sure it won't stick. The cooking times in the packet usually are for pasta al dente. This means that it will be cooked but it won't melt in your mouth, you'll still have to bite it.
Not to leave pasta overcook is the essence, and for a threefold reason: it won't take long to digest, it will keep cooking on your dish without turning into jelly, and most of all: Italians cook it this way.
When it's time, have the colander ready in the sink, and drain the pasta. Get rid of all the water (in some cases you might still need a little bit of it. Add the pasta to the sauce, if it's in another pan, and let it go for 2-3 minutes, until everything is well mixed.
Pasta should be eaten immediately, but if you're going to eat it at work the next day, or if you're preparing a cold pasta salad, put it under cold water after draining it. This will stop the cooking.
About the Author:
Andrea loves cooking. Cheese and Pears is his blog about Italian food. If you think you know more about pasta after reading this article, start with an easy pasta recipe.
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