Perfect the Pasta Cooking Process With These Tips

Cooking pasta
Photo by Heather Ford on Unsplash

Pasta may seem like a simple thing to cook (especially if you aren’t so au fait with the kitchen) but it’s still possible to spoil. If you want to make perfect pasta every time you get a craving for cacio e pepe, follow these tips. 

Salt the Water

Italians often say that pasta water should be as salty as the sea, and trust us, they would know! Unless you feel like upsetting a nonna or two, which we don’t recommend, add a decent amount of salt to your cooking water. Aim for 1 tablespoon of salt to a quart of water. 

Avoid the Oil

It may seem good in theory to add olive or another type of oil to your pasta water, but rather give it a miss. Yes, the oil will prevent your noodles from sticking together, but it’ll prevent the sauce from binding to them, too. 

To the Tooth

Pasta is a big deal in Italy, in case you haven’t already realized. Italians are so serious about the stuff that they even invented a term to describe what texture it should be—al dente. Meaning “to the tooth”, your noodles should have just a bit of bite once they’ve finished cooking. Keep track of the chewiness by tasting your pasta two to three minutes before the cooking instructions say to. 

Save the Water

Probably the golden trick when it comes to cooking pasta, and certainly the secret to perfecting the sauce, is saving some of the pasta water post-cooking. The water is filled with the pasta’s own starch (plus that salt) and it will help the sauce stick to the noodles, so save a cup or two before draining them. 

Don’t Rinse the Pasta

Unlike people, pasta does not need to rinse off after being in its bath, so if anyone tells you to wash your pasta after taking it out of the pot—run. All the starch and seasoning clinging to your noodles are exactly where they should be.