How to Cook Pasta Like a Pro
How to cook pasta, 101! Learn the basic steps for cooking pasta from start to finish, with pro techniques for cooking times, salting pasta water and equipment.
Equipment
Ingredients
Yield: One pound pasta, enough for 4-6 people as a main course
- 4 quarts cold tap water
- ¼ cup kosher salt use half the amount (2 tablespoons) if using table salt
- 1 pound dried pasta
Instructions
- Bring the water to a rolling boil in a 5-6 quart tall pot. Add the salt and stir it in to dissolve.
- Add the pasta to the pot and stir. Bring the water back to a boil, then adjust the heat to a lively simmer. Cook the pasta uncovered until al dente (use the time chart above as a guideline), stirring it frequently. Use a slotted spoon to sample the pasta for doneness as it cooks.
- Before draining, scoop out some of the pasta cooking water and reserve for your sauce recipe, if needed. The starchy water helps "marry" the pasta with the sauce.
- Transfer the pasta to a pan or serving bowl and combine with your sauce. Serve hot pasta right away!
Video
Notes
- Before draining, scoop out and reserve the pasta water to add to your sauce recipe.
- Toss hot pasta with sauce (such as Easy Homemade Marinara) and serve immediately.
- If you're prepping pasta for a baked dish such as mac and cheese, parboil the pasta, which means partially cooking it by reducing the cook time by half.
- To use cooked pasta in a cold pasta salad, cook as directed. Drain (don't rinse) and spread the pasta on a sheet pan or baking dish. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat, and allow to cool, stirring it occasionally to keep it from sticking together. Transfer to a container, add the salad dressing and refrigerate.
- Don't rinse cooked pasta. All that precious starch that binds or "marries" the pasta with the sauce should not go down the drain.
- Do you need to add oil to boiling pasta to keep it from getting sticky? No, please don't! Oil creates a slick layer that prevents sauce from sticking to the surface of the pasta. If anything it's a waste of good olive oil. Just use enough boiling water as directed and stir, stir.
- If you're cooking for guests or dinner party, have your sauce ready, then cook the pasta just before serving. Hot pasta waits for no one!
Nutrition
Calories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 10gFat: 1gSodium: 400mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2g
