If you have eaten pasta and you found it boring and mushy, chances are that you ate a poorly cooked pasta. Because it is so easy to over cook pasta and therefore arrive at an unpalatable pasta dish.
Table of Contents
How to Cook Pasta Perfectly
If you have been having problems with getting your pasta right, then this post is for you.
Did you know it takes about 8 – 10 mins to get the perfectly cooked pasta #aldente
I have always preferred my pasta Al dente ( which means cooked so as to be still firm when bitten.) I have noticed that pasta tastes better that way.
How to make Al dente Pasta
- Bring water to a rolling boil
- Add salt
- Break up pasta (optional)
- Then add pasta into the boiling water. Make sure pasta is completely submerged.
- Cook for exactly 8 mins*
- Turn off heat
- Drain Pasta immediately with a colander. Depending on the type of pasta dish you are making, you may need to save some of the pasta water. At this stage you can toss it in a tomato sauce or this butternut pasta sauce recipe.
- If you are not using pasta immediately, mix in a table spoon or two of oil or butter to keep the pasta from sticking together.
* Some pasta may require you to cook for up to 10 mins. Start from 8 mins to check for doneness. If you find it firmer than you like, cook for extra 2 mins max.
Getting the perfect pasta requires precision as it can easily go from just right aka al dente to soggy mess ouch! For this I recommend a kitchen timer. Well don’t I these days? That’s because I have realized that timing is an important part of the cooking process especially for beginners. A beginner also includes a professional cook who is making a particular recipe for the first time.
Here are some quick tips to cooking pasta perfectly
- Choose the right shape of pasta for the sauce you are pairing it with.
- Use a large pot and a lot of water when making the pasta, this helps to prevent the pasta from sticking together since the starch in the pasta will have enough room to spread in the water. A good water to pasta ratio would be 1 lb pasta : 4 quarts of water (16 cups of water )
- Season the water with enough salt. When making pasta, more salt is better since you will drain the water anyway and most of the salt will be drained out. Leaving you with just enough to keep the pasta salted. ( a rule of thumb is 1/2 Tbsp for every 8 cups of water)
- Bring your water to rolling boil before adding your pasta. This helps to start off the cooking process and prevents a soggy pasta.
- Stir your pasta constantly in the first minute of adding it to the boiling water. This helps to prevent it from sticking together or clumping up. After the first minute, make sure to stir occasionally till it’s ready.
- You don’t need to add oil to your pasta while cooking except your are cooking it ahead of time. Or if you are making plain pasta to be paired with meatball sauce or stew.
- You don’t need to rinse your pasta after straining except you are making pasta salad or a stir fry.
- Reserve a cup of pasta water before straining. You may need it to help thicken the pasta when mixed with chosen sauce. Yes you read right. The starch in the pasta water acts as a thickening agent.
What you need to make al dente pasta.
Would You love to try making your pasta al dente when next you make pasta. I Would love to hear all about it.
Try these pasta recipes to practice your newly acquired al dente skills!
Don’t forget to follow along on Pinterest and Instagram.
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How to cook Pasta Perfectly
If you have eaten pasta and you found it boring and mushy, chances are that you ate a poorly cooked pasta. Because it is so easy to over cook pasta and therefore arrive at an unpalatable pasta dish.
Ingredients
1 lb pasta of choice
4 quarts water
1 Tablespoon salt
Directions
- Bring water to a rolling boil
- Add salt
- Break up pasta (optional)
- Then add pasta into the boiling water. Make sure pasta is completely submerged.
- Cook for exactly 8 mins*
- Turn off heat
- Drain Pasta immediately with a colander. Depending on the type of pasta dish you are making, you may need to save some of the pasta water.
Notes
- If you are not using pasta immediately, mix in a table spoon or two of oil or butter to keep the pasta from sticking together.
* Some pasta may require you to cook for up to 10 mins. Start from 8 mins to check for doneness. If you find it firmer than you like, cook for extra 2 mins max.
Are you still cooking slumgullion?
Hi Bill,
Yes I am. Here is the recipe! https://www.mydiasporakitchen.com/slumgullion-beefaroni-recipe/
Fantastic i must say.
All your recipes are amazing… The best cooking blog I’ve ever seen.
I’m a little bit confused about one thing though….i have been going through a lot of your recipes lately and I do see the word “cup”. Is there a standard measurement or size or it’s left to the discretion of who’s cooking?
Hi Kaptaan,
Thank you for your kind words. Yes there is are standard measuring cups and spoons which I use in my recipes. Click the link below to see how they look. Depending Your location you can buy them there if you wish.
Disclosure: This is an * affiliate link* this means that If you choose to make a purchase using my link, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
https://amzn.to/2RxrFcT