How to Cook Pasta - Learn to cook Pasta Have you been cooking pasta all wrong Making pasta is one of cooking’s easier tasks. It’s something most
people claim to be able to cook — anyone who can boil water. Still,
there are a few simple tricks to master.
1. A large (6- to 8-quart) pot
2. Four to six quarts of cold water
3. A healthy dose (1-2 tablespoons) of salt
4. A wooden or long-handled spoon
5. A colander for draining the pasta
But if you follow a few simple rules, there is no reason why it need ever be troublesome.
The rules really are very simple:
1. Use a BIG pot
2. Boil lots of water (Cover the pot — the water will boil faster)
3. Add salt when the water comes to the boil
4. Put in your pasta and bring it back to the boil
5. Give the pasta a stir
6. Cook the pasta for no longer than it says on the packet.
1 and 2. Use a BIG Pot and boil lots of water.
The first mistake people make when cooking pasta is the size of their pot. Pasta needs a lot of space to move around in while it cooks. If it doesn’t have this space, then there’s a good chance that the pasta will stick together or to the sides of the pan, with disastrous consequences.
No need to add oil to the water; you’ll just be
pouring good olive oil down the drain. To prevent sticking, just use
plenty of water and stir occasionally .
Don’t combine two types or sizes of pasta in the same pot of water — they will finish cooking at different times.
Cook your pasta until it’s tender but slightly firm to the bite. The longer you cook pasta, the mushier it gets. Don’t rely on the clock to evaluate doneness. Use those teeth! If you’re using cooked pasta as an ingredient in a recipe — like baked ziti or lasagna — it can be even firmer; it will absorb liquid and cook more in the oven.
If you’re tossing the pasta with a sauce, reserve a cup or two of the cooking water before you drain the pot. The starch in the cooking water can thin a thick sauce and help sauces stick to the noodles.
Drain the pasta in a colander. If you’re making a cold pasta salad, rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Otherwise, return the colander to the pot and cover to keep it warm.
Serve pasta immediately in warm bowls. Ladle a scant half cup of sauce in the bottom of each bowl, top with pasta, and add more sauce.
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How to cook Pasta - Learn to cook Pasta is really very easy, until it goes wrong. And then it’s a disaster!
Tools of the Trade
You will need:1. A large (6- to 8-quart) pot
2. Four to six quarts of cold water
3. A healthy dose (1-2 tablespoons) of salt
4. A wooden or long-handled spoon
5. A colander for draining the pasta
The rules really are very simple:
1. Use a BIG pot
2. Boil lots of water (Cover the pot — the water will boil faster)
3. Add salt when the water comes to the boil
4. Put in your pasta and bring it back to the boil
5. Give the pasta a stir
6. Cook the pasta for no longer than it says on the packet.
1 and 2. Use a BIG Pot and boil lots of water.
The first mistake people make when cooking pasta is the size of their pot. Pasta needs a lot of space to move around in while it cooks. If it doesn’t have this space, then there’s a good chance that the pasta will stick together or to the sides of the pan, with disastrous consequences.
Don’t combine two types or sizes of pasta in the same pot of water — they will finish cooking at different times.
Cook your pasta until it’s tender but slightly firm to the bite. The longer you cook pasta, the mushier it gets. Don’t rely on the clock to evaluate doneness. Use those teeth! If you’re using cooked pasta as an ingredient in a recipe — like baked ziti or lasagna — it can be even firmer; it will absorb liquid and cook more in the oven.
If you’re tossing the pasta with a sauce, reserve a cup or two of the cooking water before you drain the pot. The starch in the cooking water can thin a thick sauce and help sauces stick to the noodles.
Drain the pasta in a colander. If you’re making a cold pasta salad, rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Otherwise, return the colander to the pot and cover to keep it warm.
Serve pasta immediately in warm bowls. Ladle a scant half cup of sauce in the bottom of each bowl, top with pasta, and add more sauce.
How to Cook Pasta - Learn to cook Pasta
