How to Cook Pasta Perfectly: The Italian Way
Pasta is the first thing most of us learn to cook, and the thing most of us never quite learn properly. The difference between ordinary pasta and the pasta you eat in Rome is not a secret ingredient. It's four small habits, and none of them takes longer than boiling the kettle.
1. Plenty of Water, Properly Salted
Use about 4 quarts (4 litres) of water for every pound (450 g) of pasta, in a pot big enough for it to tumble freely. When the water boils, add about 1½ tablespoons of Morton or 2 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt. It should taste pleasantly seasoned, like a good soup, not like the sea. This is your only chance to season the pasta itself. My Salt 101 guide explains the different salts.
Skip the oil in the water. It doesn't stop sticking, and it makes the sauce slide off the pasta later. Stirring in the first two minutes is what stops sticking.
2. Cook It Al Dente
Start tasting 2 minutes before the time on the packet. Al dente means tender with a slight bite in the middle: when you bite a piece, you see a tiny white dot at the centre. If the pasta is going into a sauce, drain it a minute early. It will finish cooking in the pan.
3. Save the Pasta Water
Before you drain, scoop out a mug of the cooking water, about 1 cup (240 ml). It is full of starch, and a splash or two helps the sauce cling to the pasta and turn silky instead of watery. It is the most useful free ingredient in your kitchen.
4. Finish It in the Sauce
Never just ladle sauce over a pile of drained pasta. Tip the pasta into the pan with the sauce and toss it over medium heat for a minute or two, adding pasta water a splash at a time, until everything is glossy and clinging. Add cheese at the very end, off the heat, so it melts rather than clumps.
Match the Shape to the Sauce
Long and thin (spaghetti, linguine): olive oil sauces, seafood and smooth tomato sauces.
Ribbons (fettuccine, pappardelle): cream sauces and rich ragù.
Tubes (penne, rigatoni): chunky sauces and baked dishes.
Twists (fusilli): pesto and sauces that need something to grip.
What Can Go Wrong
It's stuck together: too little water, or it wasn't stirred in the first two minutes.
It's mushy: overcooked. Taste early and often.
It's bland, however good the sauce: the water wasn't salted enough.
The sauce slides off: you skipped finishing it in the pan with pasta water.
You rinsed it: rinsing washes off the starch that helps sauce stick. Only rinse pasta for a cold salad.
The sauce is too thick: loosen it with more pasta water.
Practise With These Recipes
Try the four habits on my Spaghetti Carbonara, Pasta Puttanesca, Spaghetti Vongole, Penne alla Vodka, and my Classic San Marzano Tomato Sauce.
The tools I use: Stock Pot, Rasp Grater, and Digital Scale.
This lesson is part of my Anyone Can Cook Kitchen School. See all the lessons there.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much salt should I put in pasta water?
About 1½ tablespoons of Morton or 2 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt for every 4 quarts (4 litres) of water.
Should I add oil to pasta water?
No. It doesn't stop sticking and it stops the sauce clinging. Stir the pasta during the first two minutes instead.
Should I rinse pasta after cooking?
Only for cold pasta salads. Rinsing washes away the starch that helps sauce stick.
How much pasta per person?
About 2 ounces (55 g) of dried pasta for a starter and 3 to 4 ounces (85 to 115 g) for a main course.
What does al dente mean?
Italian for 'to the tooth': cooked until tender but with a slight bite in the centre.
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