5 Easy Tips to Making Better Pasta


Everyone knows how to boil pasta, right? -Think about the last soggy rigatoni salad you ate before you answer.- The good news is that making perfect pasta is easy is if you know the rules.



1. Use plenty of water, (About 2 quarts for every cup of pasta).

Cleaning bigger pots is a pain, but sticky clumps of pasta are worse, more water means more room for your pasta to move

2. Bring water to a full boil before adding pasta

Do I need to mention the clumps again? A full boil means you can stop adding oil to your water to keep the pasta from sticking, hooray!

3. Season your water


Bland is a really mean food description. Seasoning your water is seasoning your pasta. Italians say that pasta water should taste like the ocean which is roughly 1 teaspoon per quart of water. Those with salt concerns should check out this article in the New York Times.


4. Set a timer


Pasta cooked al dente holds its own against your sauce instead of soaking it up like a soggy sponge. Every package of pasta has a recommended cooking time that varies by pasta shape and size. Two minutes can mean the difference between magic and mush, so most Italians and serious cooks use a timer to keep track.

5. Do not wash the pasta


Washing pasta makes as much sense as rinsing a marinated chicken. Fresh water strips your pasta of all the flavor you cooked in. If you have to do it for a pasta salad, be mindful and re-season if you think it’s necessary.

Pretty basic, right? Give these tips a try and I’m sure you’ll see a difference. I had to make a lot of mistakes in various Italians kitchens to win this wisdom, so use it assured that there is only one RIGHT way to boil pasta.

Like this post? Click here for free email updates!

No comments:

Post a Comment

FOOD IS ONE OF THE MOST VISCERAL ASPECTS OF A CULTURE; IT CAN BE EXPERIENCED WITH NO LANGUAGE SKILLS, NO GUIDE, AND MOST TIMES WITH VERY LITTLE MONEY.