If you're not sure how to cook pasta, you've come to the right place.
Learn how to cook spaghetti, boil pasta perfectly - follow these simple tips and you'll be cooking pasta perfectly every time!
Tip 1
Cook pasta in plenty of water to avoid it sticking together. The general rule is to use 4 quarts of water for every pound of pasta. Use a large pot so you don’t have to worry about the water boiling over and making a mess of your stove. Let the water come to a rolling boil, and then add a good, healthy pinch (2 tbs) of salt. Add the pasta to the salted water. Salting the water adds flavor to the pasta.
Tip 2
After adding the pasta keep the heat on high so that the water returns to a boil quickly. Continue to cook the pasta uncovered, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking. There’s no need to add oil to keep pasta from sticking if you use enough water. Oil just adds fat to your meal.
Tip 3
Don't overcook or under cook your pasta. The pasta is done when it is "al dente", which means "to the teeth". The pasta is al dente when it is tender but firm and has a slight bite to it when you taste it. You've undercooked the pasta if it has a chalky core and a floury taste; and you've overcooked it if it's limp and soggy. To cook pasta al dente, follow the instructions on the package.
My friend Punam, who is an excellent cook, swears that pasta only needs to be cooked for 7 minutes, no matter what the shape. I find though that sometimes 7 minutes is not enough time and the pasta is a bit too al dente for my taste, so I prefer to follow the manufacturer’s cooking times on the package.
Tip 4
Reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining the cooked pasta. This cooking liquid now contains starch from the pasta that can be added to the pasta and other ingredients to create a sauce. I often make a simple cheese sauce for my three-year-old by adding unsalted butter, grated cheddar cheese and a bit of the reserved pasta water to his pasta.
Tip 5
Only rinse the cooked pasta if you are making a pasta salad. Not rinsing the pasta will help the sauce stick to it because of the starch, which acts like a glue.
Tip 6
Immediately toss the pasta with sauce. Add some of the reserved pasta water as needed to enhance the consistency of the dish.
Now that you know how to cook pasta, you may want to try making some homemade tomato sauce.
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If you're not sure how to cook pasta, you've come to the right place. 
