Prepare pasta just before serving it:
• Use a tall, large pot filled no more than ¾ with water. If there is too much water in the pan it may boil over, and too little water will not allow the pasta to cook properly.
• Use a 6-8 quart capacity pot to prepare one pound of pasta.
• The temperature of the water used to fill the pot does not affect the end result of the pasta and its performance. However, using hot tap water will allow the water to come to a boil faster.
Salt the water:
• Salting the water brings out the natural flavor of the pasta.
• Salt must be added once the water has started to boil. If the salt is added too late, it will not be absorbed correctly into the pasta. Adding salt too early may lengthen the boiling time.
• Allow the salt to dissolve before adding the pasta.
Add the pasta and quickly return the pot to a boil:
• Pour in the pasta and increase the heat source to bring the water back to a boil.
• Do not cover the pot.• Stir the pasta gently several times while it is cooking, approximately every three minutes.
Do not add oil to the water:
• When poor quality wheat is used, the pasta releases too much starch and sticks together.
• Olive oil does nothing for the taste of pasta and its usage will make the pasta slippery, allowing the sauce to “slide” off the pasta.
Cook as told on the package:
• For perfect pasta, simply follow the cooking times on the package, even though it is a good idea to taste the pasta just before draining to make sure it suits your taste.
• Pasta has been cooked properly when it is soft on the outside, but the inside is still a little hard. In authentic Italian cooking, this is called al dente.
Drain pasta immediately after it is done cooking:
• Drain pasta into a large colander and toss it gently to remove excess liquid.
• The pasta should remain moist but not dripping wet.
• Pasta should not be rinsed after cooking unless for a pasta salad recipe. The natural starches released from the pasta complement the pasta meal because they help “bind” the sauce that is to be used, and allow the sauce to adhere better to the pasta.
• Always save a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water; it may be needed to dilute the sauce or in sautéing the pasta with the sauce before serving.
Add sauce and serve immediately:
• When pasta is drained, it is still cooking so the sauce should be added quickly.
• In Italy, pasta is usually undercooked in the water for about 3 minutes. It is then cooked in the sauté pan with the sauce for another 3 minutes so that it absorbs the flavors of the sauce.
• Pasta should be served hot.
• Italians use very little sauce with their pasta—just enough to coat it.
• To finish the pasta, top with parmesan cheese, a little freshly ground black pepper and olive oil.
