Pasta 101: Cooking Perfect Pasta Every Time

For many people, cooking pasta is a daunting process. They imagine a sticky mess of congealed noodles and a ruined dinner for the family. When time is of the essence, there is no other food busy families rely on more than pasta. Pasta products are healthy, satisfying and economical. As a virtually fat free and salt free food, it is a healthy meal option. Also, as a food that is low on the Glycemic Index (low GI foods are digested more slowly); pasta naturally satisfies hunger longer without spiking blood sugar levels.

Thankfully, cooking pasta is essentially, as easy as one, two, and three.

1. For every one pound of pasta, bring 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Once water is boiling, then add about 2 tbsp. of coarse salt.
2. Add the pasta, stir, and return the water to a boil. Place the lid back on the pot to help bring the water back to a boil. Once the pot is boiling again, remove the lid for the remaining cook time to prevent the pasta from boiling over.
3. Follow the package directions for cooking times. Perfectly cooked pasta should be "al dente," or firm to the bite, yet cooked through. Drain and proceed with the rest of your recipe.

Sound too good to be true? Indeed, yet, there are some common mistakes even the most seasoned cooks make when preparing pasta. Here are some simple hints and steps to help you cook perfect pasta.

Adequate water and salt. Ideally, pasta should be cooked in 6 quarts of rapidly boiling water for every pound of pasta prepared. Many cooks do not use adequate amounts of water and as a result, their pasta sticks together. Once the water comes to a boil, it needs to be adequately salted in order to flavor the pasta; about 2 tbsp per pound. Once the pasta is cooked, you have lost your chance to season it, resulting in a flavorless feast.

Frequent Stirring. To keep pasta from sticking, stir constantly during the first minute or two of cooking. This is the crucial time when the pasta surface is coated with sticky, glue-like starch. If you don't stir, pieces of pasta that are touching one another will bind together.

Do NOT add Oil. You may have heard that you can avoid sticky pasta by adding oil to the pasta water. This can prevent sticking, but at a great price. Pasta that's cooked in oily water will become oily itself and, as a result, the sauce slides off, doesn't get absorbed, and you have flavorless pasta.

HOT Pasta. Pasta 101 rule of thumb, hot pasta absorbs more sauce. In most Italian households, hot cooked pasta is added to a pan of sauce immediately, allowing the sauce to penetrate the pasta. By allowing the pasta to cool, the sauce lays on the pasta, resulting in a flavorless noodle.

Be Prepared. It is important that you have any sauces, meats and side dishes almost fully cooked before the pasta even touches the water. Hot pasta is key, as it cools it becomes sticky and the sauce begins to dry out. Don't start the pasta until everything else is just about done.

Reserve Pasta Water. After pasta has cooked, reserve a cup or two of pasta water before you drain the pasta. Reserved pasta water contains essential starch that can be used later to adjust the consistency of your sauce, from thickening it to thinning it. Reserved pasta water is also a good way to stretch your sauce if you are running short on sauce.

When It's Done. As you get close to the end of your estimated cooking time, taste the pasta. If it is done, it should have a nice al'dente bite and taste like pasta. If it is undercooked, it will have a stiff and chalky core; overcooked, and your noodles will be limp and soggy. Note that once you decide the pasta is done, it will take you several seconds to turn off the burner, lift the pot and pour the contents into the colander. During this time, the pasta continues to cook, so begin testing for doneness 2-3 minutes before the end of the suggested cooking time.

NO Rinsing. Pasta should never, ever be rinsed. The starch in the water is what helps the sauce of your choice adhere to your pasta. The only time you should ever rinse your pasta is when you are going to use it in a cold dish like a pasta salad or when you are not going to use it immediately. In cases such as those, rinsing the pasta helps to stop the cooking process. Drain well before storing.

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