Perfectly cooked pasta is often referred to as al dente, which means “to the tooth”. Here’s how to have successful results every time:
1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.
2. Add the pasta and stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. (Do not add oil to the water as this will stop the sauce from clinging to the cooked pasta).
3. Cook the pasta using the cooking time indication on the packet as a guide. Test for doneness by removing a piece of pasta from the saucepan and taking a bite: it should be cooked but still slightly firm in the centre.
4. Drain but do not rinse the pasta, as this will wash away the starch that is needed to absorb the flavours of the sauce.
perfectly cooked pasta
(click on photo to view larger image)
I am ok at the actual cooking of pasta but terrible at estimating how much. Is there some easy way to measure out spaghetti and other pasta per person?
just a reaction to Linda’s question about how much to cook,
I’ve bought a long time ago a pasta measuring tool however this is only good for spaghetti or fetticini
It’s a circle with different cut out for different serves
I usually allow 150g of dried pasta per adult for a main meal. It’s probably erring on the generous side, but pasta is inexpensive so not a big deal if there’s a little waste. My motto: it’s always better to over-cater than not have enough to go around. Left-overs are great in any case!
Thanks Gail for your easy / no fail tips re cooking pasta ! Brought back very funny memories of my first ‘share house’ many years, when the guys were in charge of “pasta” night. To test the pasta to see if it was ready they threw a strand onto the ceiling & if it was cooked it would stick & ‘not ready’ would stick initially & peel off ! I do not recommend this on a 20 foot ceiling …Gail’s tips are much more simple & your ceiling remains clean !
That’s very funny Barb! I used to do the “throw the pasta” test, but never on the ceiling – only the wall!