How to Cook Pasta
Whether you’re a starving college student or a connoisseur of fine foods, pasta has something to offer. It’s affordable, easy to master, and can be made in endless combinations. To cook pasta, follow these instructions; to turn it into a meal, add one of the sauce recipes below.
Steps
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1Choose which pasta you want to cook. Try to pick one that suits the sauce well. It's best to use pasta that is a brand from Italy and is made of 100% durum wheat semolina.
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2Fill a large pot 2/3 of the way with water. This will ensure that the water doesn't spill when it's boiling. Don’t under-fill the pot; this will make the pasta sticky. There should be a generous water-to-pasta ratio. To reduce your wait time, add hot water.
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3Turn the knob on the stove to high.
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4Add salt if desired. For a large pot of water, 1 or 2 tablespoons of salt should be sufficient.
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5Wait for the water to boil.
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6Add pasta to the water and stir with a long spoon. Take care that the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom, especially when you first add it.
- Since it can be hard to estimate just how much pasta you need, read the package for serving suggestions. If there aren’t any, read the Nutrition Facts for the number of servings per container and divvy up the dry noodles accordingly. If you’re cooking for two, a full package of pasta can usually make a full meal with leftovers.
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7Turn down the stove slightly, continue to boil the pasta, and stir every so often to prevent sticking. Do not cover the pot; traditional Italian pasta is cooked without a lid.
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8When it's been boiling for about 8-10 minutes (check the package for suggested cooking time), take a piece of the pasta out and allow it to cool.
- Alternatively, under-cook the pasta by 2-3 minutes (the outsides should be cooked while the centers should be hard), then turn off the stove, set the pot on another (cool) burner, and cover for 10-15 minutes. This will slow-cook the centers of the pasta, making them al dente instead of soggy.
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9Bite into the pasta. If it's too hard to bite or if you see white in the center, it needs to cook a little longer. When it's cooked all the way through but still firm, it's ready. This is referred to as al dente (“to the tooth”) in Italian.
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10Turn off the stove and empty the entire pot of pasta into a strainer. Tilt the potaway from yourself so you don’t get a face full of steam, which is even hotter than the boiling water.
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11Shake out the excess water and then pour the pasta back into the pot. Be sure not to put the pot back onto the hot part of the stove, which can burn the bare pasta.
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12Add a tablespoon of olive oil and toss (optional). While this will keep the noodles from sticking, it can also create a barrier between the noodle and the sauce you add, making the results less flavorful.
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13Cover with your favorite sauce and shake it (inside the hot pot). See several recipes below for ideas.
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14Add grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley or basil leaves, or other garnishes as desired.
Method1
Basic Pasta Sauce
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1Put a tall saucepan on medium heat.
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2Test the heat by placing your hand several inches above the pan. When you can feel the heat radiating, it’s hot enough to use.
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3Cover the bottom of the pan in a thin layer of olive oil.
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4Sprinkle dried herbs in the oil. Adding a pinch of oregano or Italian seasoning will infuse the oil with the herb essence. Allow it to sit for about 30 seconds depending on the temperature of the oil; the flakes will brown, but don’t allow them to smoke or turn black.
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5Add half a diced yellow onion and stir.
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6After 1-2 minutes, add several cloves of diced garlic. Since the garlic pieces are smaller than the onion, adding them later will prevent them from burning.
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7When onions are translucent, pour 1 large can of crushed tomato or 2 regular cans into a tall saucepan.
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8Add salt, sugar (optional), black pepper, Italian seasoning, and oregano to taste.
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9Allow the tomatoes to get hot, then let the sauce simmer for approximately 15 minutes..
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