How To Cook Perfect Pasta - What's Cooking America

How To Purchase Dried Pasta:

Read the label when buying dried pasta – The best pasta is made of 100% semolina (the label will say durum – wheat semolina or semolia).  Pasta made from durum wheat retain their shape and firmness while cooking.  When cooked properly they do not get mushy or sticky.  Pasta that are not made with semolina produce a softer noodle and will not hold up well when tossing.  Use these pastas for casserole-style dishes.

Noodles are the only pasta products made with egg solids which give them a more intense color than other pasta.

You may substitute for another type of pasta in recipes; but if you want to use another type, remember that as a general rule, it is best to substitute one pasta type with another of similar characteristics.  It is important to match the shapes of pasta to the sauce.  Flat pastas are best with thin sauces; other shapes have nooks and crannies to catch pieces of chunkier sauces.

Italian brands of pasta, in general, are thicker than the American brands.

Check out Linda’s delicious Pasta, Rice and Main Dish Recipes.

How To Measure Pasta – Pasta Equivalents:

Most dried pasta doubles in volume when cooked.  For accuracy, measure pasta by weight rather than by cup.  Cooked pasta can be measured by volume.  The general rule is one pound of dry pasta or freshly made pasta will serve six as an appetizer or four as a main course.  Remember – Shapes may vary in size according to the manufacturer, so use these measurements as generalizations.

The easiest way to measure pasta is to use your digital scale.

4 ounces of uncooked pasta (elbow macaroni, shells, rotini, cavatelli, wheels, penne, or ziti) = 1 cup dried pasta = 2 1/2 cups cooked pasta.

4 ounces of uncooked pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, vermicelli, fettuccine or linguine) = a 1-inch diameter bunch of dry pasta = 2 cups cooked pasta.

How To Cook Perfect Pasta:

Important Rule:  Pasta should be prepared just before serving it.

Use a Large Pot:

To cook perfect pasta you will need to use a lot of water.  A too-small pot and too little water encourages the pasta to clump and stick together, thus cooking unevenly.

For a pound (16 ounces) of pasta, you will want a pot that holds at least 5 or 6 quarts of water.

Use plenty of water and use only COLD or COOL Water:

Using plenty of water helps to prevent pasta from sticking together by quickly washing away the exuded starch.

If your water contains any impurities, it will taint the finished flavor of the pasta.  Filter your home water if possible.

Fill that big pot 3/4 full of COLD water or use at least one quart of cold water for every four ounces of dry pasta.  Four quarts is a bare minimum per 12-ounce package of pasta, six to eight quarts is ideal.  The reason for this is that hot water will dissolve anything (including contaminants like lead) much more easily than cold water and if that water encounters something like an older leaded pipe or some rust before coming out in your kitchen sink, it could very well end up in your glass.  The most common problem is water that has been sitting in your home pipes for over 6 hours.

Bring the pot of cold water to a fast boil:

Covering the pot of cold water with a lid will help bring the water to a boil faster.

Add Salt: 

Salting the water makes pasta taste better by bringing out the natural flavor of the pasta.  This does not increase the sodium level of your recipes.  NOTE: I always use kosher (coarse) salt.

Do not add your salt until the water has come to a full boil. There are two reasons for this:

1.  First, unsalted water has a lower boiling point than salted water, so it will come to a boil a few seconds faster.

2.  Second and more important, salt dissolves faster in hot water.  Un-dissolved salt crystals in cold water can mar the surface of your stainless-steel pots with small white dots or pits.

Add plenty of salt, about 2 tablespoons of kosher (coarse) salt per pound of pasta.  This may seem like a lot, but it is necessary for getting the pasta properly seasoned.  Plus, most of the salt drains off with the water.  If you taste the salted water, it should resemble “sea water.”  NOTE: If you are on a sodium restricted diet, please follow your doctor’s orders before adding salt. 

Do NOT add oil of any kind.  Oil has the unwanted effect of coating the pasta and making it slick so the sauce will not stick to it.

Adding the dried pasta:

Add the pasta, all at once, to the boiling salted water, and keep the heat high to bring the water back to the boil as quickly as possible.  NOTE: Never mix pasta types in one pot.

Explanation or Science of Boiling Water:  Pasta added to water before it starts to boil gets a heat start on mushiness.  Pasta quickly begins to break down in tepid water as the starch dissolves.  You need the intense heat of boiling water to “set” the outside of the pasta, which prevents the pasta from sticking together. That is why the fast boil is so important; the water temperature drops when you add the pasta, but if you have a fast boil, the water will still be hot enough for the pasta to cook properly.

Stir at the beginning – After you add the pasta to the boiling water, stir with a long wooden spoon (stirring prevents pasta from sticking to each other and from sticking to the bottom and the edge of pan).  Frequent stirring with a long wooden spoon or fork while the pasta is cooking will help the pasta to cook

Cook the pasta, uncovered, at a fast boil.  NOTE: Once you have added your pasta, do not cover the pot with a lid.  You can regulate the heat so the pasta/water mixture does not foam up and over the pot sides.  Lower it the tiniest bit, and everything should be under control.