How to Cook Pasta: 10 Tips and Tricks
Pasta is a favorite dish for many since it is easy to prepare, can be cooked in many different ways, and is a delicious option as a weekend dinner recipe. But, how to cook pasta? Let us delve into some tips and tricks that will make preparing a lip-smacking pasta recipe an effortless endeavor.
How to Cook Pasta- Tips and Tricks
Tip #1: Avoid Putting Oil on Pasta or in Water
If you want to add oil so that pasta does not stick, it will have a negative effect since sauce will be slipping off from your pasta. A greasy pasta is what you will be ending up with.
Tip #2: Add Enough Water
Add a good amount of water so that there is enough water when the pasta starts cooking and expanding. This way pasta will get enough space for moving freely. Presence of required amount of water will also help in balancing the heat when you add pasta so that water starts boiling again quickly. Ideally, you need to add about 1 Liter of water for every 100 grams of pasta.
Tip #3: Put in Required Salt
Proper seasoning of pasta is best accomplished by adequately salting the water. Ideally, it should taste like sea water and then only it will be able to inculcate necessary flavors in pasta. If you are using 3lt. Water, then it should have at least 1tbsp of salt.
Tip #4: Get a Rapid Boil
Before pasta is added, it will be necessary to get the water to boiling point. This is due to the fact that starch present in pasta will instantly absorb water. When water is very hot, it will help in properly cooking pasta. In case pasta is added before water is boiling, it will remain improperly cooked and become soggy.
Tip #5: Stir Continuously
Right after pasta is added, you should start stirring it. The benefit is that pasta will not be sticking to sides or bottom of the pot or with each other. Additionally, when the pasta is getting cooked, continue to stir in-between.
Tip #6: Examine the Timing
Reading the package will give you a clear idea of cooking time that pasta of any particular brand would require. However, if it is denser and smaller pasta then it will take longer while thinner ones will cook faster.
To be on the safe side, you should start checking 2 minutes before the time indicated on the package. The aim is to make pasta tender and at the same time, it should be firm when you eat it. In case you are planning to cook it further subsequently with sauce, it will be better to remove pasta from water just a bit ahead of time.
Tip #7: Preserve Cooking Water
Store some amount of cooking water while draining pasta so that it can used later on while preparing sauce.
Tip #8: Do Not Let it Dry
Drain bulk of the water, but make sure pasta does not dry off. If it cools, starch present in it will firm up and consequently, pasta will start sticking together as time passes by.
Tip #9: Mix Pasta into Sauce – Avoid Doing the Opposite
Before starting to cook pasta, make sure sauce is already prepared. Cooking pasta needs to be the final step. Prepare and put the warm sauce in a wide and large saucepan and it should be big enough to accommodate your pasta. Put the pasta immediately into the saucepan after draining them.
Tip #10: Add Preserved Cooking Water
Add a little bit of cooking water you preserved earlier into the sauce while adding pasta into it. This will help sauce mix well with pasta. Additionally, cooking water will add flavors and richness to your pasta dish. Cooking water's starchiness will also assist in bringing split sauce together.
We hope you enjoy these simple steps that will help you prepare great pasta and enjoy the same with your friends and family.