Pasta 101
You’re about 10 minutes away from curbing a carb craving. So do it right!Repeat the mantra with me … pasta should not be mushy.

. use a big – repeat, BIG – pot of water. BIG.

. in order to achieve the above, use a BIG pot. there is nothing worse than cooking pasta in a stingy pot. big pot also equals less chance of boil-overs.

. do add salt to water liberally.

. do allow water to come to a furious rolling boil before adding pasta. then allow it to sustain a boil while pasta is cooking.

. if you’re a newbie … do attempt to measure the quantity of dry pasta. pasta grows while cooking!

. do not add oil to pasta water. Having slick pasta prevents sauce from sticking to pasta.

. do use a timer. follow timing instructions on package – they’re quite reliable. this way you can achieve al dente nirvana.

. do not rinse pasta. if you do, you rinse away starch on the surface of cooked pasta, which helps sauce to adhere.

. if you’re adding pasta to a pan sauce, do cook it a little less than fully done – give pasta space to absorb some of the sauce.