Boiling Pasta

To boil pasta, allow 4 qt/1 L of water for 1 lb/500 g pasta, increasing the quantity of water by 1 qt/1 L for each additional ½ lb/250 g pasta. Bring the water to a boil, add one tablespoon of salt for each 1 lb/500 g of pasta and return the water to a boil. Some cooks add a tablespoon of oil to the water in the belief that it helps to prevent sticking, but this is not necessary. Add the pasta, stirring from time to time as it cooks so that the pasta does not stick together. Long pasta, such as spaghetti, must be bent into the water as it softens, until it is completely covered. Test fresh pasta, which cooks very quickly, as soon as the water comes to a boil. Thin, dried pasta should be tested after three minutes boiling; larger dried pasta shapes may take as long as 12 minutes to cook.