Pasta should be drained as soon as it is al dente. However, if the pasta is going to be cooked further, by baking or frying, drain it when it is still undercooked. Pasta to be eaten cold should also be slightly undercooked.
It is important to drain pasta properly. Use a colander that is large enough to contain all the pasta you have cooked, and that has three little feet to stand it on in the sink. Tip the pasta in, give the colander two sharp shakes and immediately turn the pasta into a heated bowl or dish, into the frying-pan with the sauce or back into the saucepan in which it has cooked. Hollow pasta shapes need more draining, because water may be trapped in the curves. However, pasta should never be over-drained, as it needs to be slippery for coating with the sauce. Never leave it sitting βnakedβ in the colander; it should be dressed as soon as it is drained.