Cooking Dried Pasta

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Published 2009

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First of all, which dried pasta? Ignoring the artisan-made and sexily packaged Christmas gift type that costs silly money, there are some brands that are worth the extra. I am devoted to the De Cecco brand, but La Molisana is another favourite. Dried pasta is firmer and chewier than fresh or home-made pasta, which is, I think, its appeal.

When it comes to cooking it, lots and lots of boiling salted water is what’s needed – around 5 litres/9 pints of furiously boiling water and at least 1 tablespoon of salt per 500g/1lb 2oz packet. Don’t put oil in the water in the belief that it will stop the pasta sticking as it tends to ‘wrap’ the pasta while it swells, causing it to remain undercooked in the centre. By all means add oil to the water for fresh pasta (which only requires a couple of minutes to cook) but the only way to prevent gummy pasta is to cook it in lots of water and stir often. You also need a decent-sized colander to drain it in once it has reached al dente, but don’t drain it too much – a little moisture helps the sauce join the pasta. After draining is the time to oil the pasta.