How to Cook Pasta

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How to Cook Italian
How to Cook Italian

By Giuliano Hazan

Published 2005

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For perfectly cooked pasta follow these simple rules:
  1. Use plenty of water, at least 6 quarts for 1 pound pasta. Without enough water, the pasta will not cook evenly and can stick together.
  2. Add about 2 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water after it boils and before putting the pasta in. Salting it before it boils will make it take longer to boil. If you don’t salt the water, the pasta will have no flavor.
  3. Put the pasta in and cook, uncovered, until done. Italians like their pasta al dente, meaning firm to the bite. How firm depends on where you are in Italy. The farther south you travel, the firmer the pasta becomes. It should never be crunchy in the middle, however. Cooking time varies by shape and manufacturer. Some brands offer fairly reliable cooking times on the packaging; some do not. Tasting is the only surefire method of determining if it’s done.
  4. Stir the pasta occasionally while it’s cooking, especially in the first few minutes when its starch is at its stickiest. As long as you have plenty of water, you keep it at a rolling boil, and you stir periodically, there is no need to add any oil.
  5. When the pasta is done, drain it and toss it with the sauce right away. Never rinse the pasta because it washes away the coating of starch that allows a sauce to cling to it. Adding pasta water to the sauce is rarely done in Italy.