On Becoming a Pasta Cook

The pleasures of cooking, saucing, and eating commercially produced dried pasta (pastasciutta) such as spaghetti and macaroni should be your first experiences as you develop your skills as a pasta cook. When you learn the proper state of doneness of a noodle, when you feel comfortable with saucing and, in general, when you think you have developed a confident feel for the rhythm and timing of making a bowl of pastasciutta, then, and only then, should you venture into the world of fresh, handmade pasta.