How to Cook Pasta Like an Italian
If there is one thing that will upset an Italian, its not knowing how to cook pasta. This is probably the easiest food you can ever cook… so with that being said, DON’T MESS UP!
But if you’re not used to cooking pasta, or just simply don’t know how, this will be your go-to guide on my tips and tricks for cooking and then combining pasta with pasta sauce.
Cooking Your Pasta
What you need to cook your pasta:
1 large pot of water (about 4-5 quarts or 1 quart for every 3 1/2 oz pasta)
Salt
Colander (optional)
Pasta
You first want to start by filling your large pot with water, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the salt, and then bring back up to a rolling boil. The salted water is what will flavor the pasta, so you want to add enough salt so it taste like the sea.
One the water is salted and at a rolling boil, add your pasta and stir with a long fork or a pair of tongs. Stir every now and then to prevent the pasta from sticking. If you have enough water, and your stir every now and then, your pasta will never stick. Please don’t ever, and I mean ever, break your pasta or add olive oil to your pasta water.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions, or until it is Al Dente. What is Al Dente? The correct way to eat pasta. In Italian, Al Dente means “to the tooth”, its pasta that has a little bite when eating it. Apparently, pasta is more easily digestible when cooked al dente, which, in turn, means it’s healthier for you.
What is important to know is that after you drain your pasta it will continue to cook, and it with still continue to cook once tossed in the sauce. So to prevent your pasta from overcooking, drain your pasta just before al dente. A good rule of thumb is to cook your pasta half way through the stated cooking time, and then taste it about every minute thereafter. The amount of water, pasta, and how hot your water is could change the cooking time.
Once your pasta is cooked just before al dente, drain it. But first, save at least one cup of pasta water, per pound of pasta. The starch from the pasta water is absolute gold when making pasta, and an underrated secret weapon when tossing pasta in sauces. If you want to invest in a pasta pot, it’s well worth it. Pasta pots have built in colanders so you can remove the pasta directly from the pot without losing any pasta water.
Tossing Pasta Like a Pro
What you need to sauce your pasta:
1 large saute pan (preferably non-stick, and big enough to hold all your pasta)
At least 1 cup of pasta water (water you cooked your pasta in)
Cooked pasta
Your sauce of choice
Knob of butter (depending on the sauce)
This is where all the magic happens. When saucing pasta, you want to emulsify the starchy pasta water with the sauce and a little butter/oil.
Add a ladle of sauce to the saute pan, and add the cooked pasta directly to the pan with the sauce along with a few spoonfuls of pasta water. Toss the pasta over high heat until the sauce is creamy and the pasta is well coated. Add a little butter or olive oil and toss until everything is well combined. Once fully combined and emulsified, serve.
However, if you’re using a cold sauce (like pesto), add the sauce to a mixing bowl and add the cooked pasta directly to the bowl. Toss until fully combined, adding a little olive oil as needed. Once fully combined and emulsified, serve.
There is one more tip here. The above methods do not always apply to cream-based sauces. This method works great with tomato based sauce, olive oil based sauces, or pesto recipes.
