The Lowdown:
Here's 6 easy tips to cook pasta even better!
Tip #1: Use ample water
When boiling the pasta, add ample water to more than cover your pasta. This prevents your pasta from being starchy and sticky once cooked.
Always reserve the pasta water for making your sauce later. The starch in water helps to create a silky texture that transform your pasta from good to great.
Tip 2: Don't rinse your pasta
Avoid rinsing your pasta in most cases. The starch is what binds the sauce to the pasta. Except when making pasta salad – you want the pasta loose.
Tip 3:
Pasta is best taken freshly from the pot to the pan. But if you need to remove it and set it aside, coat it with olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking.
Tip 4: Salt generously
Add salt when you boil pasta. When you add a generous amount of kosher or sea salt, you get pasta that is flavourful with every bite.
Tip 5: Baking pasta? Try this
Cover with aluminum foil to keep pasta moist during bake. Then uncover only at the end and add cheese for a melty pasta bake.
Tip 6: Cook with broth and sauce directly
Instead of using water, boil pasta directly in broth and your sauce for a tasty and easy one-pot meal.