The Best Way to Cook Pasta.
Posted on February 17, 2009 by admin
How do you cook your pasta? I usually put plenty of oil and a little more salt than usual. I noticed that if I put more oil while boiling, the pasta is more likely to stay firm, especially when I use them for soups. I add more salt to give it more taste because DS likes to munch on plain boiled pasta noodles. And I boil it for exactly 12 minutes, as said in the package directions.
And here are some more tips on how to cook pasta from http://www.thekitchn.com/.
Cook pasta in a large amount of boiling water. An ample amount of water will dilute the starches coming off the pasta and prevent it from becoming gummy and mushy once cooked. For a box of pasta, use at least a 6-quart pot of water.
Salt the water heavily. And we mean heavily! For our 6-quart pot, we throw in a healthy handful (or more) of kosher salt. Our chef instructor at culinary school always said that you want pasta water “salty like the sea.”
The salt doesn’t do anything in terms of cooking the pasta; it’s there entirely for flavor. The salt gets absorbed into the pasta during cooking, seasoning from the inside out and ultimately giving you a tastier final dish.
Trust us on this one. Salting your pasta water (heavily) makes a huge difference!
Aside from these two tips, remember to taste your pasta frequently to check on its cooking. Drain the pasta right before it’s cooked to where you like it. A few glugs of olive oil will keep the pasta from sticking to itself, but this isn’t necessary if it’s going right into a sauce.
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