How to Cook Pasta

1. Fill a large stockpot with water. The more the better - pasta only sticks when cooked in too little water.

2. Add salt. Salt makes pasta taste better, and won't increase the sodium level of your recipes. Use 1 teaspoon per gallon of water.

3. Bring the water to a rolling boil. This means a boil you can't stop by stirring.

4. Measure the pasta you need. Pasta generally doubles in size when cooked, so 1 cup uncooked = 2 cups cooked. Refer to the recipe if necessary.

5. Slowly add the pasta to the boiling water. Ideally, the water shouldn't stop boiling, but if that happens, it's ok.

6. Stir and stir some more! Pasta will stick together if it isn't stirred during the crucial first moments of cooking.

7. Start timing when the water returns to a boil. Most pastas cook in 8-12 minutes. Check the package directions!

8. You can regulate the heat so the pasta/water mixture doesn't foam up and over the pot sides. Lower it the tiniest bit, and everything should be under control.

9. Really the only way to tell if the pasta is correctly cooked is to taste it. It should be 'al dente' - firm, yet tender, with a tiny core in the middle.

10. You can also cut into a piece you've fished out of the pot. There shouldn't be any solid white in the center of the pasta - just a shading to more opaque cream.

11. Now drain the pasta into a colander placed into your kitchen sink. Lift the colander and shake off excess water.

Don't rinse if you're serving a hot dish. That removes the starch that helps hold the sauce. If you are making a cold salad, rinse so the salad isn't sticky.

Tips:

By covering the pot when you bring water to a boil, you are lowering the air pressure directly over the water, making it easier to boil.

1. Never mix pasta types in one pot.

2. Watch the cooking process carefully. Pasta can overcook very quickly.

3. If the pasta is to be used in a casserole, undercook it slightly. It will finish cooking to perfection while in the oven or skillet

Cooking Pasta Ahead of Time:

Cook your pasta aldante
Strain the pasta and run cold water through it until it is cooled.
Put the cold pasta in a plastic bag and add 2 Tbs of olive oil. Seal the bag and squish to coat the pasta with the oil. Refrigerate.

Heating Cooked Pasta:

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
Just before serving drop the cooked pasta into the boiling water and immediately pour the pasta into a strainer. Serve with sauce.