Tips To Cook Pasta Perfectly. Cooking pasta seems to be easy. However, not everyone can cook pasta with that al dente texture. It is when the pasta is chewy, fork-tender, and firm. It takes the right technique to cook pasta with that result. Most of the time, pasta turns out to be too soggy or too firm. You may need to practice more to be able to cook pasta perfectly but it is not impossible. Once you have mastered the techniques to cook pasta perfectly, you can try many pasta recipes out there. There are many of them you can try and perfect for various occasion like weekend dinner date.
Here are some tips to cook perfect pasta:
In this tip, you are going to need pasta, water, large pot, salt, colander, and tongs. First thing first, you need to boil water in a large pot. Why it should be large pot? One of the most common problems of cooking pasta is when it sticks together. Therefore, large pasta can make sure you put the right amount of water to avoid sticking pasta. For every pound of noodles, use 4 quarts of water to boil. If you pour not enough water when cooking pasta, it will be harder to have the right texture.
Add a tablespoon of salt into the water. You can add more if you want to and it won’t ruin the pasta. The salty water will add flavor to the pasta itself. You want flavorful pasta that is not bland when it is cooked. When the water is already boiling, add the pasta into it. You don’t have to break it. Just let it soaked in the boiling water. It will gradually soften up within 30 seconds. Stir the pasta occasionally when it starts to cook. Use tongs to stir pasta so it won’t stick to each other.
Wait until the pasta is perfectly cooked. It is highly advised to taste it first before turning off the stove to see if the texture is alright or fit your preference. Remember that every pasta has suggested cooking time on the package. Read them properly and follow the instruction to result is well-cooked pasta. If it is chewy when you taste it, then it has the right texture. Then, you can just drain it in a colander. If you want to serve your pasta as hot dish, add sauce while it is still hot so the flavor from the sauce can be absorbed better by the noodles.
However, you need different technique if you want to serve your pasta cold such as making pasta salad. Run your pasta with cold water before adding any other ingredients. Its purpose is to stop the cooking process so the noodles will stay in the current texture. Therefore, it will taste great when served cold. The tips above are pretty simple to follow. You can practice more often to cook pasta better. You can also use other varieties of pasta to cook for your practice.