Although it seems very easy to insert the pasta to the pot, sometimes the cooking it can go very wrong – over boiled and glued spaghetti and not uncommon to occur. Here are some tips how to cook perfect pasta and enjoy it.
1. You do not necessarily need a large pot to cook the pasta in it. All you need is the pot that is big enough so that the pasta can cook in it, bearing in mind that 3 l of water is enough for 500 gram of pasta.
2. Put the salt into the water before the water comes to boiling point.
3. You do not have to put the oil into the water, for the oil will not stop the pasta from sticking. Rather occasionally stir the pasta while in the process of cooking.
4. The best way to cook pasta is “al dente”, so it is not neither too cooked nor too hard. “Al dente” means basically you can slightly feel the texture of pasta while biting through pasta. If you overcook the pasta, it might have slightly “rubbery” texture.
5. Before you finish your cooking, make sure to try a piece of dish just to make sure that it is cooked enough. Bear in mind that homemade pasta usually cooks somewhat faster so they are pretty much finished in a matter of 3-5 minutes. “Practice makes perfect” can also be implied in this case, so with time, you will get better and better.
6. After cooking the pasta, drain all the water, but do not rinse the pasta.
7. In Italy, the motherland of pasta, pasta is cooked in preheated pot and the same pot is later on used for preparing sauces in it, and putting the pasta back in the pot, instead of serving the sauce by the side.
8. Sauce for the pasta should match the shape of the pasta. Simple sauces that contain olive oil and small pieces of vegetables or cheese are suitable for pasta such as spaghetti or long noodles. Sauces that have pieces of sausage or, for example cauliflower are excellent for macaroni or butterflies.