Are you a pasta lover? Do you feel heavenly after eating your favorite pasta dish from your favorite restaurant? But, do you find it difficult to mimic the same delicacy at home, no matter how much you try? That’s probably because you are cooking your pasta wrongly. Follow these simple tips For Cooking Pasta :
1. Use an appropriate vessel
The first and foremost step is to choose the right vessel for boiling pasta. It should be a large stockpot that allows the pasta to float freely. Pasta is at its best when it expands well. So, it is recommended to use an eight or twelve-quart pot for boiling, if you are preparing a family dinner.
2. Add enough water
Loads and loads of water will make your pasta happy. Ensure that you use at least a gallon of water for every pound of pasta that you drop into the pot. When you boil pasta, it releases all its starch. So, lesser water thickens quickly and makes the pasta slimy.
3. Salt the water
Well, we all season our sauce so well to make it delicious. But, what about pasta? One common mistake that we all make is that we almost entirely forget to season the raw pasta. For perfect pasta, add salt to the water before dropping in the pasta. Don’t just randomly sprinkle salt, but add around two teaspoons of salt to the pot. Ensure that the water is as salty as an ocean for the perfect seasoning.
4. Choose the right shape
You have to pair the right pasta shape with the sauce you choose for the finest pasta. Spaghetti and long noodles go well with thin sauces made out of tangy tomatoes and herbs. On the other hand, tube-shaped pasta makes a great pair with thick sauces prepared using meat, vegetables, and milk. Choosing the right kind of pasta is one of the most important tips for cooking pasta.
5. Don’t add oil
Unlike the popular belief, adding oil to boiling water does great harm to your dish. While it may solve the issue of sticky pasta, it coats the pasta making the sauce slip off from it. Thus, you can’t enjoy a delicious sauce coated pasta if you add in oil. So, just spare the oil from your favorite dish.
6. Add pasta only to boiling water
We are all impatient and are always tempted to add pasta as soon as you put the pot of water on the stove. But, just relax and wait till the water comes to a boil. If you add pasta to non-boiling water, all you will have is mushy pasta and infant it takes longer to cook. So, patience is of utmost importance.
7. Keep stirring
Don’t just throw everything into the pot and run away from the scene for a long time. You need to keep stirring the pasta after every two or three minutes. This way, you can avoid the stickiness.
8. Cook for the right duration
Time for cooking on the packaging is of great help, but cannot be relied completely on. So, once you hit the lower end of the time frame provided on the packaging, you need to pay the utmost attention and turn off the stove at the right time.
9. Taste the pasta
Take out a stand of pasta and taste to check if it is chewy or perfect. Start checking early, because once it gets mushy it will be difficult to fix the mess. If it is chewy, then you can boil it for a few more minutes to get the exact texture and crunch.
10. Save a cup of starchy water
The biggest mistake that all the cooks make is to drain off all the water before combining the pasta with the sauce. You have to save a cup of this starchy water as it will work wonder to make thicker sauces thin. It also works as a great flavoring agent.
Now, there is nothing stopping you from preparing the perfect restaurant-like pasta at home if you follow these simple tips. Go and impress your family with a plate full of deliciousness.
These were some simple hacks or tips for cooking pasta.
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