How To Cook Pasta

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Ingredients

Serving Size for (1) person: One cup cooked of spaghetti

1/2 cup uncooked pasta any style

or 1/2 inch diameter spaghetti pasta makes one single portion

Directions

1. Use a large pot when cooking pasta. You want plenty of space for the pasta to move in.

2. Use lots of water when cooking pasta, fill that large pot with lots of water. Pasta needs lots of water so it can be totally submerged. If pasta is not being well covered some it does not cook properly.

3. A standard package of pasta will require 5 or 6 quarts of water.

4. Always salt the water before the pasta is added. Pasta is a starchy food and starchy foods tastes best when having a salty flavor.

5. A good rule of thumb is for every 16 cups of water you 1 Tablespoon of salt. Kosher salt gives a wonderful flavor.

6. Bring the water to a full boil before you add the pasta. For the best texture with cooking pasta, wait until the water is at a full boiling point before you add, don’t be tempted to put it earlier.

7. Stir, stir, stir. Don’t walk away and ignore the pasta once you have put it into the pot. Stay close and stir the pot at least 2 or 3 times during the cooking process.

8. Cook to al dente. This is generally 8 to 12 minutes for spaghetti but times vary depending on the pasta.

9. Check the pasta at about 7 minutes using a slotted spoon and take out a single strand or piece of paste, let it cool and bite into it. You want it to be springy and chewy but not gummy. Continue to cook watching closely at this point for doneness. Better to cook to al dente as overcooked pasta will break down and become very mushy.

10. Different pasta shapes and sized will require different cooking times so once you use a certain type of pasta and master the timing on cooking it to al dente, make a note for yourself for the next time.

11. To drain your pasta, place a colander into the kitchen sink and drain the pasta. Dump the pasta back into the cooking pot and place on the counter-top. You pasta is now ready to eat. Save a scoop of the pasta water. We have both saved water and forgotten to save the water before draining. If you save a cup of the cooked pasta water, you can use it in sauces. It works very well for binding sauce and pasta together. It has the ability to break down thicker sauces so they are less likely to have clumping at the bottom of a bowl.

ENJOY!

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