Content

• Part 2 of 3: Drain the water
• Part 3 of 3: Combining different types of pasta with sauces
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

1 Fill a large saucepan with about ⅔ of water. Since the pasta needs a lot of space during cooking to stir, use a large saucepan. For example, if you will be cooking a whole package of pasta weighing about 450 g, use a saucepan with a volume of at least 4 liters. Then pour water into it about ⅔ of the height of the walls.

• If you use a dish that is too small for cooking, it is likely that the pasta will stick together during cooking.

2 Place a lid on the pot and bring the water to a boil. Place a pot of water on the stove and cover it with a lid. Turn the burner on over high heat and let the water boil. The fact that the water has boiled can be recognized by the appearance of steam coming from under the lid.

• Having a lid on the pot will bring the water to a boil faster.

Advice: Although the pasta water should be salted, do not add salt before the water boils. Otherwise, salt stains may appear on the surface of the pan or corrosive processes may begin.

3 Add salt and 450 g pasta to boiling water. As soon as the water boils actively, remove the lid from the pan to add 1 tablespoon of salt (about 17 g) and a pack of pasta (450 g) to the water.If you are cooking long pasta (such as spaghetti) that just doesn't fit in a saucepan, place it in the saucepan, wait about 30 seconds, and dip it all the way into the water with a pasta spoon or fork.

• The pasta will become saturated with salt during the cooking process, which will enhance its flavor.
• If you are not sure how much pasta to take to get a certain number of servings, check the package information for recommended servings.

Advice: The amount of pasta boiled can be reduced by two or four times without any problems. If you want to boil about 100 g of pasta, use a 2-3 liter saucepan.

4 Set a timer for 3-8 minutes. Stir in the pasta with a pasta fork to keep it from sticking together and do not cover the pot again. Check the information on the recommended cooking time directly on the pasta pack and set the timer to the minimum value indicated there. For example, if the box says the cooking time is 7-9 minutes, set the timer to 7 minutes.

• Thin pasta like noodles cook faster than thick or long pasta like fettuccine (thick noodles) or penne (feather tubes), which take about 8-9 minutes to cook.

5 Stir the pasta occasionally while cooking. The water should continue to boil continuously while the pasta is boiling. Stir the pasta every few minutes to keep it from sticking together.

• If the water is about to run over the edge of the pot, reduce the heat to medium.

6 Taste the pasta to check its doneness. When the timer goes off, gently spoon the pasta out of the water and transfer it to a plate to cool slightly. Then take a sample to find out if the pasta is still hard on the inside or is already soft enough for you. Most people prefer to cook pasta to the “al dente” degree, where it stays slightly firm in the middle.

• If the pasta is too hard for your taste, continue cooking for a minute before checking the doneness again.

Part 2 of 3: Drain the water

1. 1 Scoop about 1 cup (240 ml) of stock from a saucepan and set aside. Gently dip a large mug into a saucepan and scoop the broth in which the pasta was boiled into it. Set the mug aside while you drain the pasta.
   • You can also use a ladle to fill the mug with broth instead of dipping it in boiling water.

   Did you know? The broth can be used to pour over pasta after seasoning with sauce if it is too thick.

   
   
2. 2 Place a colander over the sink and put on oven mitts. Place a large colander over the sink and put mitts on your hands to keep out the boiling water. You could burn yourself even though the hotplate is off, for example if hot water splashes onto your skin.
3. 3 Pour pasta into a colander and shake. Slowly pour the contents of the pot into a colander to drain the excess water into the sink. Then, grasp both sides of the colander and gently rock it from side to side to shake any remaining water into the sink.
4. 4 Do not add oil to the pasta or rinse it with cold water if you plan to use a sauce. You are probably familiar with the recommendation to pour the pasta with olive oil or rinse it with water to keep it from sticking together. Unfortunately, this step can prevent the sauce from coating the pasta itself properly.
5. 5 Transfer the pasta back to an empty saucepan and top with the sauce of your choice. Remove the colander from the sink and pour the pasta back into the saucepan in which it was cooked. Then pour your favorite sauce over the pasta to taste and stir with tongs to distribute the sauce.
   • If the sauce is too thick, add the stocked stock to the pasta to dilute the sauce and distribute it properly.

Part 3 of 3: Combining different types of pasta with sauces

1. 1 Season the short pasta with the sauce pesto or vegetables. Cook a pot of penne (feathers), fusilli (spirals), or farfalle (butterflies) and toss the pasta with the basil pesto. Add chopped cherry tomatoes, grated bell peppers and zucchini to the pasta for an even fresher flavor.
   • To serve this dish as a cold pasta salad, place the pasta in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving it, during which time the pasta will soak in the sauce.
   • If you don't like the taste of traditional pesto, be sure to try sun-dried tomato pesto. It has a milder flavor that goes well with rich cheese like Parmesan.
2. 2 Add cheese to horns or seashells for cream cheese pasta. For the richest macaroni and cheese flavor, combine butter, flour, milk and cheese to make a cheese sauce. Then add horns or shells to the sauce and immediately serve the pasta to the table, or bake them beforehand so that the sauce boils and begins to foam.
   • Experiment with different cheeses to find the perfect flavor combination for you. For example, try monterey jack, feta, mozzarella, or smoked gouda cheese.

   Recipe variation: Prepare very large shells and stuff with the ricotta and parmesan mixture. Pour the marinara sauce over the dish and bake until the cheese boils and begins to bubble.

3. 3 Serve meat sauce with tubular or wide pasta. Cook a pot of pappardelle (wide flat pasta), penne (feathers), or bucatini (rolls of spaghetti). Spoon a meat sauce such as bolognese into the pasta and stir gently to distribute it evenly. Sprinkle a little grated Parmesan over the dish and serve hot.
   • Do not forget to thin the pasta a little with the stock in stock if the sauce turns out to be too thick.
4. 4 Combine long pasta with Alfredo's creamy sauce. Use tongs to spread the rich Alfredo sauce over long pasta such as spaghetti, fettuccine, and thick noodles. For the classic Alfredo sauce, heat heavy cream with butter and garlic. Try serving this pasta with grilled chicken or smoked salmon.
   • For a slightly lighter sauce, melt the garlic and parsley butter. Then add the pasta to this simple sauce.

Tips

• If you don't have access to a stovetop, try microwaving your pasta.

Warnings

• Try not to stir boiling pasta with a metal spoon, as the metal can get hot and the spoon will be difficult to hold in your hand.
• Be sure to wear oven mitts and be careful when emptying pasta through a colander. Boiling water can splatter you and cause burns.

What do you need

• Colander
• Pasta fork or spoon
• Gloves-potholders
• Timer