How to cook pasta properly
Here is some advice for pasta that's properly cooked and doesn't stick.
1.15 M 3.7/5 (2,824 reviews)
25 min.
Easy
300 g
3 IngredientsLast modified on: July 18th 2019
For 300 g, you will need:
2 litres 
300 g Pasta
1 tablespoon 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 15 min.
Cooking: 7 min.
All in all: 25 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 10 min.
Boil a large pan of water.
When boiling, salt with a tablespoon of coarse salt for 2 litres water.
A large quantity of water is needed to prevent pasta from sticking on the bottom of the pan.
If you like precise numbers, here is the 1-10-100 rule: 1 litre water, to 10 g salt, to 100 g pasta.
When boiling, salt with a tablespoon of coarse salt for 2 litres water.
A large quantity of water is needed to prevent pasta from sticking on the bottom of the pan.
If you like precise numbers, here is the 1-10-100 rule: 1 litre water, to 10 g salt, to 100 g pasta.
Stage 2 - 1 min.
When water comes back to the boil, add pasta all at once.
Stage 3
For cooking time, very important, here is a tip: If you use a pasta box or bag where you can read in Italian, cook the exact indicated time (here 6 minutes).
Stage 4
Otherwise, decrease 1 minute from the indicated cooking time (here 12 - 1 = 11 minutes).
So you will be sure to have perfectly cooked pasta, call by the Italians, who are the world masters of pasta since Marco Polo, "al dente"
So you will be sure to have perfectly cooked pasta, call by the Italians, who are the world masters of pasta since Marco Polo, "al dente"
Stage 5 - 7 min.
Stir and leave to cook uncovered for the time indicated on the pasta packet (usually 8-9 minutes, but it depend on type of pasta).
The best way is to taste near end of cooking. It's very important not to overcook pasta, otherwise it becomes too soft and unpleasant.
Italians, pasta masters since Marco Polo, call this ideal texture "al dente".
During cooking, stir once or twice to prevent pasta sticking.
The best way is to taste near end of cooking. It's very important not to overcook pasta, otherwise it becomes too soft and unpleasant.
Italians, pasta masters since Marco Polo, call this ideal texture "al dente".
During cooking, stir once or twice to prevent pasta sticking.
Stage 6 - 2 min.
After this time, taste, and if it's OK, remove pasta from water immediately and transfer to a strainer to drain, or pour the whole panful into a colander or strainer.
Chefs will tell you that it's better to remove pasta from water, instead of pouring everything into a strainer, because this keeps the gluten (released during cooking) in the water instead of on the pasta, and it's this gluten that makes it sticky.
Chefs will tell you that it's better to remove pasta from water, instead of pouring everything into a strainer, because this keeps the gluten (released during cooking) in the water instead of on the pasta, and it's this gluten that makes it sticky.
Stage 7 - 1 min.
When pasta is drained, discard cooking water and put pasta back into the pan.
Stage 8 - 1 min.
If you plan to use pasta right away, it's ready.
If not, add a tablespoon of olive oil, mix well, cover and leave to stand, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Note: because it's kept hot and covered, pasta will continue cooking, so you should not keep it too long.
If not, add a tablespoon of olive oil, mix well, cover and leave to stand, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Note: because it's kept hot and covered, pasta will continue cooking, so you should not keep it too long.
Remarks
It's quite surprising to see how many ways of preparing and serving pasta there are, and at the same time how great a simple pasta dish can be: a pan of spaghetti, a dash of olive oil, some grated Parmesan, what more do we need? hummm, oh yes, a good glass of Italian wine perhaps...
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 40 RDI=10 % | 200 RDI=20 % | 0 | 960 RDI=50 % | 4,010 RDI: 50 % |
| Per 100 g | 1 RDI=1 % | 8 RDI=1 % | 0 | 40 RDI=2 % | 170 RDI: 2 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 300 g : 0.35 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Water
Like these other recipes: Pitta bread, Bacon rolls, Clementine cake, How to use gelatin, Couscous, ... See them all 134
Pasta
Like these other recipes: Spaghetti with mushrooms, Penne with purple artichokes, Butterfly pasta with smoked trout, Country-style spring pasta, Pasta with green asparagus, ... See them all 15
Coarse salt
Like these other recipes: How to prepare spinach, Preserved lemons, How to prepare Jerusalem artichokes, Mackerel rillettes, Salmon marinated like herring, ... See them all 16
Other recipes you may also like
Pink Reims biscuits
These biscuits are a speciality of Reims. They have a light texture, rather like finger biscuits, and are traditionally rectangular and coloured pink.February 12th 2014115 K3.8 50 min.
Creamy spinach and potato gratin
This is a gratin with a difference: before going in the oven, the layers of spinach and potato are topped with cream in which Mont d'Or cheese has been melted (or another cheese, if you prefer).December 17th 201769 K4 1 hour 5 min.
Fine multi-tomato tart
This simple but very elegant tart makes the most of different tomato varieties. Their diversity allows us to create a multi-coloured tart, featuring all their attractive shades.October 14th 201853 K 60 min.
How to make a good pastry tart case
Lining a tin or mould with pastry to make a tart or pie seems simple enough: you roll out the pastry, put it in the tin and trim off any overhanging bits. It may not be rocket science, but if you want a tart with a perfect pastry case, it really helps to take care over a few details, which I will...July 14th 201970 K 45 min.
Creamy spaghetti with cockles and parsley
Parsley-flavored spaghetti with cockles, tied together with a creamy sauce made from the cockles cooking juices.October 29th 202314 K1 60 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-03-30)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 11 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.