by Carlo Rossini

Created on: November 25, 2008

Throw it against a wall, - boil it for fifteen minutes, -squish it between your fingers.. there are others too, what an array of advice for cooking perfect pasta! I have an Italian mother, and have spent many years in Italy, an I can honestly say I have never seen anyone throw pasta against a wall. Or squish it between their fingers for that matter. So ignoring the tv celebrity chefs, trust me it is really much simpler than they would have you believe, all you have to do is just follow a few simple guidelines.

So here is my "fool proof" plan to perfect pasta.

1. Make sure the pan is large enough to accomodate the amount of pasta you are cooking, bigger is often better and it certainly is when it comes to cooking pasta! When I say big enough, I mean wide and deep. The pasta needs space to move, expand an swim around while its cooking, or you will end up with a sticky stucky pile of mush.

2. Make sure the water is salted, and at a rolling boil before adding the pasta. (no need to add oil). The reason for adding salt is two fold. Adding the salt actually increases the temperature of the boiling water, which in turn has the effect of improving the taste and texture of the pasta.

3. Stir the pasta around every few minutes, this will keep the pasta from sticking in those critical few minutes after being first added to the salted water. After 6 minutes TASTE the pasta. Ideally you would serve it just with a tiny bit of bite or "al dente" as the Italians would say. Basically this means you can feel a little firmness, and it isn't a complete mush. For most pastas 8-9 minutes will be the maximum, so dont over do it. Nothing worse than overly soft pasta.

4. When happy with the pasta, drain immediately. Do not leave cooked pasta sitting in hot water. After draining mix the pasta with the sauce you are going to serve it with. Pasta is like a 'flavor sponge' right after cooking for a minute or two, and lots of the flavors will be taken into the pasta if you mix it as soon as possible after serving. Trust me, it makes a difference!

5. Serve it as quickly as possible. With the exception of Pasta salad of course, you really want to get the freshly cooked pasta served to the table as soon as you can, or it will go too soft. If your going to be making the dish the day in advance or intend to store the meal for another day. It would be wise to slightly undercook the pasta, knowing that when you reheat it, it will be perfection itself!

Enjoy!

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