How to cook pasta perfect everytime.

I've cooked my fair share of pasta over the years, and while living and working in Italy I learned a thing or two about cooking perfect pasta. It's simple, with this foolproof method and no more overcooked mushy pasta.

Cooking Instructions

• In a large pot, bring 5-6 quarts of water (per pound of pasta) to a boil.
• Add a handful of sea salt, about two tablespoons.
• Turn on a timer for one minute less than the amount of time on the package.
• Add the pasta to boiling water.
• Bring the water back to a boil and occasionally stir to separate the pasta, I use long tongs like these.
• After a couple of minutes, cover the pot and remove it from the heat for the remainder of the cooking time.
• When the timer alarm sounds, check pasta for doneness. If you want the pasta cooked a bit more, cover the pot and check again after another minute.
• When done, drain but don’t rinse, the starch helps the sauce to stick to the pasta. I only rinse if using the pasta in a cold dish.
• Add your sauce. And done!

More Pasta Tips:

Drizzle olive over the leftover pasta and stir to coat before storing in the refrigerator; this keeps the pasta from sticking together.

Store any leftover sauce separate from the noodles, so upon reheating the noodles won’t overcook.

Try these simple pasta sauce recipes any night of the week. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca Recipe (Pasta with Olives) or a classic Easy Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe.