If you have a craze for cooking Italian foods, we bring a yummy recipe for you to try and have fun with it. Yes, we are talking about cooking pasta in the Italian way. Everyone likes it most. You can try and enjoy it with your family.
Pasta is everyday eating food that increases your craving. You can also take it as snacks between meals. The delicious pasta not only satisfies your hunger but also lets you enjoy this yummy dish.
It takes no time to eat. If you are feeling so hungry and want to make the food in minimum time, pasta is the best option. Now you don’t need to go outside the home to eat pasta.
In this article, I will tell you about the recipe for cooking pasta. In the end, we will also discuss the five golden rules when cooking pasta.
Ingredients:
First, let’s talk about the ingredients.
- 16 oz. a standard package of pasta
- 5 to 6 quarts Water
- 1 tablespoon of sea salt
- Sauce as per taste
Equipment:
- 1 large pot or saucepan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1Cup
- 1Colander
Steps for cooking pasta al dente
Now let’s go further to the steps of cooking pasta
1. Take a pot
Take a large pot that gives pasta enough space to move around in. almost eight to twelve-quart stockpots are enough.
2. Pour water into the pot
Pour five to six-quart of water into the pot. If you want to boil the water faster, then put a lid on the pot. But keep it uncovered partially
So you can come to know when the water starts boiling. It will also help to keep the water from boiling over.
3. Mix salt
Add one tablespoon of salt into the water. Salty water increases the flavor of the pasta.
4. Let the water boil
Don’t make haste even when the water starts to simmer. Let the water boil fully because the pasta cools down the temperature of the water when we drop it in.
5. Add pasta
When the water boils vigorously, add the pasta to it. After adding pasta, put the lid back on the pot so that the water starts boiling again. After boiling water, take off the lid.
6. Stir to keep the pasta from sticking
Don’t move away from the stove after adding pasta into the water. Stay there and stir the spoon at least two or three times during cooking.
Otherwise, the strands of pasta will clump. They should be unencumbered, swirl, and free.
7. Test the pasta
Check the pasta packaging for the cooking time. How much time pasta takes to cook, depends on its packaging. For example, regular dry pasta takes almost 5 to 7, 6 to 8, or 10 to 12 minutes to cook.
Cooking time also depends on how low or high the flame is. On the earlier range of time, take a single strand of pasta with a pasta fork or chopstick. Let it cool and bite to check whether it is done or not.
Now feel that whether it is like a bit of crunch and hard or soft. If you feel the pasta soft enough and have a springy bounce to it, it is ready to eat.
8. Save a scoop of pasta water
When pasta is cooked properly, take out a cup or two in a Pyrex measuring cup or anything that won’t crack because of hot water. This starchy water works amazingly as:
- It binds the pasta and the sauce together.
- It increases the taste.
- Likewise, it helps to thin down the thicker sauces, so they can coat the pasta.
9. Drain the pasta
Now it’s time to drain the pasta. For this, take a colander and place it in the kitchen sink and drain the pasta. Put the drained pasta back into the same pot.
Now, it is ready to toss through the sauce. Add pasta water that you will take out before draining pasta and mix it well until the sauce coats the pasta and makes perfect consistency.
Be careful while mixing it. The strands of the pasta should not be broken. Now it is ready to eat. Take it out in a bowl and serve hot and yummy pasta.
How to fix undercooked pasta
After draining, if you feel the pasta is not ready and requires more cooking, put it back into the pot. Add saved cooking water and sauce.
Now cook over medium-high heat. The sauce will bind pasta because of heating and a new kind of pasta will be ready with a more delicious taste.
Tips to make pasta perfect:
There are some tips you must follow while cooking perfect pasta.
- Measure your portions to avoid food waste. Almost 75g of dried pasta is enough for one person.
- The cooking time of pasta can be varied according to the pasta amount, shape, and type like whole wheat, or gluten-free. Follow the suggested time mentioned in the packet.
- As compared to dry pasta, fresh pasta takes less time as a maximum of two or three minutes to cook.
- Covering the pan with a lid helps water to boil fast. Then remove it when it starts boiling or reduce the flame of the stove.
- Stuff pasta like ravioli rises to the surface while cooking, and floats when ready.
- Never add oil while boiling pasta. Some chefs suggest that oil keeps the strands of pasta from clumping. If you add oil to pasta, it will not let the sauce cling to the pasta and will remain separate. Obviously, it also affects the taste.
- After draining the pasta, don’t rinse water on it otherwise all the starch that helps to bind the pasta with sauce will wash away.
5 golden rules for cooking pasta
There are two types of Italian pasta: dried pasta, made industrially, made from durum wheat flour, and fresh pasta, made from soft wheat and eggs, which can be prepared at home.
Whether the pasta is industrial or homemade, these are the five golden rules that you must follow to cook pasta like an expert.
1. No more than 100 g of pasta per person.
In France, you serve up to 200 g of pasta per person, which is often a unique dish. For my part, I prefer them as a starter; it is the primo piatto. 70 and 80 g per person are sufficient; serve 100 g if you are starving.
2. Plenty of water and salt in the pot.
It sounds hard to believe, but you need a liter of water for 100g of pasta; otherwise, it will taste like starch. For salt, ditto, it takes a lot—coarse salt, preferably at the one-level tablespoon rate per 100 g.
3. No olive oil during cooking.
The pasta does not stick, and no olive oil is needed in the pan; it will form a thin film on the pasta, and the sauce will stick less. It is enough to mix them very regularly with a wooden spoon.
4. Respect for cooking al dente.
Al dente means that the pasta should have a bit of resistance to the bite. But it is a subjective notion; even the Italians of the north, who cook pasta very little, do not agree with those of the south who cook it even less. When you are not used to it, you have to rely on the low range of cooking times indicated on the packaging. And contrary to popular belief, al dente pasta is much more digestible than cooked pasta because it encourages chewing, facilitating assimilation.
5. Learn to use the cooking water.
It is an essential ingredient. It is always necessary to take a large spoon during cooking, which you keep in the saucepan of sauce, wet the whole with a little of this water, which will give it a lot of binders thanks to the starch it contains
Pasta is one of the most popular foods. It is liked by everyone. If you love cooking Italian foods at home or work as a chef, you can try this pasta recipe, add some mozzarella and make people happy.
Let them enjoy the hot and yummy pasta and receive their compliment.
