Boil your water like it owes you money. A rolling, furious boil. If it’s just simpering, your pasta will cook unevenly and get sticky.
Salt the water until it tastes like a salty ocean. Don’t be shy. Pasta absorbs salt while it cooks—that’s your only chance to season it from the inside. Olive oil? Save it for after. Dumping oil in the water just makes your sauce slide off.
Rinsing pasta? Stop. Unless you’re making a cold pasta salad, never rinse. That starchy coating helps sauce cling to your noodles like a toddler to a candy wrapper.
The “Al Dente” Lie (And Why You Should Ignore It)
Okay, fine: Al dente is the goal. But what if you prefer softer pasta? Who am I to judge? Maybe you’re having a rough week and need noodles that feel like a hug.
How To Boil Pasta
Cook it a minute or two longer. Just don’t boil it into baby food. And if you’re baking the pasta later (hello, lasagna!), undercook it by two minutes. It’ll finish cooking in the oven. Otherwise, you’ll get a brick of mush.
One more thing: Reserve some pasta water before draining. That cloudy gold is liquid magic for thinning sauces and making them creamy. Just a half-cup, saved in a mug. You’ll thank me later.