How to cook the perfect pasta

Back to the basics, how to cook pasta, perfectly. Follow our simple steps and you’ll be twirling your fork in no time!

Allow 100g of dried pasta per person for the main dinner serving. 60g per person If serving pasta as primo (starter). 

Step 1:

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a good amount of salt. (1 tbsp for 500g pasta in 3750ml of water.) — add it to the boiling water because salt increases the boiling point of the water and so it takes longer to reach a boil. The salt works to enhance the flavour of pasta itself.

Step 2:

Add the pasta and stir occasionally to stop the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Hold the spaghetti bundle in hands and twist when inserting to the middle of the pan. This will make the spaghetti spread out nicely like a fan before sinking into the water. Don’t add oil to the water as this will stop the sauce from clinging to the cooked pasta.

Step 3:

Boil the pasta following packet directions or until al dente, which is Italian for “to the tooth”. To test this, remove a piece of pasta from the pan and take a bite – it should be cooked but still slightly firm in the centre.

Step 4:

Drain, but don’t rinse the pasta as this will wash away the starch that is needed to absorb the flavours of the sauce. Reserve pasta water if the sauce recipe requires. Serve immediately.

Now that your technique is on point, try it out in some delicious dishes like a subtle yet classy Mushroom, balsamic & sage angel hair pasta or serve your pasta with a rich lamb ragu.