How to Cook Pasta Video and Steps (2024)

Does your pasta come out too sticky, too hard, or too mushy? Let this video be your guide to cooking it perfectly.

Pasta is a delicious, go-to meal you can throw together in minutes. But cooking it with the "just right" al dente texture—chewy, firm, and fork-tender—takes technique. Follow these simple steps and you'll be nailing it like nonna in no time.

Once you've perfected your pasta cooking technique, try your hand at one these delicious, easy-to-make pasta recipes (like bucatini with kale and ricotta, pasta carbonara, or shrimp and asparagus fra diavolo). You can also keep things simple: Drizzle your finished noodles with good-quality olive oil, salt and pepper, and finish with a shower of shaved Parmesan.

Whatever type of noodle dish inspires your palette, we promise you'll have a delicious dinner on the table in minutes with this foolproof method. (Pro tip: For best results, use a big stockpot.)

What You Need

  • Water
  • Large pot
  • Pasta
  • Salt
  • Tongs
  • Colander

Follow These Steps

  1. Boil water in a large pot. To prevent pasta from sticking together, use at least 4 quarts of water for every pound of noodles.
  2. Salt the water with at least 1 tablespoon, and more is fine. The salty water adds flavor to the pasta.
  3. Add pasta. Pour pasta into boiling water. There's no need to break the pasta; it will soften up within 30 seconds and fit into the pot.
  4. Stir occasionally. As the pasta starts to cook, stir it well with the tongs so the noodles don't stick to each other (or the pot).
  5. Test the pasta by tasting it. Follow the cooking time on the package, but always taste pasta before draining to make sure the texture is right. Pasta cooked properly should be al dente—a little chewy.
  6. Drain. Drain cooked pasta well in a colander. If serving it hot, add sauce right away; if you're making a pasta salad, run noodles under cold water to stop the cooking.

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How to Cook Pasta Video and Steps (2024)

FAQs

How to Cook Pasta Video and Steps? ›

In Italy, the golden rule for cooking pasta is 1, 10, 100 or 1 liter of water, 10 grams of salt for every 100 grams of pasta. Converted for American cooks, the rule should be 1/3, 3, 30, referring to 1/3 oz of salt, 3 oz of pasta and 30 oz of water.

What is the golden rule for cooking pasta? ›

In Italy, the golden rule for cooking pasta is 1, 10, 100 or 1 liter of water, 10 grams of salt for every 100 grams of pasta. Converted for American cooks, the rule should be 1/3, 3, 30, referring to 1/3 oz of salt, 3 oz of pasta and 30 oz of water.

How do you cook noodles step by step? ›

Follow These Steps
  1. Boil water in a large pot. To prevent pasta from sticking together, use at least 4 quarts of water for every pound of noodles.
  2. Salt the water with at least 1 tablespoon, and more is fine. The salty water adds flavor to the pasta.
  3. Add pasta. ...
  4. Stir occasionally. ...
  5. Test the pasta by tasting it. ...
  6. Drain.
Aug 2, 2022

What is the general rule for cooking pasta? ›

The general rule for cooking pasta in boiling water is for 1 pound of pasta, use 1 gallon of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of oil. For 100 servings of spaghetti, 6 gallons of water, 2 tablespoons of salt, and 2 tablespoons of oil are needed to cook 6 pounds of dried spaghetti.

Do you cover pasta when cooking? ›

Should you cover the pasta when cooking it? It's okay to put a lid on the pot while you are waiting for the water to boil. However, after it starts to boil and you add the pasta to the water, you should remove the lid to prevent the water from bubbling over.

What is the best flour for homemade pasta? ›

Semolina flour is good for pasta because it's a hard variety of wheat and has a high protein content. Both of these properties give more structure to pasta which provides that elusive 'al dente' quality to fresh pastas.

How many eggs for 1 cup of flour for pasta? ›

Use one large-size egg for each full serving you want to make, to that add 1 ½ the egg's weight in flour. (You can do this with a simple kitchen scale.) If you don't have a scale, use 2 eggs per 1 cup of flour to make 1 serving. You can make one pound of fresh pasta with 2 cups of flour and 3 eggs.

How long to boil fresh pasta? ›

Cook fresh pasta noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water. (Use about 6 quarts of water for 1 pound of pasta.) Fresh pasta takes considerably less time to cook than dried, usually 1 to 3 minutes, so watch it carefully. To test, remove a noodle with tongs or a long-handled fork and take a bite.

Do you leave pasta on high when cooking? ›

Keep the temperature high on boiling. It will cook the pasta quicker, and it's the only way to achieve pasta al dente. As soon as you lower the heat to simmer, you'll end up with mushy pasta, which is harder to digest (always keep in kind our worst enemy here: gelatinization of starches).

Can you overcook pasta? ›

Pasta can be overcooked if it's left in the water for too long. Cooking pasta for an extended period can lead to a decline in its taste and texture. This can also result in the loss of starch and nutrients. To preserve the desired texture, do not exceed the recommended cooking time.

How many minutes to cook pasta? ›

Spaghetti typically takes 8-10 minutes. Linguine is thicker and may take 10 or more minutes to cook. Fettuccine can also take 10 or more minutes. It's crucial to stir long noodles as they're cooking, to prevent the strands from all sticking together and creating a lump of pasta.

Do you use milk or water for noodles? ›

If you've never experimented with boiling your pasta in a liquid other than water, you may be missing out. For instance, not only is it possible to cook your noodles directly in your sauce, but doing so can pay off with fewer dishes and less wait time.

Do you start pasta in cold or boiling water? ›

Starting in cold water—and using less of it—reduces the total cook time by as much as 45 percent. Published Apr. 28, 2023. It's a long-established truism that to cook dried noodles properly, you must add them to a pot full of boiling water.

What is the process of cooking pasta called? ›

When cooking commercial pasta, the al dente phase occurs right before the white of the pasta center disappears.

Do you cook pasta all the way before baking? ›

Most baked pasta recipes instruct you to boil the noodles until cooked halfway before baking them. This allows the pasta to finish cooking in the oven as it bathes in the sauce.

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