Think you're sous-chef material? Test your knowledge of the finer points of pasta preparation with these expert tips... each one provided by sous-chefs at signature restaurant locations.
1. Start with clean, fresh, cool water. Why? Pasta is absorptive! If your water tastes at all "off," or contains any impurities, you can be sure they're going to taint the finished flavour of your pasta. Filter your home water if possible, and resist the temptation to pre-heat your water using the hot water tap. Water from hot water heaters can taste flat or oxidized, either of which will adversely affect the taste of home cooked pasta.
2. Use as much water as possible. We recommend four quarts as a bare minimum per 12 oz. package of pasta, but 6-8 quarts is ideal. More water will keep strands of pasta from sticking together and reduce the tendency of your pot to boil over. There's science at work here. Trust us.
3. Don't limit yourself to the traditional pasta pot as a cooking vessel. Most customers are surprised to find out that the majority of restaurants that serve pasta use a high-temperature wok to cook their pasta. They do it because it boils their water in half the time. Pots, woks, different stove-types... they all affect boiling time. A little research in this department, as well as some trial and error, should snip valuable minutes off your pasta preparation time.
4. Use salt, but not oil. This was the consensus "personal preference" of the majority of cooks we interviewed. Most recommend about a tablespoon of salt added to boiling water just before laying in the pasta. Adding olive oil, a traditional practice thought to keep the pasta from sticking, turns out not to be necessary.
5. Stir your pasta frequently after it has been added to water and before it resumes a healthy boil. This is the only precaution you need to take to ensure that the pasta does not stick either to the pot or to itself.
6. Don't overcook the pasta (part 1). Were these guidelines listed in order of importance, this one would be at the top of the page. Use the recommended cooking time specified on the package as a general guideline only! Always test for doneness by tasting one or two strands at a time. If the pasta is at all tough, stiff, firm, offering any true resistance -- it needs more time. If it seems relatively soft, but sticks slightly to the teeth, you're almost there. Give it another 30 seconds. Then finito!
7. Don't overcook the pasta (part 2). Now here's a real shocker. Are you sitting down? Pasta continues to cook even after it's been removed from heat and been strained! If it's hot, even warm, and especially if it's swimming in sauce, it's still cooking! To account for this horrifying truth of modern physics, the best chefs typically either a) undercook their pasta slightly if it is to be immediately plated with sauce, or b) rinse their pasta as described in #8, just below. The intentional undercooking of pasta is especially important if you plan to leave just-cooked pasta in a large serving dish as for a dinner party. You'll thank us later.
8. Don't be afraid to rinse, or "shock" pasta. This one may get us in trouble with pasta traditionalists, who consider the rinsing of pasta a grave culinary violation. We're sorry to burst their bubble, but most of America's restaurant kitchens employ such a practice. And it's not just out of necessity. Rinsing pasta briefly in cold or room temperature water allows a chef to halt the cooking process at precisely the right moment. You'll still want to slightly undercook rinsed pasta if you're going to be re-heating it with other ingredients in a skillet or wok (see below) just before serving time. But you'll have some breathing room should your recipe divert your attention elsewhere, and you'll be assured of the perfect doneness when finally ready to plate your completed dish.
9. Use a pre-heated cooking skillet to better "wed" pasta to sauce before serving time. Have your sauce heated and waiting, then toss with your slightly undercooked and drained pasta for about a minute or so over high heat to finish the dish.
10. Never be afraid to experiment. Another contender for the most important rule of all.
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