Fail-safe pasta? Follow some pasta making rules but you must also note that your pasta type and age affect how quickly and at what rate your pasta cooks. What follows are step-by-step directions for al dente, not sticky, and tasty pasta that’s raring to absorb your favorite sauce. ChefsLine responds to Michelle in Yucca Valley’s cooking problem: her large shells, also called conchiglioni, become too soft and fall apart when she cooks them.

  • Stay with a big ‘ol pot of water. Generally, your medium sauce pot will do well for a 1/2 pound or less of pasta. If cooking more or cooking long pasta such as fettucine, use a tall stew or pasta pot.
  • Bring water to a rolling boil.
  • Your pasta water should taste like the ocean - add 1 teaspoon salt for every quart of water after the water boils.
  • Add pasta and keep heat on high. In the case of large shells, your pasta will drop to the bottom of the pot. Stir but stir gently and often during these first few minutes. This helps wash away the starch that is released from the pasta and what you see as foam. If your pasta water temperature is not rising quickly enough (you do not see any foam or cloudiness within 2 minutes), then do a quick stir and cover the pot to raise the temperature. Keep covered for a bit - maybe another minute.
  • Large pasta such as jumbo shells and rigatoni should not be cooked at a ‘violent’ boil, just a nice roiling one. If your pot is bubbling like crazy, lower the heat a bit.
  • To stir of not to stir. If your the heat of your water with pasta has raised to a boil within 3-5 minutes, you should not need to stir any more. Just be sure to stir during the initial foamy, sticky stage which is when the pasta releases its gluten.
  • Check your pasta sooner than your package directions. For long pasta, taste after 4-5 minutes and for short pasta, taste after 6-7 minutes. When your pasta’s center is no longer hard or sticky, remove from pot and drain. Pasta should always be al dente - “to the tooth.” Meaning, it should still be firm, even a tiny bit chewy, and never soft. Sure, it might seem a bit underdone, but it will continue to cook after it’s drained but still hot.
  • Drain in a colander and give it a few shakes but do not rinse or shake dry.
  • While pasta is still hot, place in wide bowl or on a serving platter and top with sauce or toss with sauce in your pot.

Sauce pot's are for sauce
Nice size pasta pot