There are endless pasta recipes, but the first thing to do when cooking it is to boil the pasta correctly. It is not complicated at all, but it is necessary to know the order of the steps to follow to get rich and to-the-point pasta. For this reason, in this article, we want to explain in detail how to boil pasta so that you don’t have any doubts and can prepare delicious pasta dishes.
Ingredients:
- Pasta to taste: spaghetti, macaroni, spirals, noodles
- Water
- Salt
- Olive oil or butter
- bay leaf (optional)
- You will need to:
- Casserole
- Wringer
Steps to follow:
Step: 1
The first step to boiling pasta will be to put a pot with plenty of water on the fire, we recommend that it be large enough because pasta always increases in size when it is cooked. Likewise, it is recommended to add a liter of water for every 100 grams of pasta.
Step: 2
You will also need to add a splash of olive oil or a little butter to the water to boil pasta to prevent the pasta from sticking to each other later. And, optionally, you can also add a bay leaf to give it a touch of flavor.
Step: 3
As soon as the water boils, you should add a pinch of salt; It is important not to add it before, since the salt water takes longer to cook. We also recommend that you keep the water covered so that it starts to boil sooner.
Step: 4
Now the time has come to add the pasta you want to boil: spaghetti, macaroni, spirals, noodles, etc. In the case of long pasta, which does not seem to fit in the casserole, you can choose to cut them in half once raw, although it will not be necessary because once they are soaked in boiling water you can push them so that they double.
Step: 5
When you add the pasta, the water will have stopped boiling but you must wait for it to start boiling again and stir the pasta so that it does not stick, always using a wooden and non-metallic utensil. The cooking time for each type of pasta is different, although most of them indicate a recommended cooking time on their packaging.
Step: 6
In the case of spaghetti, an infallible trick to know when the pasta is ready, al dente, is to take a spaghetti out of the water and throw it against a tiled wall, very common in kitchens. If it sticks, it will be sufficiently boiled, while if it falls, we will have to leave it longer.
Step: 7
Once the pasta is boiled – you can try it to check it and be absolutely sure – you should drain it in the sink with the help of a colander or strainer. Some choose to pass it under the tap of cold water, although this way it loses the characteristic starch of the pasta, so it is only recommended to prepare cold dishes such as pasta salad, but not to mix it with sauces.
