Bittman Basics
How to Cook Pasta
Here’s your refresher
Cooking pasta and grains is almost as easy as boiling water. The only trick is learning how to recognize and anticipate the different stages of doneness.
Now that you’re making pasta and grains at home, you will probably think twice about going out to eat this kind of food — whenever that moment may return. And I can almost guarantee you won’t need to spend another dime on boxed or frozen processed stuff.
How to cook pasta
1. Bring a stockpot of water to a boil and salt it.
Figure at least one gallon (16 cups, but you don’t need to measure — just use a lot!) per pound of pasta; less than that and the noodles may stick together. Your 2-gallon stockpot is perfect; fill it about two-thirds to the top and turn the heat to high. To flavor the pasta and help prevent sticking, and several large pinches of salt (about 2 tablespoons) for every gallon of water. And don’t add oil to the cooking water; the sauce will never properly cling to the pasta and become creamy.
