4 Common Mistakes When Cooking Pasta

It is right to say that cooking pasta is very easy, and all you need is boiling water. However, if you really want to cook it right and enjoy a good meal, you need to be careful and watchful. Cooking pasta comes with its own rules, and anything short of that can mess it up. Don’t ruin your pasta next time by making these next mistakes.

Choosing the Incorrect Pasta Shape

Each pasta requires a different cooking time, depending on its shape. In addition, each type has a special purpose they serve on a menu. While some pasta requires heavy sauce, others go with much lighter sauces. For example, Penne is served best with a thick sauce, while spaghetti goes with a lighter sauce. You, therefore, have to choose your pasta according to the intended purpose and the ingredients available.

Sticking to the company’s cooking time

Most packaged foods, including pasta, come with cooking time. Companies mostly try out their products, and with that, come up with an average cooking time. Many factors play out in reaching the timing, including the level of heat, the pot used, and the boiling time of the water used. However, strictly going by the company’s time can mess up your meal. The possibility of having your pasta undercooked is very high when you follow that. To avert this, you can increase the time by about one minute. Another way is to pick out some pieces to taste while the pasta cooks. With this, you can easily know when it is well cooked.  

Not Adding Salt to the Cooking Water

This is a common mistake we make when cooking pasta. For a well seasoned and tasty pasta, add the right amount of salt to the cooking water before adding your pasta. Please do not wait until it is cooked before adding seasons.

Not Adding a Little Oil

Adding a little olive or canola oil to the boiling water will help it not clump or stick together. In addition, it prevents the water from boiling over the pot into the fire.