How to cook Pasta 

Step 1

Get a large pot and fill it to ¾ or enough water to cover at least 2 inches above the pasta. 
Tip: The pasta will expand after it is fully cooked through, so adjust accordingly and ensure you have a big enough pot. 
Tip: Much of the water will evaporate or be absorbed by the pasta as it is cooking, so ensure you have enough water in the pot.

Step 2

Bring the water in the pot to a boil, and add salt. 
Tip: Check that the water is salty enough if it tastes like sea water. Usually it is about 1 tsp of salt per pax.
Tip: The type of salt does not really matter, I usually use coarse sea salt.

Step 3

Only when the water is boiling and you see bubbles, drop the pasta into the pot of boiling water. Give it a gentle stir to ensure the pasta does not stick together. 

Question: Do you need to add olive oil in the water? NO! The oil will coat the pasta, and prevent any sauce from coating the pasta in later steps. 

Step 4

Stir the pot occasionally to prevent the pasta from clumping.
Cook the pasta according to the timing on the instructions on the pasta packet. Typically, it is around 8-10 minutes for al dente pasta. 
Tip: For very saucy pasta recipes, I will cook the pasta 1-2 minutes shorter than the intended time. This allows the pasta to finish off cooking and soak up the sauce. 

Step 5

Once the pasta is cooked you can either:
1. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to scoop the pasta and immediately toss the pasta into your pan with pasta sauce.
2. Drain out the pasta, and rinse it under running tap water to stop the pasta from cooking. NOTE: this step is usually done if you are making cold pasta salads, if not try to avoid rinsing your pasta with water.  

Step 6

Save your pasta water! Add in scoops of starchy pasta water to a pan with pasta sauce, to create a sauce which helps to coat the pasta. 
Tip: There is no real guideline as to how much water to add to the pan, but usually around 1-2 ladles full of pasta water.