Crafts & DIY
How To Cook Perfect Pasta Every Single Time
I really wish I knew about this sooner!
Ashley Fike
01.13.19

Pasta might possibly be one of the most popular foods in the world. Noodles are used across the globe to feed millions of families every single hour of every single day.

Pixabay
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Pixabay

What makes pasta so great is that it’s a tastebud pleaser for people of all ages. For many parents, it’s a go-to dish for their picky eaters and it’s also extremely cost-effective. However, one thing that can be a bit of a burden when it comes to cooking pasta is the amount of time it takes to get the perfect cook on the noodles.

If pasta isn’t cooked correctly and given the proper amount of time, the noodles can come out soggy and stuck together, making it a less-than-appealing base for whatever sauce you’ll be using.

Dr. James Wellborn
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Dr. James Wellborn

Luckily, Harold McGee, author of Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes, has discovered a new way of cooking pasta that will be a complete game-changer for family pasta nights.

Most of us cook pasta by filling up a saucepan or pot with water then wait, for what seems to be an eternity, for the water to come to a roaring boil to cook the noodles. Not only does McGee’s method eliminate the step completely, but it will save water and save you so much time.

So – what’s the secret? Read on! There’s also a full video tutorial below for you to master this method.

All you’ll need for McGee’s genius pasta cooking method is a frying pan and a little bit of cold water.

“Most traditional recipes for making pasta tell you to start out with lots and lots of water and heat it up to the boil before you add the pasta,” McGee says.

Just place the pasta into the empty, cold frying pan and pour about a quart and a half of cold water over the noodles. Once the water has been added to the frying pan, it’s time to turn on the heat.

Chowhound/YouTube
Source:
Chowhound/YouTube

“Because the water is cold, the pasta won’t stick to itself at the very beginning, when it’s done, you have pasta that’s perfectly cooked,” McGee explains in his video tutorial below.

Not only is your pasta perfectly cooked, using less water, time, and energy – there’s another added bonus!

Once the pasta is removed from the frying pan, what’s left is a small amount of thickened ‘pasta water’ that is perfect for making all sorts of yummy sauces.

Chowhound/YouTube
Source:
Chowhound/YouTube

Speaking of delicious sauces, now that you know how to cook pasta perfectly, here’s a quick recipe for the ‘best pasta sauce in the world’ – and it only contains just three ingredients.

According to Italian American food writer Marcella Hazan, a good pasta sauce is remarkably simple and very inexpensive. Here’s her secret.

Wikipedia
Source:
Wikipedia

Marcella advises that all you’ll need for the most delicious tomato sauce in the world are: onion, butter, and tinned tomatoes. That’s all!

Marcella’s exact instructions are to place half a peeled onion into a pot with butter (lots of it!) and tinned tomatoes and to leave it all to simmer for 45 minutes. Delish even dubbed this simple recipe as ‘the best in the world’. Plus, there’s no chopping onions which is something we can all be thankful for!

Cooking NYT
Source:
Cooking NYT

So, now you know how to cook perfect pasta every time and also how to make a simple, yet scrumptious, pasta sauce like a real Italian. Sounds like you’ll be impressing some family members and guests in your future!

Watch the full video tutorial of McGee’s awesome noodle cooking method below.

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