13 Pasta Cooking Tricks You Really Should Know By Now

This might seem like a lot, but most of it goes right down the drain and this is the only time you're able to season the actual pasta (and not just the sauce). For most pasta, one tablespoon of salt is the perfect amount to season your cooking water — but keep in mind that this ratio is for kosher salt, not table salt (which is stronger). If using table salt, use just two teaspoons instead of a tablespoon.

More: How To Properly Salt Your Pasta Water

Pasta releases a lot of starch when cooking, so it's important to use a large pot of water. If you were to cook pasta in a small pot of water, the starches would make the water thick and your pasta slimy. To prevent this, just use four quarts of water (aka a gallon) for every pound of pasta you use.

Not all pasta shapes are created equal, and some are better suited to thick sauces while some are perfect for oil-based sauces. For delicate sauces (sauces made primarily with olive oil or tomatoes) spaghetti or other long pastas are a solid choice as the thin sauce coats the pasta evenly. For heavier sauces (sauces made with meats or large chunks of veggies) tube pastas such as penne or other large shapes are ideal. The crevices in the pasta trap the hearty sauce and let you get the perfect ratio of sauce-to-pasta in every bite.

More: How to Choose the Right Type of Pasta for a Sauce

The best way to tell if pasta is done? By simply tasting it. Packaging directions can give you an idea of how long to cook your pasta, but it isn't foolproof. Not all boiling water is the same — lazily boiling water is different than water that's at a rolling boil, and they cook pasta at different speeds. To be safe, simply remove a noodle from the water and taste. You want it to be tender yet toothsome (AKA al dente.)

Most of the pasta's starches is released within the first few minutes of cooking, meaning that the pasta is most likely to stick during the first few minutes of cooking, too. To prevent this, stir your pasta constantly for the first few minutes of cooking. After that, you can back off and let it do its thing without worry.

But why not just add oil to the cooking water? Because the oil will actually coat the pasta and prevent your sauce for coating them properly.

If pasta is starchy and sticky, then why not just add oil to the cooking water? Because the oil will actually coat the pasta and prevent your sauce for coating it properly. A lot of people think they need to add oil to their water when boiling pasta, but this could be doing more harm than good (and it really isn't preventing the pasta from sticking together all that much), so go ahead and leave it out.

Turning off the heat is not enough to stop pasta from cooking. The hot water (even if it's not boiling) will continue to cook it until it turns to mush. The best practice? Strain your pasta as soon as it's done and never let it hang out in hot water off the heat.

Rinsing pasta does two things: It quickly cools it down, and it washes away all of the starch. For most pasta recipes (like ones coated in a warm sauce such as Alfredo or marinara) you want some starch on the pasta. It helps the sauce cling to the pasta better and thickens up your sauce just enough to make it coat — but for things like pasta salad or stir-frys, rinsing can be beneficial. Removing the excess starch helps prevent the noodles from sticking to each other (or the pan if stir-frying), so it can come in handy — otherwise, skip the rinsing.

More: When to Rinse Pasta (and When to Skip It)

Adding your pasta to a hot sauce gives it time to actually cook in the sauce and absorb some of it. Just like how salting water allows you to flavor the pasta itself, finishing pasta in a hot sauce allows the flavors of the sauce to get absorbed into the pasta. Once strained, add your pasta directly to a pan with your sauce in it and toss over low heat. This allows your sauce and pasta to combine into one instead of the sauce sliding over the pasta — just make sure to undercook your pasta by a minute or two so it doesn't overcook in the sauce.

When cooking fresh pasta, use the same ratio of salt and cooking water as above (one tablespoons of salt and four quarts of water per pound) but don't cook it as long. Fresh pasta only needs a few minutes to cook depending on the shape, and some can cook in as little as 90 seconds. To test it, remove a piece and taste it. The texture will be different than dried pasta, but you can still achieve an al dente texture. If it's undercooked, it'll taste gummy and dense, and overcooked will simply turn to mush. It may take some practice to get just right, but cooking with fresh pasta is a great way to up your pasta game.

More: How to Cook Fresh Pasta

Frozen, filled pastas (such as ravioli) can be a bit tricky to cook properly. If you overcook them, you run the risk of them exploding. If you undercook them, the center will be cold or the pasta will taste raw. The general rule of thumb is to boil frozen, filled pastas just until they float, and always boil them directly from frozen (don't let them sit out too long before cooking).