[kshahkshah]

The cooking time is proportional to the thickness.

General advice on pasta:

* a quality dry pasta (dececco e.g) will have ~14 grams of protein per 100 grams dry weight, this is really essential

* bronze die cut will help soak up more sauces

* you do not need the full volume of water the box says, but start your timer once the water has returned to a boil

* once it has gotten to a boil, keep it boiling, but it doesn't need to be a raging boil, that'll tear apart the pasta, especially a stuffed one

* heavily salt your water, but it does not need to be "salty like the ocean"

* set your timer for a minute less than the cooking time on the box, check for doneness, then give it another minute if needed

* if you're finishing in a sauce, take the pasta out a minute before it is done. Remember to reserve one cup of the starchy cooking water before draining your pasta entirely

* do not put oil in your cooking water, it will NOT help it not stick. Just stir after you put it in, and then again a minute or two in

* if you're struggling to tell if it's "done", take a bite of a single piece, and look at the cross section a bit of "white" in the middle means that hasn't hydrated fully. Maybe you like a bit of "toothsome"ness ('al dente'), maybe you don't

[Quarrel]

> * if you're finishing in a sauce, take the pasta out a minute before it is done.

ie, 2-3 minutes before the box time, possibly more, depending on what finishing means for your case.

> * do not put oil in your cooking water, it will NOT help it not stick.

It will not hurt, and may help. Oil will stop the super starchy water, if you followed the reduce the water volume step as suggested, from boiling over - as it will help reduce the surface tension. This is real, and particularly important for some types of noodles and dumplings.

> Remember to reserve one cup of the starchy cooking water before draining your pasta entirely

At least- again, depending on what sauce you're putting it in, and how underdone you took it out. Particularly if you'll have leftovers (as any good homecook often will!), the 'al dente' pasta will absorb all your water, and you'll need to add some before you put it in the fridge, or it will be super dry when you reheat it.

> it does not need to be "salty like the ocean"

despite what Nigella might tell you, it should be no where near ocean water. (just to reinforce this, because I'm not sure if people just think it is a thing to say, or they just have no idea how salty the sea is)

[seszett]

> or they just have no idea how salty the sea is

Well sea saltiness levels vary wildly, and although the Mediterranean is much too salty, I'd say salty like the North Sea seems about right to me.

[drxzcl]

The north sea is 34 grams per litre. The Mediterranean is 38. For my pasta I use 10, and that's on the high end.

[RogerL]

The oil can coat the pasta, reducing the ability of the sauce to penetrate the pasta when you cook them together.

[codyb]

If you make pasta frequently, you can just reserve the pasta water on the stove and cook more pasta in it the next day. I usually just leave it out with a cover on, it's fine for a day, probably two.

For whole grain pastas I find this really helps get a more satisfying flavor and consistency.

Sometimes I'd put the whole pot in the fridge after it cooled to room temperature and it'd keep for a bit so I could use it for brown rice, or for more pasta later.

Finally, you can also use that water to water your plants because it has a ton of healthy nutrients in it, but you have to be really careful cause of the salt so I always water it down heavily and don't apply it as frequently as I have a pasta water that I'm going to drain.

[ascorbic]

This risks bacillus cereus poisoning

[codyb]

I have no idea what that is so maybe it already got me!

I just go by smell, you can definitely tell when the water has turned.

Does the bacillus not die during the reboiling? That's some hearty stuff

[ascorbic]

When the temperature rises, the bacteria form spores that can survive harsh conditions, and then when it's cooler it starts growing again. The toxin that this produces can survive reheating. It's more commonly found on rice, but it can also be found on pasta.

[darkwater]

> you do not need the full volume of water the box says, but start your timer once the water has returned to a boil

I never do that, I start the timer as soon as I put the pasta in the water, and usually the cooking times on Italian brands are spot-on. If I have to finish the cooking in a pan (depending on the sauce) I take out 1m or 1m30s, and it's "al dente".

[fsckboy]

>if you're struggling to tell if it's "done", take a bite of a single piece, and look at the cross section a bit of "white" in the middle means that hasn't hydrated fully. Maybe you like a bit of "toothsome"ness ('al dente'), maybe you don't

coupla quibbles, one of which you may not be guilty of:

toothsome means delicious, not any sort of mouthfeel (though I agree, it would be a great word for al dente, which means "to the teeth")

the bit of white in the middle is raw, and not al dente. al dente is the "rubbery snap" of biting a noodle and not the "concrete snap" of a raw interior. somehow (like all across NYC) there are so many chefs who think al dente means uncooked center. it does not. handmade egg noodle pasta (which has no dry interior) and extruded hard durum wheat pasta both can both be served al dente.

[orev]

> * do not put oil in your cooking water, it will NOT help it not stick.

Using oil has never been about preventing it from sticking, despite so many people repeating this myth. Anyone can plainly see that the oil floats on top of the water and never touches the pasta.

The only purpose of the oil is to prevent foaming so it doesn’t boil over.

[zparky]

Wait does that work?

[orev]

Yes, generally. The mistake most people make with a boiling pot of water is they start the heat on high, and when the water gets to a boil they keep it on high. You really need to turn it down to medium or lower to just maintain the boil. If it stays on high, the violent agitation breaks down the pasta and releases a lot of starch.

If you turn the heat down to a reasonable level, then yes, the oil will do a lot to help prevent boil over.

[Hikikomori]

How much salt also depends on how much pasta water you want to use for your sauce and how much cheese you intend to put in. With more cheese you'll need more starch and then you need to avoid over salting the water.

For the type of rigatoni (smaller) in the article and my local brands it varies between 11 and 15m recommended cooking time depending on brand, and from experience the recommended time is when its ready to be put in a sauce, so not fully cooked. My favorite but more expensive brand says 14m, I usually set a timer to 13 and then try it until its ready to be cooked in the sauce.

[travisjungroth]

Based on the article, this seems like a recipe for overcooking pasta.

[oulipo2]

why would it be a recipe for overcooking pasta when it doesn't even mention cooking time but "check regularly and taste" ?

that's basically what I do

with French quality brands, it's between 9-11 min for dry pasta, when I make my own ravioli, it's more 2-3min

[jsnell]

But what the OP wrote was not "check regularly and taste". They proposed a single timer-based check at one minute less than the time on the box.

That strategy relies on the box being off by at most one minute, so the results from the article seem highly relevant.

[frantathefranta]

As someone who makes pasta 3 times a week, the comment sums up my experience with cooking better than the article. I don't really ever have issues with pasta getting too soft in my alla gricia, cacio e pepe or aglio e olio.

[UomoNeroNero]

Bravo. * set your timer for a minute less than the cooking time on the box, check for doneness, then give it another minute if needed

Please eat the pasta al dente. Overcooked pasta is really awful, trust me

[master-lincoln]

No need to trust you. I tried it myself. Food preferences are subjective and I prefer overcooked pasta to al dente...

[UomoNeroNero]

Mia nonna si ribalta nella tomba a leggere questa eresia! :-)

[kelnos]

Sorry, but your grandma doesn't get to tell people how to enjoy their food.

I will never ever ask for a well-done steak, but I won't judge someone for enjoying it that way.

[DPDmancul]

I'm Italian and I don't like pasta al dente. Obviously neither overcooked, but I like it cooked. In fact it's a drama that since some years they started making pasta which remains al dente: I usually cook it at least 5 minutes longer than what is written and it is still slightly al dente: very disappointing.

[foobarian]

> * heavily salt your water, but it does not need to be "salty like the ocean"

Speaking of, wonder if using seawater for cooking would have good results. Pasta or otherwise!

[SAI_Peregrinus]

No. It's much, much too salty.

[krembo]

Pasta water being strachy is a good myth. It only happens in restaurants where they reuse the water all day long for many servings of pasta.

[llimllib]

That water's _starchier_ but it's not a myth. Here's Kenji on it: https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boi...

(I get what you're saying, spiritually, your pasta water from your giant pot of one box of pasta isn't gonna do much to thicken your sauce. But it's not a myth, just a matter of degree)

[ebiester]

If you cook it in a lot less water, and add a quarter teaspoon of corn starch, you can get the same effect. Play with the ratios to taste.

[SAI_Peregrinus]

I prefer to use semolina, since that's the same flour the pasta is made of. I find corn starch can add an "off" flavor.

[fsckboy]

corn starch is widely used because it has no taste raw; a flour based roux needs to be "browned" in oil to eliminate the floury taste (i've tasted the grain of wheat from a plant in a field: tastes floury)

[kshahkshah]

... if you use less water than the amount prescribed on the box it'll be proportionally starchier. It isn't a myth, you can literally see the starch in the water ...

[ascorbic]

You can see and feel that it's starchy! It has a starchy texture and is cloudy.

[codyb]

Can depend on the pasta too, and how much volume water to pasta you have.