It’s the ultimate comfort food, and with endless different options for sauces, pasta shapes, and cooking methods, you’ll never get bored of pasta. It may be simple to cook, but avoiding these 17 small mistakes will take your pasta dishes to the next level, allowing you to imagine yourself in an authentic Italian restaurant.
Choosing the Wrong Type of Pasta
According to Bon Appétit, “You want to choose a pasta shape that will allow for every bite of pasta to include plenty of sauce as well as whatever ingredients—pieces of veggies, meat, nuts, anchovies, whatever—you chose to add to the dish.” Long shapes, such as spaghetti, pair best with silky sauces, while shorter shapes are great for chunky vegetables or beans.
Skimping on the Water
Ensuring you use enough water helps to make sure the pasta cooks evenly and maintains a steady cooking temperature. Not using enough water can also make your pasta more sticky, as there is a higher concentration of starch in the pan. As a general rule, you should aim for about 4 quarts of water for every pound of pasta.
Forgetting to Salt the Water
Adding salt to your pasta water boosts the flavor from the inside out. It should be added to boiling water so that it properly dissolves, and you should include around 1 tablespoon of salt per 2 quarts of water. The salt also raises the boiling point slightly, which can speed up the cooking process.
Using Oil in the Cooking Water
Some people add oil to pasta cooking water in an attempt to prevent sticking, but this can cause your sauce to slide off the pasta. Self Magazine says, “Oil is better used to flavor your finished dish, not to add into the water when it’s still cooking.”
Not Stirring the Pasta
It’s important to stir your pasta within the first two minutes of cooking to ensure it doesn’t get stuck together. You’ll also want to stir throughout the cooking time to keep a constant temperature throughout the pan and make sure each piece cooks evenly.
Cooking Pasta Too Long
Overcooking pasta creates soft pieces that aren’t as appealing. In Italy, they cook until ‘al dente’, which means ‘to the tooth’ and is slightly firm in the center. To achieve this, use the package cooking times as a guide, and make sure you taste the pasta around 2 minutes before this.
Rinsing the Pasta After Cooking
Rinsing pasta under cold water stops it from cooking further, but it also removes the starch from the pasta. According to the Washington Post, “The starch on the pasta is what helps the sauce cling to it.” If you are serving your pasta hot, it’s much better to skip the rinse and add the pasta straight to your sauce.
Ignoring the Importance of the Pasta Water
The starchy pasta water that remains after it is cooked is a crucial part of Italian cooking. Adding a splash to your sauce helps to thicken and bind the sauce to the pasta. It can also smooth out a chunky tomato sauce or help emulsify a silky carbonara sauce.
Cooking All Pasta the Same Way
It’s important to consider the shape and type of pasta you are preparing to ensure it is cooked properly. Fresh pasta, for example, cooks much faster than dried pasta, and this can be as quick as one to three minutes. Filled pastas, such as ravioli or tortellini, should be cooked gently to make sure they don’t burst.
Overlooking the Timing of Sauce Preparation
Ideally, you want your sauce to be ready and gently simmering by the time your pasta is done cooking. This allows you to immediately add the pasta to the sauce and bind the two elements together. If your sauce isn’t quite done yet, you could add a little oil to your pasta to prevent it from becoming sticky as it cools.
Using the Wrong Amount of Sauce
You want to ensure each piece of pasta is covered in sauce without being too much. DeLallo says that authentic Italian pasta dishes don’t swim in sauce and recommends “1 1/2 cups of sauce to 1 pound of pasta.” It’s best to mix the pasta and sauce together over the heat for a couple of minutes to help bring the dish together.
Neglecting to Taste While Cooking
Tasting both your sauce and your pasta throughout the cooking process allows you to adjust seasonings and salt levels. This can help make sure the flavors in the final dish are well-balanced and complement each other. Just make sure you adjust your seasoning gradually so you don’t overwhelm the dish.
Adding Sauce to Pasta Improperly
Rather than draining the pasta and then adding the sauce on top, use tongs or a slotted spoon to take it straight from its cooking water into the sauce while still on the heat. Once in the sauce, cook it for another two minutes to bind the two elements and allow the pasta to absorb the flavors of the sauce.
Forgetting to Layer Flavors
Creating a great pasta sauce is simple, but you need to make sure you add various layers of flavor for depth. Start with onions, garlic, and herbs sauteed in oil or butter, then add your main ingredients, and finish with fresh herbs or parmesan to enhance the dish.
Serving Pasta Improperly
You should always try to serve your pasta immediately so that it’s hot and doesn’t become sticky. The pasta should be fully combined with the sauce so that each bite gets a bit of everything, and make sure to garnish with fresh herbs or cheese.
Discarding Leftovers
Cooked pasta can be kept for meal prep or tomorrow’s packed lunch, but you’ll need to cool it quickly and refrigerate it within two hours to make sure it’s safe to eat. Better Homes & Gardens says, “You’ll have the most success storing leftover pasta if you keep the sauce and noodles separate.”
Misjudging the Timing of Adding Pasta to Water
It can be tempting to add your pasta as soon as the water starts bubbling, but this can lead to uneven cooking and a gummy texture. Instead, wait until the water is at a rolling boil and keep it at this heat for the whole cooking time to ensure the pasta is constantly moving around in the water.
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