You have the sauce and drinks picked out, so now it’s time to put your pasta cooking skills to the test. These tips will help turn out a perfect batch every time.

Bring out the big pot. Pasta almost doubles when cooked, so it’s important it has plenty of room to move around. If the pot is too small, the water temperature will drop when the pasta is added, making it too starchy, or worse still, mushy.
Be patient. To avoid ending up with sticky pasta, which is harder to handle, wait for the water to be at a full boil before adding it. A rough ratio is four quarts of water to each pound of pasta. Don’t forget to salt the water before introducing the pasta to season it.
Give it a stir. As soon as the pasta is added to the boiling, salted water, stir it around. This prevents it from sticking to the pot, deters clumps from forming and ensures it cooks uniformly. Then give it an occasional stir a couple of times after while it cooks.
Watch the clock. Keep it al dente! Check the pasta cooking instructions on the package and start testing it for al dente doneness at least three minutes before the end of the specified cooking time. Shorten the boiling period if the pasta is being used in a baked dish, as it will finish cooking in the oven. Filled pasta (like tortellini and ravioli) and gnocchi come with a built-in self-timer: they float to the top when cooked.
Serve it up. Hold off on rinsing cooked pasta, as this washes away flavour along with starches that help herbs and sauces stick. The exception is if you’re using orzo in a cold salad. Remember, add the pasta to the sauce, not vice versa. Save some of the pasta water to loosen up the sauce if needed.

Thinking of making pasta from scratch? Check out our tips for Pasta Making Made Easy.