The 5 most common mistakes when cooking pasta

Cooking pasta without mistakes or blunders

Pasta is one of the most popular dishes in the world. It is easy to prepare, tasty and versatile. But to get a perfect paste, it’s important to know the right techniques and avoid making common mistakes. Cooking pasta is really not difficult. But you just need to know what you should and should not do.

In this article, we’ll give you the five most common pasta cooking mistakes and tell you how to avoid them to get the perfect pasta.

Top 5 mistakes when cooking pasta:

You may have read many of the most common mistakes before. Nevertheless, we clearly list them again

Do not add salt to the cooking water

A common mistake when cooking pasta is forgetting to add salt to the cooking water. Adding salt to the cooking water is important because it improves the flavor of the pasta. In addition, the salt also helps to cook the pasta evenly and prevents the pasta from sticking together. Make sure to use about one tablespoon of salt per liter of water.

Using too little water

Another common mistake when cooking pasta is using too little water. Using too little water can cause the pasta to stick together and not cook evenly. It is best to use about four liters of water for every 500 grams of pasta you cook. Use a large pot to use enough water and allow the water to boil thoroughly before adding the pasta.

Take pasta out of the water too early

Another common mistake when cooking pasta is taking the pasta out of the water too early. It is important to cook the pasta until al dente.

If you take the pasta out of the water too early, it won’t be cooked, and if you cook it too long, it can get mushy. Check the package for the correct cooking time and taste the pasta before draining it to make sure it has the right texture. Because cooking pasta al dente sounds easier than it is, we wrote all about cooking pasta al dente in another blog. You can read more about cooking al dente on our blog: How to cook pasta al dente

Rinse pasta after cooking

Sometimes you read somewhere that rinsing overcooked pasta with cold water is a good idea. Don’t do it if you ask an Italian. Unless you’re going to use the pasta in a cold pasta salad, don’t rinse the pasta. Rinsing the pasta can reduce the flavor and texture, and the sauce won’t adhere to the pasta as well. If you’re not going to serve the pasta right away, add a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.

Myths about cooking pasta

In addition to common pasta cooking mistakes, there are also a number of myths doing the rounds. There are many more fables about cooking pasta online, but below we give you the 3 most common:

Rinse pasta to prevent it from sticking together

It’s a common misconception that you need to rinse pasta to prevent it from sticking together. But the opposite is actually true.

Rinsing the pasta actually removes the starchy layer from the pasta, which can lead to a loss of flavor and texture. It is better to drain the pasta and toss it with a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.

What’s even better to do than mixing it with olive oil is to add the pasta to the pasta sauce immediately after draining it. As a result, the pasta sauce adheres to the pasta and prevents the pasta from sticking.

We have some more useful tips on how to prevent sticky pasta. You can read all about how to prevent this on our blog: How to prevent sticky pasta

Throw pasta against the wall to see if it is cooked

Another myth is that you should throw pasta against the wall to see if it is cooked. But this is not necessary and not even recommended. Instead, follow the recommended cooking time on the package and taste the pasta before draining it to make sure it’s al dente. This saves a lot of mess that you have to clean up later.

Add olive oil to the cooking water

Some people add olive oil to the cooking water to prevent the pasta from sticking together. But this is not necessary and can even backfire.

The olive oil can repel the sauce, preventing it from sticking well to the pasta. It is better to use enough water and stir the pasta regularly to prevent it from sticking together.

You can read all about olive oil and whether or not to add it to pasta on our blog: How to cook pasta with or without olive oil.

Cooking pasta like they do in Italy

Cooking pasta is a simple and delicious dish, but there are common mistakes and myths to avoid in order to get the perfect pasta.

Avoid the mistakes like using too little water, taking pasta out of the water too early, and rinsing pasta after cooking. The myths such as rinsing the pasta to prevent it from sticking together, throwing pasta against the wall and adding olive oil to the cooking water are also better avoided.

Hopefully, avoiding these common pasta cooking mistakes has become a little easier after reading these tips.

But do you want to cook pasta without mistakes and do it the Italian way? Then read all about cooking pasta on our blog: How to cook pasta.