Perfect Every Time
How to Cook Pasta (Al Dente, Salty, and Never Mushy)
Great pasta comes down to three rules: lots of water, salt like the sea, and start tasting two minutes early. Here's the exact method.
- Total time
- 12 minutes
- Yields
- 1 pound cooked pasta (serves 4)
What you need
- 1 pound dried pasta (spaghetti, penne, rigatoni)
- 4 quarts water
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt (yes, really)
- A large stockpot
- A ladle or measuring cup
Step-by-step
1. Boil enough water
Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water for every pound of pasta. Cover and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
2. Salt like the sea
Once boiling, add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. The water should taste distinctly salty - most of it drains away.
3. Add pasta, stir immediately
Add pasta and stir with tongs for the first minute to prevent sticking. Do not add oil.
4. Taste 2 minutes early
Check the package time and start tasting 2 minutes before it's up. Al dente = firm bite in the center, no chalky white core.
5. Reserve pasta water, then drain
Scoop out 1 cup of the starchy cooking water before draining. Add pasta directly to your sauce, splashing in pasta water to loosen and glaze.
Pro tips
- Never rinse pasta after draining - the surface starch is what makes sauce cling.
- Match shape to sauce: long thin pasta (spaghetti) with oil-based; tubes and twists (penne, fusilli) with chunky.
- Fresh pasta cooks in 2–3 minutes. Test at 90 seconds.
FAQ
How much salt is too much?
1½ to 2 tablespoons kosher salt per gallon is standard. It seasons the pasta itself; unsalted pasta always tastes flat.
Do I add oil to the water?
No. It just coats the pasta and prevents sauce from sticking later.
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