How much water to cook pasta

Pasta is often a go-to meal when we don't have a lot of time or creativity. And although cooking pasta is easy, if it isn't cooked properly it can end up tough and chewy or soft and mushy—or even worse, all clumped together.

Luckily, there are a few simple guidelines to follow that will lead to perfectly cooked pasta every time, from filling the pot with water to tossing with the sauce.

Use the Right Pot

You may have noticed that chefs on TV use tall pots when cooking pasta.

That is because you need to give the noodles enough room to cook separately. If you use a pot that is shallow and wide, the pieces of pasta will tend to stick to each other. For one pound of pasta, you need a pot that can hold 6 to 8 quarts of water.

How long to boil pasta al dente

And, of course, the amount of water in the pot is just as important. You want to fill the pot a little more than 3/4 full with cold water so the pasta can "swim" freely.

Add Salt

You might think a bit of salt in the water is an optional step, but it is actually an important one.

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