Spaghetti can be found in many Italian recipes. And for good reason, their elegant, slender and elongated shape has the advantage of being eye-catching. Bolognese, carbonara... Spaghetti is perfectly suited to many delicious sauces.
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However, like all pasta, it should not be cooked in just any way. Here are a few easy rules to follow to have perfectly cooked spaghetti.
Choosing the pasta
To have well-cooked spaghetti, you must choose quality pasta. Choose good quality durum wheat spaghetti. It will hold better when cooked. Forget spaghetti that can be cooked in less than 3 minutes, and opt for more traditional pasta.
The right amount
If there is not enough water for the quantity of pasta, your spaghetti will not cook well and may stick together. To make sure the ratios are correct, use 1 litre of water per 100 g of pasta, and use the widest and deepest pot you have.
Olive oil
If you thought you were doing the right thing by adding olive oil to the water to prevent your spaghetti from sticking together, think again! Remember your chemistry classes: water and oil don't mix! If you add oil to the pasta water, it will stay on the surface and will have absolutely no effect on your pasta.
Salt
Does salt seem optional to you? Unlike oil, salt is essential to cook pasta properly. Not only will it make it taste better, but above all, it prevents the pasta from sticking together, since it limits the gelatinisation of the starch. Use 10 g of salt for 100 g of pasta.
Adding the pasta
Spaghetti is not easy to cook, especially because of its shape. It is therefore important to do things right when adding the pasta to the water. A handful of pasta should, therefore, be dropped into the centre of the pot so that it spreads out evenly towards the rim. At this point, lower the heat and stir the pasta regularly until it is completely immersed in the water. If you wait for your pasta to soften and fall naturally into the water, it may burn, cook differently and break.
Now it's your turn to make the perfect spaghetti!
