The BEST Way
TO COOK PASTAIf we go by traditional wisdom, pasta should be cooked in a
large volume of salted water and added to the pot only after
the water has reached a rolling boil. What’s the reasoning
here? There are four reasons generally cited:
- Reason 1. A large volume of water has a higher thermal
mass than a smaller one. Thus, when you drop pasta into
it, it cools less and returns to a boil much faster. - Reason 2. A large volume of water at a rolling boil helps
move the pasta pieces around so they don’t stick to each
other. - Reason 3. A small volume of water will become too
starchy as the pasta cooks. This will make the pasta
stickier when you drain it. - Reason 4. It’s the way Grandma did it.
Let’s break them down point by point and see if we can’t
make some sense of them.