7 common pasta mistakes
Just whipping up a little pasta. It sounds like an easy meal, but simple things are often the most difficult. Avoid these mistakes:
You don’t salt your pasta water enough
Salting pasta water doesn’t mean turning the grinder three times and then putting the salt away again. The water really needs to be properly salty before the pasta goes in. Bland pasta is impossible to save. Use a tablespoon per litre of water, and don’t worry about your kidneys. Most of the salt stays in the water, but it is necessary to give the pasta flavour.
You add olive oil to your pasta water
Many people add olive oil to the pasta water to prevent sticking. Don’t! First, the olive oil floats to the top of the water, while the pasta is deep in the pan, so it certainly doesn’t help. You’re better off stirring the pasta from time to time.
What does happen is that when you drain the pasta, a thin layer of oil coats it. You want to avoid this at all costs. That layer means the sauce no longer clings to the pasta at all, even though that’s exactly what makes it so delicious. So really, stop doing it.
You overcook the pasta
Pasta should be eaten al dente, or firm to the bite. Check the cooking time on the packet and start tasting a few minutes beforehand to see whether the pasta is done. Is it no longer hard, but does it still have a little bite? Drain and serve immediately. Tip: for extra flavour, drain the pasta 1–2 minutes early and finish cooking it in the pan with the sauce for the last minute(s).
You fry in olive oil
Use good olive oil for flavour and drizzle it over your dish at the end. Don’t use it to fry your mince over high heat. The oil can turn bitter, and even if it doesn’t: you won’t taste it in the dish, so you’re better off using cheaper oil.
You use the wrong sauce with your pasta
Italians are very precise when it comes to which sauce belongs with which pasta. You can ignore that and eat your favourite sauce with your favourite pasta, of course, but there is a thought behind it. Spaghetti goes well with creamy or light sauces, for example, while rigatoni and penne are better suited to more chunky sauces. Click here for a more specific overview.
You cut your spaghetti
I can be brief here: you eat pasta with a fork. Not even with a spoon, and absolutely not with a knife. Stop it!
You store leftovers incorrectly
You always make too much pasta, which is absolutely fine because leftovers are the best. As long as you store them properly. If the pasta and sauce have already been mixed together, they’ll become dry and far too overcooked when reheated. It’s best to store the sauce separately and heat it up the next day while cooking fresh pasta. Then it really is just as delicious as on the first day—perhaps even better.
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