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The right way
Cooking pasta properly can be sticky
Tips for cooking pasta
PASTA IS made by kneading semolina flour with egg and adding various other ingredients such as flavourings, veg puree and then shaping it. Homemade pasta machines are available in the market.
Use a lightweight pot such as one made of enamelled aluminium.
An ample colander with feet attached is ideal to drain the cooked pasta. Place it in the kitchen sink.
Pasta needs lots of water to move around in or it becomes gummy. 500 gm pasta needs 4 litre of boiled water.
For every pound of pasta put in not less than 1 to 1 ½ tbsp salt. Add more if the sauce is very mild. Add the salt when the water comes to boil.
If the pasta is to be used immediately, stickiness is no problem but if it must wait then drain it and toss in a little oil.
125 gm of pasta per person is adequate portion for the main dish.
Pasta should be cooked only until slightly chewy. It should feel good against your teeth and stand up to its sauce. Italians calls this delicious state `al dente' (to the tooth). To achieve this, start testing several minutes before the suggested cooking time is up. The cooking time depends on the shape, size, and quality of the pasta.
Don't rinse the cooked pasta unless you are using it for a cold pasta dish or you need to handle it right away for a casserole.
Toss the pasta in the sauce as soon as it's ready. When you add pasta in the sauce, toss rapidly, using fork or wooden spoon bringing the pasta up from the bottom of the bowl, separating it, lifting it, dropping it, turning it over, swirling it around and around.
Once pasta is tossed with sauce, serve it immediately in hot pasta plate. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, olives, chopped parsley, or dried herbs.
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