Think Italian cuisine, and one of the first things that comes to our mind is a warm plate of pasta along with some great wine. Made from flour, pasta can be formed into sheets, strips or any other shape you can imagine. Yes, you can go beyond penne or spaghetti. Did you know that pasta is available in over 600 different shapes across the globe? That’s right. One of the best comfort meals, pasta is a no-fuss dish that can be ready in minutes and does not require genius cooking skills. It makes for a wholesome, delicious meal that is perfect for unwinding after a long day.
A bowlful of Spaghetti coated in toothsome sauces paired with the beverage of choice, isn't it truly an ideal way to unwind? And it also offers a lot of room for creativity. Not only with pasta shapes, but you can also get creative with different sauces such as tomato sauce, creamy white sauce or the meaty bolognese, besides a huge variety of ingredients ranging from herbs to veggies and cheese.
And while making pasta is no difficult feat, there are also some mistakes that you need to avoid while cooking the dish. They aren’t big blunders but simple steps and processes that we commonly overlook while cooking, and can easily be rectified. So, if you’re a pasta-lover, we have just what you need to up your cooking game. We’ve got some tips and tricks to make restaurant-style pasta at home, just the way the experts make it.
1. Overcooking The Pasta
The secret to a good pasta lies in undercooking it a bit. Believe it or not, just a minute of less cooking time can make all the difference to the pasta. The pasta also cooks a bit when you mix in the sauces, so let the pasta be slightly under-done so that it cooks completely when you mix it with the sauces.
2. Adding Olive Oil To The Pasta
Adding oil to your pasta water can prove to be counterproductive, the pasta too oily, making the sauces slip from your pasta.
3. Not Adding Enough Salt
Salt is a very important part of your pasta, and one shouldn’t cut edges on that. Make sure to add adequate salt to your pasta water to properly season the pasta.
4. Stir More
Boiling pasta is an important, as well as tricky step. While the pasta is boiling, keep stirring it every now and then to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
5. Rinsing The Pasta After Boiling
No matter which recipe recommends this, do not rinse the pasta in water after boiling. Rinsing the pasta would take away the natural starches and salts that stuck to it, and that gives a unique flavour to the pasta.
6. Throwing Away Pasta Water
Last, never throw away the water that you boiled pasta in. The water can be used later to thicken your sauces. You can even bring it to use while making soups, stews, or other broths.
Now that you are equipped with some of the best hacks, don an apron, bring out your inner chef, and get cooking with some pasta. Bon appetit!