Pasta is a universally beloved food and it's mostly easy to make. If you can boil water, you can probably make pasta but that doesn't mean there aren't mistakes to be made along the way. Pasta cooking tips, shortcuts and hacks are plentiful but not all of them work.
To separate the best pasta protocol from the false and fabricated, we asked an expert about the biggest pasta myths and mistakes we're all making. Filippo de Marchi, is chef de cuisine at De Majo Restaurant & Terrace . We grilled Marchi on nine of the top-circulated pasta cooking myths.
After he boiled it down for us, a whopping seven of the nine turned out to be exactly that, myths, with no real benefit or function in real life cooking. "Cooking pasta isn't difficult at all. It's all about timing and the right water-to-pasta ratio," he says.
"Don't fall into the trap of believing in pasta myths. Just trust your instincts and follow basic instructions." Here are the biggest pasta myths and mistakes we're all making.
Throwing pasta against a wall to see if it sticks proves it's done Chef's take : FALSE "This isn't the best way to check for doneness," says de Marchi. "The texture of the pasta can change when it hits the wall, and it doesn't give an accurate indication of whether it's properly cooked." Instead, it's more accurate to scoop out a single strand and taste it.
You'll then be able to tell if it's achieved that perfect al dente texture. Adding olive oil to pasta water keeps noodles from sticking Chef's take.