Make Pasta al-dente, professionally
Cooking the pasta is almost easy, but al-dente pasta professionally made is not (you need to try 3-4 times before making it right). We recommend the Italian style: al-dente, not too mushy yet not too chewy. This means you need a perfect balance, and I’ll show you how to do this.
1. Pick a big pot for Pasta
Having a large pot gives pasta plenty of space. Do not crowd the pasta into a tight pot. Trust me, you’ll see below why.
2. Fill the pot with water
Besides a big pot, you will need a lot of water too. Fill it with water, put it on fire and add salt. Do not just give a single tap of the salt shaker (give at least 5 taps)! This will give the pasta a flavor boost. Bring the water to a full boil.
3. Put the pasta in the boiling water, preparing to make it al-dente
Put the pasta into the boiling water and mix, mix, mix! Depending on what pasta you bought, cook as directed on package. Continue stirring even if you’ll do your biceps workout in your kitchen. Using a slotted spoon (or your utensil of choice), fish out a single pasta, let it cool a bit(10 seconds), then take a bite. If it’s al-dente, then take out your pasta… if no, let the pot on the heater and try again in one minute.
4. How to Know if the Pasta is Al-dente
Al-dente pasta will feel firm, not crunchy when you bite down with your front teeth. You can also break a piece of pasta in half and look at the cross-section, al-dente pasta is mostly cooked with a small core of uncooked pasta running through the middle.
5. Drain the water.
If the pasta is al-dente, place a colander in the kitchen sink and drain the water out. To make sure the pasta will remain unbound of each other, put them under cold water for 5 seconds. Getting the timing right will take some practice, but eventually, you’ll be preparing al dente pasta like a pro!
The most used Pasta Types
Both dried and fresh pastas come in a number of shapes and varieties, with 310 specific forms known by over 1300 documented names.
Spaghetti
An emblem of Italian cuisine, spaghetti is frequently served with tomato sauce, which may contain various herbs (especially oregano and basil), olive oil, meat, or vegetables. Other spaghetti preparations include amatriciana or carbonara. Grated hard cheeses, such as Pecorino Romano, Parmesan and Grana Padano, are often sprinkled on top.
Fettuccine
Fettucine is often classically eaten with “sugo d’umido (beef ragù)” or “ragù di pollo (chicken ragù)“. Dishes made with fettuccine include fettuccine Alfredo, which evolved in the mid 20th century and was one of the most popular.
Penne
Recipes with Penne are traditionally cooked al dente and its (penne’s) shape makes it particularly adapted for sauces, such as pesto, marinara, or arrabbiata. A slightly larger version of penne is called mostaccioli.
Linguine (also known as Linguini)
Linguine is a type of pasta similar to fettuccine and trenette but elliptical in section rather than flat. It is about 4 millimetres (0.16 in) in width, which is wider than spaghetti but not as wide as fettuccine. There are various recipes with Linguini pasta due to the special flavor. A thinner version of linguine is called linguettine.
Noodles
Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is rolled flat and cut, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles can be refrigerated for short-term storage or dried and stored for future use. Noodle dishes (or recipes) can include a sauce or noodles can be put into soup.
The full list of Pasta
You can find the full list of pasta on Wikipedia. You also can see there the variations, pasta types and shapes.