Nan’s 'Pasta Cooking 101'

What is the best way to cook my Pastamoré pasta?

We get this question a lot.  And Nan always is ready with her answer.  Here are her keys to perfect pasta:

Key #1 – use a big pot and lots of water.  Seriously.  Big.  No sauce pans.  Nan recommends you to use a 12 quart stockpot – bigger is even better – to cook a 12 ounce package of our pasta.  The cooking pasta needs lots of room to swim and expand.  Too small of a pot and you will get variations in doneness and sticking.

Key #2 – add salt to the boiling water before you add the pasta.  This will not appreciably increase the sodium level in the finished product, but pasta does need seasoning.  Do NOT add oil at this point, save that for the drizzle of your favorite dipping oil at the end!

Key #3 – The suggested cooking times are on the package as a range – for example 4 to 6 minutes - and they will vary with the type and flavor of the pasta.  Everyone has their own preference for how done they like their pasta, so Nan recommends you stay by your pot and start tasting about a minute before the package indicates.  Once you get the pasta to the texture you are looking for, drain BUT leave a small amount of the boiling water in the pot.

Key #4 – Return the drained pasta to the same pot with the ¼ inch or so of the boiling water.  Now add the butter, blended olive oil or plain olive oil.  A little bit will go a long way, so add a little, taste, then add more if needed.  At this point if you can toss in another ingredient, like chicken, steamed vegetables, etc.  Plate it in pre-heated pasta bowls and you have yourself a fabulous flavorful and nutritious meal!

Note #1 – Cover your pot when heating the water to bring it to a boil faster.

Note #2 – You can find our recommendations on dipping oils and suggestions on ingredients to toss with our pasta here and here.

We would love to hear from you!  Feel free to add your ideas or tips!