How to Boil Water

No, I'm not talking about Emeril's old show. I'm actually talking about boiling water. Specifically, water for pasta.

Don't worry, I'm sure that you're fully capable of turning on both the tap and the stove and waiting until enough bubbles show up - there's more to perfect pasta than that.

When it comes to pasta, there are a few simple tricks that will rid you of the sticky, clumpy, messy noodles that you may have come into contact with in the past.

First of all, use lots of water. I mean lots. I'm talking a good gallon worth. Seem like a lot to you? Good. It is. It's supposed to be.

Pasta likes lots of room to float around, flip this way and that, and all manner of underwater acrobatics (they're quite the active little group once the water comes back to a boil). The bottom line is that if you don't give them enough room, you're going to end up with one giant tangled mess instead of a nice plate of noodles, and no one wants that.

I'll throw in here a bit about oil. Adding oil to the water is said to do a couple of things. First, it supposedly helps keep those noodles from sticking (it's a natural lubricant, afterall). Second, it helps to keep the water from boiling over (saving you a lot of cleaning later).

I can't say much about the bubbling over bit, but I can say that it won't help you in the sticking department. Fat floats on water. This is great if you're trying to clarify butter (that's for another day) but not so great if you expect the stuff floating around under water to get coated by something that will, inevitably, be stuck on top. And what's more, once you pour out water (even though some say not to do this - that starchy water can come in handy later) the fat on top is the first thing to go down the drain. Wonderful.
I will say this, though, on keeping the water from bubbling over. Agitation (such as stiring) when it starts to peak will break things up and keep everything in the pot. It's possible that the oil on top of the water will continually agitate any foam buildup, keeping it to a minimum.

I'll also mention salt, because this is where it should be mentioned. Most people like at least some salt on their food. It does, in fact, have this little habit of pleasantly flavoring things and making them taste (when used judiciously) a bit brighter and just more like themselves. So how are you supposed to evenly salt pasta? By salting the water. Considering that you have a lot of water in that pot, you'll need a lot of salt. I've heard more than once that you want to make the water taste like sea water. I don't quite go that heavy, but do keep in mind that not nearly everything you put into the pot will actually be absorbed into the pasta. With a standard iodized salt package I generally upend it and go for three or four turns around the pot.

Now you're ready to finally add heat to this equation. Easy enough - toss on the lid and turn up the gas. Bring it to a full rolling boil, and toss in the pasta. Make sure that it's all completely under, otherwise it won't cook evenly. Now's the time to start stirring, too. Until everything gets back to a boil and starts swimming around on its own (and I keep an eye on it even then) you want to make sure that nothing's sticking together.

Once you've reached a delicious al dente (for fresh pasta this should only take about three minutes), you're ready to evacuate pasta from water. Into a colander it goes, and if you want to give something new a try hold back just a bit of the water.

Now, proper tossing (and this is important). You've got your freshly cooked pasta, that bit of hot pasta water, and the sauce that you no doubt have hot and ready.

Grab a bowl and pour in the pasta. Now pour on a bit of the sauce - you don't want to drown the noodles, just give them a nice coating. And now, just a bit of that pasta water. The starch will help the sauce stick and give a little flavor boost. Also, if you're planning to use any fresh herbs or cheeses, now's the time. Give the bowl a quick flip to mix everything together, and you're good to go.

One noteworthy note - the shape of the pasta affects how much sauce the noodle will hold on to. Smooth pastas hold less sauce than ridged ones, and the deeper the ridge, the more sauce can soak in and stick. Fun fact, no? At least it's a tasty one.

A simple dish, but still one that deserves a little recognition. With minimal effort, your next plate of spaghetti will be a dish worth raving about.