Posted by Grandma Jeanne on December 20, 2005
Some rinse pasta in cold water to stop it from cooking. You should only rinse pasta when using it in a cold dish, since you want the pasta to be hot when combining it with the sauce.
Posted by Grandma Jeanne on
Make sure you have a lot of water (never use less than six quarts, even if you are making a small amount of pasta), a big pot, and, most important, stir often. Also, always wait until the water is boiling before adding the pasta. Pouring even a small amount of olive oil in the cooking water may inhibit the normal release of starches in the pasta, but a dash of oil may be added to strained pasta before adding sauce to keep noodles from sticking.