29 October 2023 , 13:00
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There aren't that many dishes that you know will be a total crowd-pleaser without taking too much time to cook, but pasta is definitely one of them. From macaroni cheese to spaghetti bolognese, and everything in between, you can be almost guaranteed that some kind of pasta dish will be a family favourite.
While this comfort food is one of the easiest to make, which it makes it a popular midweek meal, there's one mistake a lot of us are making - and it happens right after we take the pasta out of the cupboard - that can leave you with what expert called "disastrous" results.
The expert, Peri Eagleton - from the artisan pasta company Seggiano - explains that where many people are going wrong is simply not filling their pan with enough water to cook their pasta in. "Not cooking the pasta in sufficient water is a very common mistake," they explain, adding that "using too little water can have disastrous effects as the starches from the pasta dissolve in the cooking water and, if the water to pasta ratio is too low, it turns into a cloggy gluey mess."
A cloggy mess is definitely not what any of us want on our plate, so it's important to ensure that the ratio you're using is correct. BBC Good Food recommend s using between 500ml to 1 litre of water for 80-100g, so if you were making 200g of pasta, you should also be doubling the amount of water. They also advise that you use a "large, high-sided" saucepan to make sure there is enough space for both the water and pasta once it is boiling "because you don’t want the water to bubble up and overflow."
Eagleton also advises that adding pasta to the water before it has reached boiling point is something to avoid, as that is another common mistake. "If you add pasta to water before it is boiling, it will tend to clog together because of the slower starch release into water which isn't moving. Likewise, if you forget to stir it, the pasta will tend to stick together."
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So overall the key to getting your pasta dish absolutely perfect is to ensure the proper ratio of water to pasta, but only to add the pasta once the water is already bubbling away in your pan - then once it's safely added make sure to stir regularly throughout the cooking process. Whatever pasta dish you're making, this expert tip is absolutely key and will elevate the quality of your dish.
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