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Cooking pasta is really simple, but like a lot of simple cooking, timing is crucial. Most dried pasta cooks in about 10 mins – a few minutes less and it will be chalky and tough, a few minutes more and you’ll end up with a slimy mush. The trick is to test it and stop cooking when it’s perfectly ‘al dente’ – which translates from Italian as ‘to the tooth’ but simply means you should need to use your teeth to chew it.

True

I'm a sucker for the 'throw it against the wall and see if it sticks' test, but I like mine just a touch past al dente.

It is better to actually cook it for 10minutes

I normally follow the time stated in the instruction of the spaghetti wrapper and at the same time I also taste if its already al dente. Then I prepare the sauce from scratch.

Astridrose wrote: ↑11 Jun 2018, 02:10 I normally follow the time stated in the instruction of the spaghetti wrapper and at the same time I also taste if its already al dente. Then I prepare the sauce from scratch.

This, right here! Instructions are key. Then, homemade sauce.

I don't remember ever cooking pasta for more than six or seven minutes. Is that for fresh pasta or certain shapes?

It is very easy to prepare. As far as your water is boiling, just pour the spaghetti into the water. And in about ten minutes, it will be ready to eat.

I cook my sauce (always from scratch) and add a little extra water to it, then cook the spaghetti in the sauce. I prefer it that way since the flavor gets into the pasta. It was the way my mom fixed it, and when I made a giant crockpot of it and took it into work, every morsel was eaten and I had one guy tell me that it was the best spaghetti he had ever had...quite a compliment.

well I usually make my sauce with lots of vegetables, like carrot, green pepper, tomatoes, chilli and the put in my already parboiled spaghetti.

the taste is superb

I boil water,put them inside and after like 10 minutes its ready to serve

This is not really for spaghetti, but fusilli or penne can be baked too. I soak the pasta in cold water for 10 mins, then drain, and mix it and half a mug of new water into a sauce in a baking tray. After 20 minutes at 200 C it has a slightly firmer texture than when boiled, so it might not be to everyone's taste, but I thought I'd share the idea as at busy times it is very convenient to be able to bung it in the oven and walk away rather than stir a pot.

I find most people like their pasta way past al dente. I find it hard to eat pasta if someone else cooks it because it's so mushy. But, most people feel like if I cook it, it's too chewy. Personal preference, I guess, but there is evidence that it's better for your sugar levels to have it al dente. I also only use 100% whole grain or gluten free brown rice pasta.

wow, pasta is one of the many foods I like to cook, not to mention that it is very easy and simple.

I love how cheap and easy pasta is. Honestly, I never time how long it takes to cook, I just do it by the look and use a taste test method. I've heard that if you fling a noodle at a wall and it sticks it's done but I've never tried that.