Pasta is one of those meals that always hits the spot, no matter the weather, time of year or occasion. There’s a near-endless choice out there when it comes to toppings and sauces, and with so many fun shapes to choose from as well, you know you’re never going to get bored.
Despite pasta itself being very straightforward to cook, there’s one ‘biggest mistake’ that could be ruining your favourite dish. Chef Theo Randall, who specialises in Italian cuisine, recently named a massive culprit for poor-tasting, bland pasta dishes. And it’s something that you’ve probably done plenty of times before.
Pasta is something that I cook multiple times a week, so naturally I need it to be delicious every time. When I came across Theo’s video on Instagram, I was in firm agreement with the points he raised – as it was a mistake I was once guilty of making.
According to the chef, the ‘biggest’ error you can ever make when cooking pasta is not reserving any of the cooking water. You might think nothing about draining it away once your pasta is cooked to perfection, but what you’re really doing is throwing away a fantastic ingredient.
He urged pasta fans to ‘never’ cook it this way again, instead suggesting a much more effective and delicious method that I decided to try out in full. The result? Saucier, glossier and more flavourful pasta that tastes like you’d get in a restaurant.
How to cook pasta perfectly
The first thing you need to do, according to Theo, is boil your pot of water – which you probably already knew. Never put your pasta in before it’s boiling though – it works much better if you wait until it’s already bubbling away before you add it in.
The next step, which is also more important than you might think, is to salt your pasta water heavily. However much salt you think you need, add more. This will enhance the water and make it all the more valuable when it comes to adding into your sauce. Theo says your water should taste ‘like the sea’ by the time it’s done.
Next, you’re going to want to measure out about 125g of pasta per person. Take a look at the pasta packet, and however long it says to boil it for, cut three minutes off that.
And instead of draining the pasta into a colander, leave it on the stove. Using a pair of tongs or a slatted spoon depending on whether you’ve got spaghetti or a different pasta shape, lift it out and add it to the pan with your sauce. This takes a bit longer, but resist the temptation to just dump it all out – it’ll be worth it in the end.
Then, ladle a few spoonfuls of the water into the pasta and sauce. Give it a good stir and the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce, giving it a much deeper flavour. If you’ve salted it the right amount, this will only add to the amazing taste.
According to Theo, the excess starch will make the sauce cling to the pasta ‘beautifully’, much more than it would if you’d drained and steamed the pasta first. It might seem like a small step, but once you try cooking pasta this way, you’ll never make that mistake again.
