"cristina" <siena_us(REMOVE BEFORE > wrote in message
...
> John Gaughan wrote:
> Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water, and toss
> > in olive oil.
>
>
> Pasta cooking 101
>
> Bring water to a boil in a large pot, at least 3 litres of water.
> Add a good handful of sea salt.
> Add pasta and cook for about a minute less than the recommended time,
> stirring occaisionally.
> In a seperate pan, cook your sauce.
> When the pasta is done, drain lightly (you want some of the water) but do
> not throw away all of the water

The only pastas I drain very well are hollow types. Some hollow pastas can
hold a large amount of water which stays in the hole. I don't like that.

> Add pasta to the sauce in the sauce pan
> Stir well, add a ladle or so of the pasta cooking water and stir again

For me, the addition of pasta water depends on the sauce and the condition
of the pasta (if I overcooked it or not!)

> Let the pasta cook for a minute to absorb the flavor of the sauce.
> Plate and serve.
>
> Cristina in Italy

Excellent advice.

Charlie