Why Using A Small Pot May Be The Worst Way To Cook Pasta

Let's face it: Italians know their food, especially when it comes to preparing it. Their insistence on using fresh, simple ingredients and preparing them precisely according to tradition produces excellent results. This rule-following is especially evident in their approach to cooking pasta and it starts with the size of the pot. First, you should use a pot that holds 4 to 6 quarts of water per pound of pasta. Although the pot size may seem unimportant, one of the worst mistakes you can make when cooking pasta is using a too-small pot.

Here's why: When the pot doesn't have enough water, the pasta clumps together — nobody wants that! The starch released during cooking needs to have somewhere to go, and pasta cooked in insufficient water doesn't have room to move freely, and not moving contributes to uneven cooking. Also, a smaller quantity of water temperature will lead to the temperature dropping, and this increases the likelihood that the pasta will become mushy.

Once you have the proper pot size, fill it with water, boil, and throw a liberal amount of salt into the boiling water. Then add the pasta (but don't forget that stirring is the imperative step to take immediately after adding pasta to boiling water; this will help you avoid noodles that stick together).

Another reason to use a larger pot is to have enough pasta water for the next step. Once you've chosen the right pot and the pasta is almost fully cooked (al dente), transfer the pasta and a good dose of the starchy pasta water to the saucepan containing the sauce so it finishes cooking together. 

This is why it pays to finish pasta in a pan; the starchy water helps thicken and bind the sauce to the pasta while allowing the sauce to infuse the pasta with flavor. If the sauce needs some adjusting in the pan, that pasta water could save the day. Just be careful with the amount of salt you use in the sauce because the added water is already salted. So, the next time you cook a pasta meal, don't start in the worst way with a pot that's too small. Remember that the right-sized pot is one of the foundations for a properly cooked Italian meal.