Not all spaghetti is the same – there are certainly differences between expensive and cheap pasta. But what exactly do these differences look like?
Between a pack of discount spaghetti and the higher-quality version, it is not just the taste that differs; the price also plays a huge role. You can get cheap spaghetti for as little as €0.50, while a brand-name product can easily cost €3-€5. If you don't want to invest that much in spaghetti, choose the happy medium. Brand-name pasta is also available at an affordable price here, which can also be cooked al dente. Unfortunately, the huge disadvantage of cheap pasta is that it is difficult to cook al dente. It either becomes mushy or stays too hard.
How to make perfect spaghetti
When cooking, pasta needs plenty of room in the pot. It is therefore not necessarily sensible to use the smallest saucepan for cooking pasta. If you choose a large pot, however, there is less risk of the spaghetti tangling into knots. But a sufficiently large pot is not enough – the amount of water must also be considered. You really shouldn't skimp on the water here; be generous.
So that pasta doesn't stick together
To prevent the pasta from sticking together, you often hear that a dash of oil should be added to the water. But even the Italians themselves argue about this fact. The fact is: the oil does not contribute to a better taste of the pasta. Furthermore, experience shows that because of the addition of oil (no matter how good it may be), the sauce cannot cling to the pasta and thus the pesto, bolognese, or arrabbiata keeps sliding off the spaghetti.
So that the spaghetti do not stick together, place the pasta in the water in the middle of the pot and let go so that they spread nicely around the pot. If you only place the spaghetti on one side of the pot, they will stick together much more easily. Give it a try!
Hot tip: only add the pasta to the water when the water is boiling vigorously. Now keep the stove on high heat until the water starts bubbling properly again, then turn the temperature down a little. While cooking, stir the spaghetti thoroughly every now and then so that knots and clumps of pasta do not form.
No boiling over of the pasta
If you definitely want to prevent the pasta from boiling over, you should use a dash of oil, which prevents boiling over or foaming. However, the sauce will then keep sliding off the pasta.
How long should the spaghetti cook?
Depending on the type of pasta, different cooking times are estimated. Normal spaghetti takes about 5-7 minutes, penne or tagliatelle more like 9-12 minutes. If fresh pasta is used, it is ready to eat in just 2-3 minutes in boiling water.
Since tastes are known to differ, the cooking time for spaghetti also depends a little on how al dente or mushy you like it. Nothing beats a taste test; some people even throw a single noodle against the wall and are satisfied if it sticks to the tile.
However, a kitchen timer can also do an excellent job – simply enter the time ideally stated on the package and you can conjure up the perfect spaghetti. However, if you want to be on the safe side, try a noodle and you can tell by the taste whether it needs to cook longer or is perfectly cooked.
Tips for serving
After cooking, the spaghetti can be drained. Ideally, use a normal colander for this.
Important: never rinse the pasta. Neither with cold water nor lukewarm. This only makes the pasta cold, inedible, and it doesn't taste any better because of it.
Gourmet tip: timing is everything here. Is the pasta just before the "al dente" point? Very good – then drain the pasta and add the spaghetti to the already finished, hot sauce. The pasta can now simmer in the sauce for another minute, thus obtaining the right "bite" and optimally absorbing the flavor of the sauce.
Storing finished pasta without it sticking together
If pasta is to be kept for a later meal, toss it well in butter or oil; this prevents it from sticking together. If you want to save calories, you can also put it in cold water immediately after cooking, let it stand for approx. 15 minutes, and then strain it. If you leave it in cold water for longer, this also prevents it from sticking together. Rinsing it briefly doesn't help here.
Extra tip: If the spaghetti is already sticking together, then either heat it up over steam or again with  water..
Also, here is a nice reading tip from Miriam:
There are many tricks to prevent the annoying sticking of all kinds of pasta. What really helped me is very simple and easy to imitate.
The pasta must only be added to the pot when the water is already boiling properly, or even almost boiling over. In addition, I add a little butter (no oil!). When the pasta is done, I drain the water and serve it immediately in the pot so that it stays nice and hot. This way, the pasta stays nice and loose and appetizing.
Enjoy your meal!
Read also: Recipe of the Month – Spicy Noodles from the Wok
Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
