Four Steps to Pasta Paradise

I grew up where pasta came from a can...can you say Chef Boyardee?  Spaghetti-o's?  And if you did actually cook dried pasta and had a sauce out of a jar, you boiled that pasta till it was as limp as well a wet noodle.  When I married my New York Little Italy I-talian, his mother quickly taught me the proper way to cook I-talian.  I saw this in Bon Appetit and it's the same thing my mother in law taught me.  Mangia ya'll!

Step One:  The more water, the better
Start with at least six quarts cold water for each pound of pasta you're cooking.  A larger quantity of water gives the pasta more space to move around (to prevent sticking) and will return to a boil more quickly after you put in the pasta.

Step Two:  Don't skimp on the salt
Boiling pasta in well salted water seasons it which means it's the first step in building flavors in your dish.  As a general rule, salt your pasta water so it tastes like the sea, about 1/4 cup kosher salt per six quarts water.

Step Three:  Cook "to the tooth"
Aim for pasta with texture not crunch.  You can trust the recommended cooking time on the package but to be on the safe side, start testing the pasta about three minutes early.  You can always cook it longer but can never go back.

Step Four:  Put your pasta water to work.
The starchy, salty liquid left in the pot is the key to a well seasoned, full bodied dish.  Before you drain the pasta, ladle out two cups of cooking liquid and save it.  I always finish the sauce in the pasta pan.  I drain the pasta, save the above amount of water.  Put the pasta back in the pot, turn the heat to medium high, add enough sauce to begin to coat the pasta, stir a few times, add a little water if it seems too dry.  The pasta should be nicely coated.  Then when you plate,  you've got a nicely coated bed of pasta and then add a little more sauce.  This way you won't have plain pasta with a glob of sauce on top.