I bet pasta is one of your favorite dishes, but I know how annoying it is when your noodles stick together. You try to make a perfect and delicious dish, and it turns out something that you just want to throw out.
But don’t worry, you can easily learn how to stop pasta from sticking together. Follow these 5 simple steps, and never again make pasta that sticks. And the best of all, it doesn’t matter what type of pasta you are cooking. Be it egg noodles or durum, Italian, Chinese, spaghetti, penne, fusilli etc., these simple tips will always work.
How To Stop Pasta From Sticking Together
- Use good quality pasta. Good quality pasta is the first step to prevent your noodles from sticking. I really don’t want to recommending specific brands, make your own testing. If, following all the rules here, your pasta still sticks, try to use another brand next time.
- Cook pasta in a large pot with enough water and stir during the first minute. To make sure your pasta doesn’t stick together, use at least 4 quarts of water for every pound of noodles. Stir your pasta frequently during the first minute of the cooking process. You don’t need to stir it after that.
- Don’t overcook pasta. If you cook your pasta much longer than the indicated time, chances are that it will stick together.
- Mix with the sauce right after draining. This is the most important tip to prevent your noodles from sticking. Transfer you pasta into the sauce right after draining it and mix it. This will not only stop it from sticking, but your noodles will absorb the liquids and flavors of the sauce, making it super yummy. In case you don’t serve your pasta with sauce, pour some extra virgin olive oil on it and mix it so that it won’t stick together.
- Never “wash” your pasta. Some people think putting the pasta under running water is a good idea. In fact it’s the dumbest thing you could do. Not only will it not prevent the pasta from sticking, but you’ll also cool it down and wash off the starches which help the noodles and the sauce form a delicious dish.
Prevent Reheated Pasta From Sticking
Sometimes you need to cook your pasta in advance. Good news is, you can easily reheat your noodles and still prevent it from sticking together if it has not yet been mixed with the sauce. In fact this is the way Italian restaurants are able to serve fresh pasta in no time.
The process is simple. You pre-cook your pasta and store it in a dry place. Right before serving it, you put your noodles back in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. You’ll get perfect fresh cooked pasta this way.
Make sure to follow all the tips above when reheating pasta to prevent it from sticking together.