Kitchen trick: So that the noodles do not stick together when cooking, they need enough space in the saucepan Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-tmn
From BZ/dpa
How do you make the perfect pasta? It is best to ensure that the pasta does not stick together when cooking. Nutrition experts explain how to prevent this.
It’s the big issue: do you cook pasta with or without the famous dash of oil in the water? The Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE) clarifies that it is a myth that pasta does not stick together as much with oil or butter.
On the contrary: the oil makes the pasta even less receptive to the sauce, the nutrition experts explain.
If you want to prevent them from sticking together, you have to keep stirring them with a wooden spoon instead. This dissolves the starch in the noodles and distributes it in the cooking water. This prevents sticking together.
The amount of water is also important when cooking pasta. Because sufficient water also prevents unwanted sticking together. Rule of thumb: one liter per 100 grams. So you need a tall pot that is only about 75 percent full so that the water doesn’t boil over so quickly.
Do not blindly rely on packaging instructions
The noodles only come into the water when it is boiling. When it comes to the cooking time, you should not blindly rely on the packaging instructions, but try the desired consistency in between. Because some like it al dente, others prefer something softer.
And finally, don’t quench it with cold water: this will lose the starch it contains, meaning that the sauce no longer sticks well to the pasta.