Pasta night is the best night of the week. Carbs, sauce (or butter if youre feeling indulgent), cheese, maybe even meatballs — its a recipe for a deliciously comforting meal. Even better? Pasta is famously so easy to make that even the most beginner home cook can do so without burning the house down. All you have to do is heat the water, toss in the pasta of your choice, and let it cook until its perfectly al dente, right?
Yes, in theory. But if youre opting for spaghetti instead of smaller shapes, like rotini or penne, there are certain “rules” worth following. Theres one thing in particular you should never do when youre cooking up a pot of spaghetti, and its probably something youre guilty of doing from time to time. It all has to do with the preparation. Heres what to keep in mind the next time youre making a lengthier pasta.
Long pasta needs to be completely secure and rolled around the fork. It’s the least messy way to eat it. If you break your long pasta in half, you’ll have shorter strands that are a pain to be eaten and then you get the people who [shudder] use a knife to eat spaghetti.
Don’t break the noodles before cooking
The only difficulty when it comes to cooking spaghetti — or similarly long noodles, like angel hair, linguine, or fettuccine — is trying to fit those spindly, brittle sticks into a pot. Unless you have a very large steam pot, youre probably left with half of the noodles underwater and half sticking awkwardly out the top. Its tempting to snap the noodles in half so that theyre all submerged safely in the pot. After all, youd assume that will ensure they cook more evenly. However, apparently this is a big pasta faux pas.
Chef Carolina Garofani explained to Slate that the reason you should never break your spaghetti before cooking it is because the noodles are meant to be eaten by twirling them around your fork. This is difficult to do when youre left with tiny, broken-up pieces of spaghetti rather than the full noodle. The blogger behind The View From My Italian Kitchen adds that many Italians actually consider it bad luck to break pasta. So instead, stir and swirl to ensure things cook evenly. Then youll be left with plenty of pasta to wrap in sauce!
There’s a method to cooking long spaghetti noodles
If you arent supposed to break the noodles before cooking them, what are you supposed to do? It seems like every chef, both at-home and professional, have their own opinions on the best way to cook them. However, there are some basics that most people can agree on when it comes to the perfect pot of pasta. Speaking of pots, the first step is to choose one thats big enough for your noodles. The larger the pot, the less of the long spaghetti noodles that will be sticking out the top. Real Simple suggests one that holds at least seven quarts and thats lightweight so the water boils faster.
Once you have your pot, many cooks recommend salting the water. In fact, its one of Giada de Laurentiis number one pasta-making tips. “The first time you get to season the pasta, which is in the water, is whats going to make the difference between a great pasta and a mediocre pasta,” the Food Network star told Foodbeast. “If you dont season it with enough salt, your pasta is bland.” How much salt should you add? Enough for the water to be very salty, according to de Laurentiis. “Season it like you would the sea,” she says. Finally, The Daily Meal recommends stirring the noodles every so often as they cook to prevent them from sticking together (and ensuring they all get submerged in the boiling water).
The One Spaghetti Rule You Should Never Break
FAQ
Is it a sin to break pasta?
Why can’t you break spaghetti in half physics?
Is it bad manners to cut pasta?
Should you break pasta?
There are hundreds of types of pasta, some of them are made only in tiny villages in the mountains and what not, but spaghetti and other long pasta like linguini and tagliarini are ubiquitous. We all eat them. The reason why you should not break pasta is that it’s supposed to wrap around your fork. That’s how long pasta is supposed to be eaten.
Can one eat pasta?
Pasta can be part of a diet, but in moderate amounts (100g of dried pasta daily), and it is better when it is made from whole grains rather than refined. Also, you must also have it combined with vegetables. Avoid taken it with fatty foods such as cream and cheese.
Is it bad luck to break pasta before cooking?
The blogger behind The View From My Italian Kitchen adds that many Italians actually consider it bad luck to break pasta. So instead, stir and swirl to ensure things cook evenly. Then you’ll be left with plenty of pasta to wrap in sauce! If you aren’t supposed to break the noodles before cooking them, what are you supposed to do?
What happens if you don’t stir pasta?
If you don’t stir, any strands of touching pasta will cook together and become stuck together. Stirring also ensures that the pasta is cooked evenly. Test for doneness about one minute before the time given on the package instructions.