Good morning everyone! I'm a beginner in this field (I'm not talking about pasta but cooking in general) and I have already had some doubts. When I cook pasta (the main plate I eat) I don't know exactly when I have to put the salt. And what's more, I don't even know how much salt I can drop there. Anyway, I usually put an half of tablespoon of salt in my pot when I'm alone, when the water begin to boil, then I wait two/three minutes to put pasta. I don't think this metod is so wrong after all, but if I can improve the taste of my food by simply change something, this would be a great step ahead! Thank you in advance.
In the U.S., it's comon to cook the pasta, and whatever sauce to be used with it, seperatley. I had freids who cooked the pasta, made the sauce, combined them into a large casserole dish, and baked the resultant pasta like you would a lasagna. If I am making a tomato based sauce, I like to get the sauce cooked, and flavored, with veggies, and meat added until I am satisfied with the flavor, then add an extra cup of water, making it soupy. I then add the uncooked pasta to the pot, and let it absorb the extra water as it hydrates. The sauce is also thickened by the starches released into the sauce. The pasta is rich in flavor, and the sauce adheres to it beautifully. The sauce is thickened just right for me.
If you like your spaghetti on the drier side, cook the pasta in salted, boiling water, just as you are now doing, make your sauce, combine, and bake at 325' F. for 20 minutes, uncovered. Top with your favorite cheese.
If making a stuffed pasta, such as Manicotti, cook the noodles for 5 minutes to make them a little pliable. Use a cookie press dilled with your filling, and pust into the shell. Place into a suitable pot, cover with the remaining sauce, and bake for ten minutes more. Homemade ravioli is made by cutting the filled pillows, after removing as much air as possible, and cooking in salted boiling water for about seven minutes, the immersing in sauce to heat for another 5 minutes or so.
These are some of my favorite ways to cook pasta dishes. There are many different methods. I'm certain that others will give you their favorite methods also None of them are wrong, and just depend on your own preferances.
Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North