perfect pasta

8/6/2019 Perfect Pasta

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simmer together, forming the foundation of a sauce. We love a long-simmered ragu, but this is thetechnique we return to again and again.

Related: Bon Appetit's Favorite Pasta Recipes

3. You're not using nearly enough salt. Add a small handful of kosher salt to a pot of boiling water,

then drop in the pasta. The noodles absorb water as they cook, so you're actually seasoning the interiorof an otherwise bland starch. Mark Ladner, executive chef at Del Posto in New York City, says thewater should taste "almost as salty as seawater." For Ladner, that's about 1 Tbsp. salt for every quart ofwater, but you don't have to be so particularjust throw it in there.

4. Don't dump the pasta water. Starchy, salty pasta water is the secret ingredient in most sauces.Scoop out some of the cloudy water (it's supposed to look like that) with a coffee mug or measuringcup, and pour a few splashes into the sauce. Save the rest; you might need more than you'd expect.Then simmer until the water and oil emulsify and begin to form a slightly creamy sauce. It's a little likedeglazing a pan with stock or wine, a simple step that gives a dish body and flavor.

5. Trust the Tongs. While the pasta is cooking, grab a pair of basic metal tongs (12" ones are best forpasta prep). They are an indispensable tool: Use them to pick up a noodle to test for doneness, totransfer long noodles from pot to pan, to toss noodles in sauce, and, finally, to plate it all beautifully.

6. Now work that pan. It's where the magic happens. Bringing it all together in the pan is as easy as itis important. Undercook the pasta by about two minutes (you should see just a hint of white when youbite into a piece) and finish cooking it in the sauce's flavorful liquid. To coat the pasta with sauce, trysome fancy restaurant fry-pan flips. Or, if you don't feel like cleaning the range after dinner, use tongsas if you're tossing a salad until the pasta is completely coated. Keep an eye on the sauce: Is it tootight? Remove it from the heat and add a bit more pasta water. Too brothy? Let it cook 20 secondslonger. Just remember that the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid and the sauce will thicken off theheat: What's loose in the pan will firm up in the bowl.

See Also: The Best Meatless Main Courses

7. Everything's Better with butter. The other secret to rich, silky sauces is extra fatand yes, all therestaurants use it. "I finish the pasta with a little bit of olive oil, butter, or both," says AndrewCarmellini of New York City's Locanda Verde. "In Italian it's called mantecare, which means 'to makecreamy.' " He adds cold butter to the pasta and sauce in the pan, off the heat, to give it an unctuoustexture.

8. Cheese is not just a garnish. Whether you know it or not, restaurants enrich pasta sauces withcheese even before grating it tableside. When a little bit is added to the sauce, it melts and becomes abinder, a stealth ingredient that lends texture and flavor. Here are three simple steps to getting the mostout of it: Skip pre-grated cheese. It's more expensive and it doesn't taste as good. Grate it finely so it'llmelt easily into the sauce. You're making pasta, not a quesadilla. Think beyond Parmesan. FrankFalcinelli and Frank Castronovo, of New York City's Frankies Spuntino, use Pecorino, a sheep's-milkcheese with a tangy bite. "It has a stronger flavor," Castronovo says, "so we use less of it in the food."

9. It should looks as good as it tastes. Like a wineglass, a well-designed pasta bowl not only makesfor beautiful presentation but also serves a purpose. A broad bowl with high sides keeps food warm(especially if you heat the bowl in an oven first), and a white one makes the colors in the sauce pop. We
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like Crate & Barrel's Bistro Large Bowl ($7; crateandbarrel.com). Use your trusty tongs for plating. "Itshould look like a bird's nest," says Thomas McNaughton, executive chef at San Francisco's Flour +Water. To get the look, twirl the pasta, lift it out of the pan, lower it into the bowl, then re-twirl.

10. Practice Makes Perfect Now that you've learned the principles of great pasta, practice thetechnique on these four classic recipes.

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