Question 1

How do I cook pasta perfectly?

Accepted Answer

Cooking times will vary between difference pasta shapes, so be sure to read the instructions on each box before you start cooking. Follow these simple guidelines below and you'll be well on your way to cooking pasta perfectly.

Fill a large saucepan with water and place over high heat. Be sure to use a big enough saucepan to allow the pasta plenty of room to cook properly. Also allow plenty of water - we recommend 1 litre for every 100g of pasta.
When the water begins to boil, add salt. We recommend 7g per litre of water. After the salt has dissolved and the water is really boiling, add pasta to the water and stir frequently the first two minutes, then occasionally until the end of the cooking process. Follow the cooking time outlined on the box. Before draining the pasta, taste it to see if it is cooked to your liking.
Finish cooking your pasta in the pan with the sauce, so the pasta continues to absorb all the flavour of the sauce as it finishes cooking.

If the pasta is “al dente,” you should feel a slight resistance when you bite into it. There should also be a thin white vein at the centre. If you prefer your pasta a little softer then continue to boil for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Question 2

What is the correct quantity of pasta for an adult and for a child?

Accepted Answer

Based on advice from dietary experts, the correct quantity of pasta for an adult is around 85 grams. It is more difficult to define the correct quantity for children, but on average for a child of 5 - 10 years of age, it should be around 50-60 grams.

Question 3

Should I add salt or oil to the pasta water?

Accepted Answer

Contrary to popular myth, adding oil into the water does not stop pasta sticking together. It will only make the pasta slippery which means your delicious sauce will not stick.

Instead, add salt to the pasta water when it comes to the boil and before you add the pasta. The salt will be absorbed by the pasta as it cooks, enhancing the delicious flavour of the pasta.

Question 4

Why is cooking pasta al dente so important?

Accepted Answer

Pasta provides steady energy. Cooking pasta perfectly ‘al dente’ (still slightly firm) allows you to reap the full benefits of pasta’s already strong ability to increase satiety, delaying hunger pangs and providing fuel for working muscles long after meals. Due to the special protein structure of traditional pasta dough, pasta has a low to medium glycemic index (GI) value depending on the cut, which means that the body digests it more slowly than most other carbohydrates. That’s true for pasta that’s made from either soft or hard wheat. To keep the GI value low, cook your pasta to ‘al dente.’

Question 5

Should pasta be rinsed?

Accepted Answer

Pasta should not be rinsed after cooking. This method was utilized to rinse excess starch off the pasta. When poor quality wheat is used to make the pasta, it releases too much starch when it's cooked and sticks together. Because Barilla pasta is made with high quality durum wheat, the natural starches released from our pasta complement the pasta meal. These starches allow the sauce to bind to the pasta better.

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