Expert reveals why you’ve been cooking pasta wrong this whole time

It's the ultimate comfort food, but a surprising number of us might be cooking pasta wrong.

It’s actually nothing to do with the quantity of the pasta, as many of us struggle to not cook too much of it. In fact, it’s to do with how you prep the water.

According to Guido Pedrelli, the founder of Nonna Box, pasta lovers have been following a common myth when cooking their pasta in the pan. If you add oil, there’s a reason why you shouldn’t.

Guido says, “There is a common myth that oiling the water your pasta is cooking in will prevent it from sticking, but this is untrue.

“In fact, oil and water do not mix, so it is unlikely that any oil will transfer onto the pasta during the cooking process.”

He added, “If any oil were to attach to the pasta, it would be after the cooking process when the pasta is being drained, which would prevent the sauce from sticking to the pasta.”

If you want to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan whilst cooking, Guido recommends stirring every so often.

However, there is one thing you should add to your boiling water if you want the perfect pasta. And that’s salt.

Guido reveals, “While pepper is not commonly used in traditional Italian cooking, sea salt is incorporated at the start of the cooking process to ensure it dissolves and seasons the food throughout.”

So there you have it. Pasta doesn’t have to be complicated, and all you need is boiling water and some sea salt. Simple!

If you want to have a go at making your own pasta from scratch, we asked celebrity chef Theo Randall to share his secrets.

We rounded up our list of homemade pasta sauces too if you want to serve up in style.

Yum!

Which one will you be trying first? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know your thoughts!