How To Prepare Angel Hair Pasta

Affections hair may exist ane of the most finicky stale pastas to cook, because one minute, it's perfectly al dente, and the next minute, it'south a congealed, overcooked mess. As with roasting (not called-for) nuts, boiling angel pilus pasta is a learned skill that you tin master if you lot follow the tips below and give up the practice of just eyeballing it.

1. Boil water in a big stock pot. Successfully cooked pasta begins hither. Notice the largest pot in your kitchen, preferably a stock pot. Fill it half to two-thirds with water and let it come to a boil. For each four cups of water, add one tablespoon Kosher table salt. Why do you need then much h2o? The pasta needs room to trip the light fantastic in the boiling water. Having sufficient infinite means you lot don't need to break up the pasta into smaller bits and it won't stick together.

ii. Cook one infinitesimal less than the parcel instructs. When the water is humid,advisedly drop in the pasta (about a pound) and set a timer for well-nigh one infinitesimal less than it directs on the packet. We're aiming for al dente pasta, meaning pasta that still has some texture and a slight chew. It's always better to err on the side of caution and start checking the pasta early on for doneness.

iii. Toss in the sauce for the remaining infinitesimal. While the pasta is cooking, be sure your sauce is heated through in a pan adjacent to yous. Another reason you want to take the pasta out early is because you'll be tossing information technology with sauce, and this liquid further cooks the pasta. Swirl the pasta around in the sauce for roughly 30 seconds to a minute until fully coated. Try the pasta for doneness, so serve immediately.

Bonus tip: If your sauce isn't quite ready merely your pasta is, run it under cold h2o to halt the cooking process. In one case fully cooled and tuckered, drizzle the pasta with olive oil to prevent information technology from sticking together.

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(Photos via Brittany Griffin / Brit + Co)

Anna Monette Roberts

As Brit + Co'south Nutrient Editor, Anna Monette Roberts has an insatiable appetite for developing tasty dishes. When she'south not dreaming near her adjacent meal, she's . . . well, probably cooking up her creations. Her favorite foods include chewy chocolate chip cookies, Rosé Champagne, and gooey French cheeses — in no particular order.