FRC: Cooking shaped dry pasta - are you following new guidelines?

[colleenmomof2]

Add dry, shaped pasta to 1.5-2 qts salted, boiling water - at a full, 212°F boil - using a smaller pan (no oil!)

Return water to simmer, stirring pot in the "critical" first 1-2 minutes (a couple of times to separate)

Turn off burner, cover ("so long as it's kept above 180°F or so")

Set timer for 10-12 minutes (see back of the pasta box)

Taste for al dente

Drain, reserving very starchy pasta water to add to sauce

Stir pasta immediately into warm sauce

Add reserved extra-starchy pasta water to adjust the consistency and emulsify

A New Way to Cook Pasta

https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/05/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boiling-tips-the-food-lab.html

for more discussion:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/tips-for-better-easier-pasta.html

https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/does-pasta-water-really-make-difference.html

https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/05/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boiling-tips-the-food-lab.html

 

[colleenmomof2]

FRC: Do you pre-soak pasta?

"So to cook long, skinny pasta, you've got two real options. First is the traditional method: A large pot of salted boiling water gives you plenty of room to move the pasta around, limiting the risk of it sticking together.
Your other option is to use the pre-soak method. The beauty in this method is that by pre-soaking pasta while cooking the sauce (and/or having it sitting in your fridge), you don't have to bring a pot of water to a boil every time you want to eat it. Pasta prep becomes almost immediate. By the time the sauce is hot and ready, the pasta is hydrated, and all I've got to do is drop it in the sauce and let it finish cooking. Easy!”
“If I place the pasta in a bowl of salted water, stir it once with my hands, then let it rest while I cook my sauce, it will have already absorbed virtually all of the liquid that it's going to absorb by the time I'm ready to drain it and add it to the pot. At that point, all I have to do is cook it through in my finished sauce, a process that takes just moments.”

Starting pasta in cold water, finishing in sauce
https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/05/ask-the-food-lab-can-i-start-pasta-in-cold-water.html

More discussion
https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/10/food-lab-pronto-soak-pasta-for-easy-skillet-baked-ziti.html

https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/05/ask-the-food-lab-can-i-start-pasta-in-cold-water.html

 

[mistral]

I had been doing the way of putting the pasta in enough water to cover. . .

bring to a boil and cook til al dente.

This way, the way you linked to, sounds even easier, and you don't need to boil a ton of water for way too long in a hot summer kitchen.

Thanks for the link!