Skill 2 of 16

Pasta cooked right

Salty water, a big pot, and pulling it while it still has a little bite.

What it means

Bring to a boil

It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.

How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.

Al dente

Al dente is Italian for “to the tooth”: pasta cooked until tender but with a slight firm bite in the center. It holds up in sauce and keeps softening a little after you drain it.

How you’ll know: Bite a piece a minute before the package time: tender, with a slight firm bite in the middle and no crunch.

Reserve pasta water

It means scooping out a cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta. A splash helps the sauce cling and turn silky, and it’s the step everyone forgets.

How you’ll know: A mug of cloudy water is sitting by the stove before the pasta goes into the colander.

Drain

Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.

How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.