Cooking Spaghetti Like An Italian Chef 

⚖️ The Golden Formula: 100 - 1 - 10

The secret to perfect al dente pasta lies in a few simple but crucial basic rules that Italian chefs have been using for generations. Here is the gold standard for cooking authentic spaghetti:

For the perfect balance, remember the ratio 100 - 1 - 10:

• 100g pasta

• 1l water

• 10g salt (about a generous tablespoon)

🛒 What do you need? (Ingredients)

• 400g spaghetti
• 4l water
• 40g salt (about 2 generous tablespoons)
• To taste;
• Your culinary passion (the secret ingredient that everyone will taste, experience and feel)

👨‍🍳 The Preparation (Step-by-step)

Step-by-step to Perfect Al Dente

1. Use a large pot with plenty of water Pasta needs space to swim. With 4 litres of water, the whole thing doesn't cool down too much when you add the 400 grams of pasta, which prevents sticky pasta.

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3. Only add salt when the water is boiling Wait until the 4 litres of water is boiling hard before adding the 40 grams of salt (salt dissolves faster in hot water and prevents damage to your pan).

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5. Lowering the spaghetti Stand the spaghetti upright in the boiling water. After 30 seconds, the bottom will soften and you can gently push the rest under the water with a wooden spoon.

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7. Keep stirring for the first 2 minutes In the first two minutes, most of the starch is released. By stirring well, you prevent the spaghetti strands from sticking together.

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9. The Al Dente Test (1 to 2 minutes faster!) Check the packaging and subtract 1 to 2 minutes.

   • How do you recognise al dente? Break or bite a strand of spaghetti. In the middle, you will see a tiny white dot (the anima or 'soul' of the pasta). It still has a nice 'bite', but is no longer floury.

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10. Save the magical pasta water! Catch a good splash of the starchy cooking water with a ladle before draining. This starchy water is the secret to making your sauce (like in Carbonara or AOP) bind perfectly.

🚫 The "Never Do!" List 

(The Sins of Pasta Cooking)

❌ NEVER throw olive oil in the cooking water!

Why not? Oil floats on the water and creates a greasy layer around the pasta when draining. This means your sauce will slide right off instead of sticking.

❌ NEVER break the spaghetti!

Why not? Spaghetti is designed to wrap around your fork. If you break the strand, you ruin the mouthfeel and the balance of the sauce on your fork.

❌ NEVER rinse with cold water after cooking!

Why not? Cold water washes away the valuable starch that helps the sauce stick to the pasta. Moreover, you cool the pasta down to ice cold.

❌ NEVER add cold water to the pan when it is already boiling!

Why not? This interrupts the cooking process and makes the outside of the pasta mushy while the inside remains raw.

❌ NEVER pour sauce over dry, drained pasta on the plate!

Why not? Sauce and pasta should already marry in the pan (mantecare). Pour the pasta directly into the warm sauce in the pan and let it cook together for 1 minute with a splash of reserved cooking water.

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🇮🇹 Make this recipe with the real ingredients from Campania:

For the best results, use the authentic ingredients directly from our producers: