How long do you cook pasta?

[caseydog]

The thing is, that the most usual way I make pasta with a sauce is to make the sauce separately, then add pasta to the sauce and briefly toss it. No 'cooking in the sauce'. So the pasta needs to be cooked how I like it before it goes in the sauce. The only exception is if I make a baked pasta dish (which I think you would call a casserole).

I believe that the majority of Italian pasta dishes are made by adding pasta to sauce just before serving. I've gleaned this by watching Italian chefs on TV (not American Italian chefs) plus lots of reading of Italian cookery books. In fact I am beginning to think that American Italian pasta dishes are in some ways rather different from European.

The upshot of this is that it may be you do in fact like your pasta the same way as I do! My personal preference seems to agree with your statement that you: 'want it to be cooked through, all the way. I don't want it to "feel" uncooked in the middle in my mouth'.

To clarify, when I say "finish cooking in the sauce," I'm not talking about cooking for another ten minute in the sauce, but adding the pasta to the sauce, with a little pasta water, and tossing it throughly. Then Take it off the heat, and residual heat will finish the pasta while waiting to be served.

My favorite Italian Chef is Gennaro Contaldo and was also the late Antonio Carluccio .

CD

 

[Morning Glory]

My favorite Italian Chef is Gennaro Contaldo and was also the late Antonio Carluccio .

Both are chefs I like very much indeed. They were great friends and there is a delightful foodie TV series where they travel together in Italy: 'Two Greedy Italians'.

View: https://youtu.be/Op2LVAGmFM4

Jamie Oliver is also a great friend of Gennaro. When he was a 'learner' at Neal Street restaurant he was mentored by Gennaro and they remained close friends. They definitely cook pasta 'al dente'!

 

[caseydog]

Both are chefs I like very much indeed. They were great friends and there is a delightful foodie TV series where they travel together in Italy: 'Two Greedy Italians'.

View: https://youtu.be/Op2LVAGmFM4

Jamie Oliver is also a great friend of Gennaro. When he was a 'learner' at Neal Street restaurant he was mentored by Gennaro and they remained close friends. They definitely cook pasta 'al dente'!

I watched every episode of Two Greedy Italians.

Antonio mentored Gennaro, who then mentored Jaime. Gennaro boils the pasta to al dente, then mixies it with the sauce with some pasta water.

It doesn't take long for the pasta to reach just the right tenderness just with residual heat.

The starch in pasta water helps the fats in a sauce emulsify, and adhere to the starch in the pasta, especially sauces based on butter and/or oil.

CD