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Wrong. All pasta isn't the same. The quality of the pasta
depends on the quality of the ingredients. A simple cooking
test will tell you. If the water doesn't froth intensely
when boiled, remains clear after cooking and the pasta's
golden, you're on a winner.
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Most people don't use a big enough pot and enough water.
The rule is one litre per 100 grams of pasta.
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Salted water helps flavour the pasta as it absorbs liquid
and swells. Add 10 grams of salt per litre of water.
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a premium quality pasta like Barilla, there's no need to
add oil. It will just coat the pasta causing the sauce to
slide off rather than bind. Poor quality pasta can require
oil to combat the amount of sticky starch released when
cooked.
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Again if it's Barilla there's absolutely no need to rinse.
Only a small amount of starch is released during cooking,
so the pasta doesn't stick together. Rinsing in fact
removes the pasta's light starch coating which is important
for holding the sauce.
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Dry pasta contains carbohydrates but no fats are added to
the dough so the total fat in dry pasta is minimal. The
sauce you add is another matter. If it's rich and creamy
then this will contribute significantly to the fat and
calorific content of the dish.
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Pasta is digested differently to other carbohydrates.
That's because pasta is high in complex carbohydrates which
provide a slow release of energy. The carbohydrates become
glucose stored in the muscles, which is then released when
required.
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Pasta should be cooked 'al dente'. Quite literally this
means 'to the tooth' or slightly firm to the bite. Ideally
it should be tasted from the pot and finished in a frypan
combining with the sauce over heat. One of the benefits of
'al dente' pasta is to encourage chewing as this aids in
the digestive process.
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 Italians use less sauce than we do. That's because
they want to taste the pasta as well as the sauce. So if
it's good pasta don't drown it. The general rule is to use
as much sauce as pasta. However, pesto sauce should be used
as a simple garnish. In Italy there are over 300 types of
pasta, often the signature dish of a particular region.
Different shapes suit different sauces. For instance short
pasta like Penne go with chunky meat and vegetable sauces.
Fettuccine or Pappardelle suit rich creamy sauces and
Bucatini and Cannelloni are ideal for baking.
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Better pasta is in fact made from semolina which is
produced by grinding kernels of durum wheat. Barilla pasta
is made from 100% high quality durum wheat.
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