Why Pasta Sticks (and How to Prevent It)

Pasta sticks when there is not enough water (starch concentration gets too high), when it is not stirred in the first 2 minutes (when starch is most sticky), or when it is left to sit after draining without sauce. Oil in the pasta water is a myth — it coats the pasta and prevents sauce adhering.

How to Boil Pasta

  1. 1

    Use a large pot with plenty of water

    Use at least 4 litres of water per 500g of pasta. This seems like a lot but pasta needs room to move freely and the large volume of water dilutes the released starch, preventing stickiness and keeping the water at a boil when the pasta goes in.

  2. 2

    Salt the water generously

    Add 1–2 tablespoons of salt per 4 litres once the water is boiling. The water should taste pleasantly salty — like mild seawater. This is the only opportunity to season the pasta itself. Under-salted pasta water results in bland pasta no matter how good the sauce is.

  3. 3

    Add pasta to rapidly boiling water

    The water must be at a rolling boil before adding pasta. Adding pasta to tepid water makes it gummy. Add all the pasta at once, stir immediately, and keep the heat high. Long pasta (spaghetti, linguine): fan it around the pot and push down as it softens — do not snap it unless it is too long for the pot.

  4. 4

    Stir for the first 2 minutes

    Stir frequently in the first 2 minutes while the starch on the pasta surface is at its stickiest. After this point, occasional stirring is sufficient. Keep the heat high — a gentle simmer is not enough; pasta should cook at a vigorous boil.

  5. 5

    Taste 2 minutes early and drain al dente

    Start tasting 2 minutes before the packet cooking time. Al dente means “to the tooth” in Italian — the pasta should be tender but with a slight resistance when you bite. There should be no white chalky core but it should not be soft all the way through. Drain immediately when al dente.

  6. 6

    Reserve pasta water before draining

    Before draining, scoop out a cup of pasta water and set aside. Pasta water is starchy and salty — adding a splash to your sauce helps it cling to the pasta and creates a silky, emulsified finish. This is the secret behind restaurant-quality pasta dishes.

Do not rinse pastaNever rinse cooked pasta with cold water unless making a cold pasta salad. Rinsing removes the surface starch that helps sauce adhere to the pasta. Drain and immediately toss with sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

As a main course: 80–100g of dried pasta per person. As a side dish: 60–70g per person. Dried pasta roughly doubles in weight when cooked (100g dry becomes about 200g cooked). If cooking spaghetti or linguine, a bundle about the diameter of a 50-cent coin is approximately 100g and serves one person well.
No — this is a widespread myth. Oil floats on water and does not prevent pasta from sticking during cooking (sufficient water and stirring does that). Worse, oil coats the drained pasta and prevents sauce from adhering, making the pasta greasy and slippery. The only ingredients in pasta water should be water and salt.