Pasta

Pasta provides substance and carries flavors from sauces well.

Flavor

How to use it

Al Dente Mastery. Firm gluten holds sauce, keeps pasta from going mushy.

Perfect Toss. Add sauce off-heat to stabilize thanks to starch.

Common mistakes

• Salt is necessary to avoid blandness.
• Overcooking weakens gluten, losing sauce.

What goes with pasta

• Tomato. Tomato's acidity breaks through pasta's starchiness, a foundational pairing.
• Parmesan. Parmesan's glutamate provides savory umami to pasta's starch.
• Salt. Salted cooking water seasons pasta through as it cooks, which later salting cannot match.
• Nutritional Yeast. Nutritional yeast gives plain pasta a cheesy, savory dusting.
• Basil. Basil's aroma shares eugenol with tomato and pairs with pasta's bland base.
• Peas. Pasta takes up liquid while peas add sweetness to the dish.
• Anchovy. Melted anchovy turns plain pasta into a salty, savory sauce with just oil and garlic.
• Black pepper. Cracked pepper adds a sharp bite to rich, starchy pasta.

Try tonight

• Spaghetti aglio e olio
• Pasta primavera
• Meatball and penne bake

Storage

Store dried pasta in a cool, dry place; cooked pasta should be refrigerated and used within a couple of days.