Which pasta for which sauce

Suggestion here Sheet pasta: e. Suggestion here Mini shapes: e. Suggestion here How to cook pasta like an Italian Cook pasta in a very large pan of boiling water. Give the pasta lots of room to move about and expand. A small pan means the pasta will invariably stick together due to the starch compound. When to salt?

Scientific logic leans towards the latter. This is a cardinal sin and turns it into an indigestible slop. Then add the sauce and continue cooking for a few minutes until the pasta has absorbed most of the sauce.

Then, when you add the pasta to the sauce, splash in a little of the water especially if it looks too dry. The starch in the water will help the sauce cling to the pasta and bring out a silkiness to the sauce. Do not drain your pasta under cold water once cooked. Rinsing pasta will cool it and prevent the absorption of your sauce.

The only time you should ever rinse pasta is when making a cold dish like a summer pasta salad. Tags :. Got a story to share? Become an EHL Insights contributor. Keep reading. The roughness of the surface makes the pasta hold the most slippery sauces. The amatriciana sauce is usually linked to the bucatini , a slightly thicker type of spaghetti, with a hole in the middle.

The Rigatoni are a furrowed pasta that goes well with chopped meat and tomato sauce. Avoid spaghetti with pesto, please! Linguine are, on the other hand, ok or soft cheese sauce. A seafood sauce matches perfectly spaghetti pasta. The lasagna is a flat pasta that goes well with a creamy sauce, like this ricotta cheese and spinach.

Pasta with a concave shape, and twisted pasta function almost like a container. Think of gnocchetti sardi , orecchiette or fusilli, which are perfect for sauces with sliced ingredients, vegetables or pulses, because they trap them making it easier to get both pasta and sauce together.

This is the way we generally see it in Italy, but it is not a strict rule everyone should follow. You can perfectly eat the type of pasta you prefer with the sauce you like, as pasta is a very versatile ingredient, a factor that certainly accounts for much of its success. It is true, though, that for us in Italy, there is truly a type of pasta for every sauce , as it is more natural to mix some categories of pasta with specific ingredients as they are well-established in the cooking tradition.

You should let your creativity run anyway and experiment with shapes, textures and sauces: who knows, you may end up creating a new masterpiece of Italian cuisine!

You are absolutely right! We mention that quite often. Today's Top Stories. AngiePhotos Getty Images. Here are the noodle-sauce pairings chefs swear by. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Pin it for later! Allie Folino. For a light cream sauce Ethan Calabrese. For a seafood sauce Brad Holland. For a tomato-based sauce Parker Feierbach. For a vegetable-based sauce