#1 Never Crowd Your Pasta

In order for pasta to cook evenly it needs room to move. Crowding pasta in a small pot with not enough water will result in clumpy, sticky, unevenly cooked pasta. 

#2 Gernerously Season Your Pasta Water

Many Italians will say that pasta water should be “as salty as the Mediterranean sea”. Always generously season your pasta water with sea salt, not oil.

1 tablespoon of sea salt for every 1 quart of water. For every 1 pound (454g) of pasta use 6 quarts of water.

We know, it seems like a lot of salt, but keep in mind much of the salt will wash away so you need a lot in order to season the pasta. Add the salt just before the water has come to a boil. 

#3 Never Rinse Your Pasta

If you rinse your pasta after it has been cooked you will be rinsing away much of the flavour and starch. The starch that is produced in the cooking process is what helps the sauce cling to the pasta. 

#4 Reserve Your Pasta Water

Once the pasta has cooked reserve some of the pasta water. The addition of well seasoned pasta water to most pasta sauces can help it to amalgamate the sauce and add further depth of flavour.