How to cook pasta!

[Dollygirl2008]

Well obviously I know how to cook pasta! But my fussy daughter is enjoying the small pots of tomato pasta that they sell in her school cafe and has asked me to make some for her lunch to take cold the next day. But whenever I cook it, it turns dry and clumps together when cold rather than glossy and lovely looking! Any idea what they mix in with it?

I’m no expert but probably olive oil or similar?

I too think oil is the key to non-claggy pasta salad.

Put olive oil in the cooking water, the suit a bit into the pasta when it’s drained but still warm.

I drain the pasta then run cold water over it to cool it. It doesn't stick together. I don't know whether this is a standard thing that everyone does but the one time I let it cool without running cold water over it the pasta just clumped together in a big mess.

Thanks for the tips - I'll combine and give it a go!

Combine the pasta with a sauce and then cover it with a lid or cling film to cool it down. If you leave the lid off, it will dry out and shrivel up.

If it's plain pasta with the sauce separate then yes I think you need olive oil, or butter.

You need to rinse it under cold water after jts cooked. It washes the starch off and stops it sticking.

Olive oil when your cooking it is a myth it floats on the top and doesn't coat the pasta. You need to rinse it immediately in cold water and then mix with the sauce and allow it to cool covered in the sauce.

Italians only add liberal amounts of salt to the water they cook pasta in.

It's never the same. My kids love M&S pasta salads, no matter what I do mine aren't the same so following with interest. Have tried oil / no oil . rinsing etc etc.

DH is Italian and after he's drained the pasta he adds back quarter of a cup of the pasta water with the sauce. This stops it sticking together when it cools down, even if he puts too much in and it looks too wet within 10 minutes it's fine.

Oh and always a big pinch of salt in the water before bringing it to the boil then add pasta (before we lived together I just used to pour a kettle on the pasta, he was horrified!).

Thanks all - I think putting the pasta water on it is key - I'll let you know!!