How to Cook Pasta Al Dente

Reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward

Last Updated: November 27, 2018

Al Dente is Italian for 'to the teeth' and it refers to pasta that is cooked just long enough that it is neither crunchy nor too soft, and its texture appeals to the teeth. Al Dente pasta is simply delicious!

Steps

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Know the basics. You will be cooking pasta as normal; only the time will vary. You can follow directions on boxed pasta, or you can visit the wikiHow article.
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Prepare the pasta as normal. Add salt to the water if desired.
- Some boxes of pasta have directions for al dente. Because the directions aren't always perfect, you will have to taste the pasta as it is being cooked to know when it is al dente.
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At this point, it should still be somewhat crunchy. Remember to blow on the pasta to cool it before tasting.
Al dente pasta will feel firm, not crunchy, when you bite down with your front teeth. You can also break a piece of pasta in half and look at the cross section—al dente pasta is mostly cooked with a small core of uncooked pasta running through the middle.
Getting the timing right will take some practice, but eventually you'll be preparing al dente pasta like a pro!

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What is the opposite of al dente called?

Community Answer

I don't think there is exactly an opposite. If you think of al dente as "just right," then you could contrast it with "poco cotta" (undercooked) and "stracotto" (overcooked).

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How do you keep pasta from sticking after it is done?

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After you drain the pasta, drizzle a bit of olive oil into the pasta and stir it up a little.

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How do I stop my pasta from sticking together?

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If you're making your own pasta, adding a bit of olive oil to the dough before the pasta is made will help. If you're cooking store-bought pasta, adding a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil to the cooking water and then stirring the pasta during cooking will go a long way to making pasta non-stick.

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Tips

If you pinch al dente pasta in between your thumb and finger it won't break very easily. Pasta cooked past al dente will break more easily.

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