Cooking the pasta itself is fairly simple, and most packages give directions. But make sure to follow these procedures for perfect pasta every time:

Use a large pot as full of water as possible. Pasta needs lots of water to roll around in-- this dilutes the starch the pasta releases. Too little water makes the pasta starchy or gummy. Four quarts for 8 ounces of pasta is ample. Bring the water to a boil, add the pasta, and stir to separate the strands.

Cover pot and bring water to a full rolling boil over high heat before adding pasta.

Add pasta and stir with a pasta fork.

Start timing cooking when water returns to a boil. If you use fresh pasta, remember that it cooks more quickly than dried.

Always cook uncovered over high heat.

Start testing for doneness a few minutes before indicated cooking time. Pasta that offers resistance to the bite but has no trace of brittleness is al dente. This is how you want it. If an undercooked piece of pasta is cut in half, a white dot or line is clearly visible in the center. Al dente pasta has only a speck of white remaining, meaning the pasta has absorbed just enough water to hydrate it.

Set a large colander in the sink so water drains quickly. Do not rinse.

Return pasta to the warm cooking pot or add to the skillet with sauce, and toss immediately with large tongs or a pasta fork.

A note on salting: We agree with most cooks that adding salt to the cooking water helps bring out the flavor of the pasta. While we didn't find that salted water changed the pasta's consistency (as some folks assert), it certainly makes the pasta taste better on its own. But when tossing the pasta with flavorful sauces, as we've done in these recipes, salting the water is far less critical. So to avoid adding unnecessary sodium, we chose not to salt the water in these recipes, and our nutritional analyses reflect that. If you're not watching your sodium intake, you can salt as you prefer.