10 Pasta Cooking Mistakes You’re Probably Making

From not salting the water enough to rinsing your pasta — these common mistakes are ruining your pasta dinners. 1. **Not using enough water** — Use 4L per 500g. Crowded pasta gets starchy and sticks. 2. **Under-salting the water** — 1 tbsp per litre minimum. It’s your only chance to season the pasta. 3. **Adding oil to the water** — It coats the pasta and prevents sauce from sticking. 4. **Not waiting for a full boil** — Adding pasta to lukewarm water = mushy outside, raw inside. 5. **Rinsing pasta after cooking** — Washes away the starch that helps sauce cling. 6. **Draining ALL the pasta water** — Save at least 1 cup. It’s liquid gold for sauces. 7. **Putting sauce ON pasta** — Instead, finish pasta IN the sauce for 1–2 min. 8. **Overcooking** — If it’s soft all the way through, it’s overdone. Al dente = thin white line in center. 9. **Using pre-shredded cheese** — It contains anti-caking agents that make sauces grainy. Grate fresh. 10. **Letting pasta sit in the colander** — It continues cooking and gets gummy. Sauce it immediately.