Tips to Making Perfect Pasta!

Source San-Remo.com.au

To get the best result for your San Remo pasta dish follow these tips from the experts:

• A larger pan filled with a good amount of water is better than a pan that just fits the pasta and water. The pasta needs room to cook properly. Use 1 litre for every 100g of pasta, so a 500g pack of pasta which feeds four people will require 5 litres of water. By using more water you will avoid having the pasta sticking together after it is cooked.



• Adding salt to the water adds flavour to the pasta. We recommend using 1-2 teaspoons per 500g of pasta, but you can use more if you prefer.
  
  
• Never rinse the pasta once it is drained as this will remove the starch, which helps the sauce cling to the surface of the pasta. If you need to keep the pasta aside while the sauce is still being prepared, return it to the pot, spray with a little olive oil and cover with a lid or cling wrap. Or, add the drained pasta straight into the pan where the sauce has been made and toss gently.
  
  
• If you need to boil vegetables to go into your sauce, just add them to the pasta half way through the cooking process. This saves time and less pans need to be cleaned.
  
  
• If you are making a soup pasta, there’s no need to cook the pasta separately. Just add the pasta to the pan in which you have made the soup, adding it around 8-10 minutes before the soup is finished cooking. Ideal San Remo pasta shapes for soups are Soup Pasta, Risone, Macaroni, Cavolini or Small Shells.
  
  
• Use a good quality Olive Oil if you can, it carries a more intense flavour and enhances the taste of the pasta.
  
  
• Prepare ahead for quick mid-week meals. Cook a large quantity of pasta – San Remo 750g pasta has enough serves for 8 people – and when cooled pour individual servings into plastic bags and freeze. When you want a quick meal, simply drop the contents of the bag into hot water.