The most important thing to remember about cooking any form of pasta is to use a LARGE pot and enough water.  The amount of water needed will vary greatly depending on the type and shape of pasta to be cooked.  Use your judgment and just make sure that there is enough water to completely cover the pasta and then some.  The pasta will expand to 3 or 4 times its original size and you want it to be able to swim about comfortable while it is cooking so that it won’t clump together and become gummy.  For one pound of pasta you will need at least 4-quarts of water. 

Always bring the water to a good rolling boil before adding the pasta.  Add the pasta, stir briefly, except in the case of spaghetti and other long pastas that extend out of the pot,  in which case you put them in the pot and watch them until they bend enough that they all slump into the pot, then stir gently and continue cooking.  Once the water has returned to the boil after adding the pasta, turn the heat down just a bit but leave it high enough to maintain a gentle rolling boil.

Commercial dry pasta usually takes between 8 and 12 minutes, depending on the size and shape. Commercial fresh pasta cooks a bit more quickly, and Fresh Homemade Pasta is done in just 3 or 4 minutes.   It all comes down to; take out a piece with a slotted spoon and taste it. 

Oil or no Oil:  Some people say you should put a few drops of oil in the water to prevent the pasta from sticking together.  Most Italians do not like to do this because the sauce won’t stick to the pasta as well.  You may however wish to add a few drops of oil to such pastas as lasagna, which has a definite tendency to stick together.

Salt or no Salt:  It is a myth that adding salt to a pot makes the water boil faster.  If you want your pasta salty tasting add salt.  If you need to watch your sodium intake, don’t add salt.

When the pasta is done to your liking, carefully carry the pot to the sink and pour it into a colander.   WARNING:  Have the cold water tap running as you pour the boiling water down the sink.  This will lessen the chances that you will crack the seals on your pipes with the hot water.

Do not rinse the pasta.  Put it back into the pot.  It is now ready to use for whatever application you wish.

	Italians like to put their cooked pasta into the pan with the sauce and cook them for a few minutes together.  Italians also like a lot of pasta and just enough sauce to flavor it.
	Americans tend to like to put the sauce on top of the pasta.  They also usually like to have a lot of sauce