How to cook fresh pasta to perfection
Updated: Jan 12, 2022
Most people are familiar with cooking dried pasta, but all of the pasta that Aliment makes is fresh—so, you may be wondering, How do I cook this?
It's actually easier and faster than cooking dried pasta (we promise). The table below will help you figure out how long to cook your pasta:
Filled pasta (like cappelletti, doppio, ravioli, tortelli) will take 3 to 4 minutes in boiling water. Extruded pasta (like rigatoni, lumache, bigoli, creste di gallo, tagliatelle) will take 2 to 3 minutes.
Here's how we suggest cooking Aliment's fresh pasta to perfection:
It all starts with your cooking apparatus. Fill a large pot one-third of the way with water.
Add enough salt so that the water tastes salty. This will not only season the noodles, but it will also enhance the structure of the pasta and help to keep your water at a constant boil. Salt!
Bring the water to a boil. (Note: You'll want to keep the water at a rolling boil throughout the entire cooking process.)
Once your water is boiling, start warming your Aliment sauce in a separate pan on medium heat. You can use whatever pan you feel comfortable with, assuming it is large enough to hold both the pasta and sauce.
Cook your pasta according to the guidelines in the table above. Tip: A good way to test whether or not your pasta is ready is to pinch its edges: you're feeling for crisp, cooked doneness.
Cook the pasta about 70% of the way in your water, and let it cook the rest of the way in your pan sauce.
Add 2-4 ounces of pasta water to the pan of your sauce. This will help your sauce come together.
Shake your pan and stir while your pasta finishes cooking.
Assess your sauce consistency with a spoon to taste. Adjust the seasoning with more salt, black pepper, and/or lemon juice.
Once the sauce is just right, you are ready to plate. Don’t forget to finish with a healthy serving of parmesan cheese!
Enjoy!