How To Make The Perfect Pasta, According To Giada De Laurentiis
Who doesn't love pasta? While pizza may win the award for America's favorite Italian food, as noted by Reader's Digest, when it comes to whipping up a tasty homemade meal, pasta takes the cake. Affordable, delicious, and easy-to-make, pasta is an approachable dish even for self-proclaimed "bad cooks." Nowadays, there is even a growing variety of plant-based pastas that can be found on grocery store shelves for those who are vegan or trying to cut down on carb intake. Not to mention, there are numerous ways to make a pasta dinner. From gooey bowls of mac n' cheese to decadent servings of penne alla vodka, it's hard to get bored of this versatile pantry staple.
While pasta may be an easy enough dish to make, it's a tough one to master. Over the years, celebrity chefs have shared tips and tricks to help amateurs cultivate the art of pasta. In an interview with People, Lidia Bastianich recommends searching for the best-dried pasta on shelves, and looking for dry goods that have a "golden-yellow color and a rough texture." Meanwhile, Gordon Ramsey recommends seasoning pasta with olive oil, salt, and pepper after it's finished cooking (via BuzzFeed). To make things easy for us, Italian chef Giada De Laurentiis shares her secrets to making the perfect pasta in a TikTok video.
Giada De Laurentiis's perfect pasta is surprisingly simple
If there's anyone that we trust to help us concoct the perfect pasta dish, it's Giada De Laurentiis. Over the years, the Emmy-award-winning chef has concocted numerous delicious meals on the Food Network originating from her home country (via Food Beast). In a recent TikTok, De Laurentiis shares the step-by-step process of one of her tasty dishes, making it easy for fans to follow along. The "Everyday Italian" star claims this to be the perfect pasta dish. Don't believe her? You'll just have to try it out for yourself!
De Laurentiis starts by boiling her pot of water. Her first secret? Add salt, salt, and more salt. "Make it taste like the sea," the celebrity chef advises, referring to the boiling water. While many master chefs like to add olive oil to the pot, including Gordon Ramsey, for De Laurentiis olive oil is a big no-no (via BuzzFeed).
After adding your pasta to the boiling water, De Laurentiis moves onto the sauce. The Rome native adds a dash of olive oil, a few cloves of garlic, some lemon zest, lemon juice, and pepper to her concoction. Using a strainer, she then adds the pasta to the sauce. But don't get rid of that pasta water! Keep it on the stove, so it stays hot. "Pasta water is the key to creating the creaminess," De Laurentiis shared in an interview with Food Beast.