When cooking hollow pasta shapes like orecchiette, preventing them from sticking together can be a challenge. David from Manchester shared his frustration after spending half an hour separating clumped pasta with his granddaughter. We consulted experts Dara Klein of Tiella in east London and Guardian Italian correspondent Rachel Roddy for their best advice.
Pay Attention to Your Pasta
"Pasta is an engaged activity, so it’s really important that you don’t just drop it [in boiling water] and walk away," says Klein. "Like a dear friend, pay it some attention." Orecchiette is particularly prone to sticking because of its shape, Roddy explains: "They have a habit of falling into each other."
Basic Principles for Perfect Pasta
Roddy emphasizes the fundamentals: "The water should be fast boiling, add salt, then stir, so you’ve got that double movement." Both experts advise against adding olive oil to the water. "It’s just not necessary," says Klein. "And even if you’ve added a healthy glug of oil to the water, you’re still going to get clumping if you don’t stir."
Before adding pasta, ensure it isn’t tangled in the bag. Add it gradually to the boiling water, stirring immediately with a wooden spoon. Klein stirs every minute to keep shapes separate.
Draining Without Clumping
Once cooked, use a slotted spoon or sieve to scoop out pasta in batches rather than dumping it all into a colander. "That’s just another opportunity for the pasta to clag because the water goes down the sink, the steam comes up and you glue the pasta together in the colander," Roddy warns. If you must drain, use two colanders.
"If you do all of these things – make sure the water is moving, you rain in the pasta, you stir regularly and lift out once cooked – then you should have liberated orecchiette," Roddy says.
Avoiding Clumps in One-Pot Dishes
One-pot dishes are particularly tricky. Roddy advises adding pasta gradually and stirring constantly. However, she suggests avoiding orecchiette in one-pan dishes altogether: "I would be wary of using shapes such as orecchiette in a one-pan dish, because they like to stick more than others." The starch released during cooking acts like glue, exacerbating clumping.
Tips for Pasta Salads
For pasta salads served at room temperature, cook pasta only to just al dente. "Clumping can happen if you take the pasta right up to the maximum cooking time," Roddy warns. Once cooked, transfer pasta to a large bowl to allow space and movement, preventing residual water and starch from causing stickiness.
"Movement and space are key," Roddy concludes. With these expert tips, you can enjoy perfectly separated pasta every time.
