Celebrate World Pasta Day With These 3 Chef-Approved Spaghetti Tricks

Few meals hit the comfort food sweet spot quite like a big bowl of spaghetti. Whether you’re twirling noodles around your fork at a family dinner, whipping up a quick weeknight meal or recreating your favorite Italian restaurant dish at home, pasta has a way of making any meal feel a little more special. And with World Pasta Day arriving on Sunday, Oct. 25, there’s no better excuse to celebrate one of the world’s most beloved foods.

Of course, making spaghetti is easy. Making really good spaghetti? That’s where a few simple techniques can make all the difference. You might have a favorite jarred marinara, a treasured family recipe or a go-to combination of garlic and olive oil, but even the best ingredients can fall flat if the pasta itself isn’t cooked properly.

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Fortunately, you don’t need expensive equipment, hours in the kitchen or a passport stamped in Italy to make restaurant-quality spaghetti. A few pro chef pasta tricks can help you get perfectly al dente noodles, flavorful sauce and a silky finish that’ll make you want to go back for seconds. And some of the most common pasta cooking habits Americans swear by may actually be working against you.

To get the scoop on how to cook perfect spaghetti, I spoke with Chef R.C. Schroeder Jr., CEC, AAC, a culinary arts instructor at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. With a career spanning restaurants, hotels and country clubs, along with culinary training from the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Schroeder knows a thing or two about making pasta shine. Here are some of his best chef-approved pasta tricks.

The ‘American’ Mistakes Ruining Your Spaghetti

First up, let’s talk about the pasta cooking habits that deserve overdue retirement. If you’ve ever poured olive oil into a pot of boiling spaghetti water or followed the package directions down to the very last second, you might be surprised to learn that professional cooks approach things a little differently.

According to Chef Schroeder, one of the biggest misconceptions is that adding oil to the cooking water will keep spaghetti from sticking together. “Ultimately, this tends to be the first thing down the drain, does not prevent pasta from sticking and can even prevent sauce from sticking to the pasta,” he explains.

In other words, that glug of olive oil isn’t doing your pasta any favors. Instead, use a sufficiently large pot, stir the pasta as it cooks and give the strands enough room to move around.

Chef Schroeder also points to another common problem—overcooking the pasta. It’s easy to assume that softer noodles are better, but spaghetti that’s cooked too long can turn mushy, especially if you’re planning to toss it in a hot sauce before serving.

The good news is that you don’t need to overhaul your entire cooking routine. A few small adjustments can help you get a much better result without adding extra work or ingredients.

Trick 1: The Water Must Taste ‘Like the Sea‘

You’ve probably heard the advice to salt pasta water until it tastes like the sea. It’s a classic kitchen expression, and Chef Schroeder follows that principle. “I was always taught to have salty water like the ocean,” he says.

Salt seasons the pasta as it cooks, giving the pasta flavor from the inside out. Without enough salt, even a delicious sauce may not be enough to make the finished dish taste balanced.

Exactly how much salt you need depends on the amount of water, the type of salt you’re using and your personal taste. Rather than relying on a universal measurement, season generously and adjust based on experience.

And remember, you don’t need oil in the pot. Properly salted water, enough room for the spaghetti and occasional stirring are a much better starting point.

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Trick 2: The ‘Al Dente’ Golden Rule (Pull It Out Early)

Next comes the golden rule—cook your spaghetti al dente. The Italian phrase translates to “to the tooth,” describing pasta that’s tender but still offers a pleasant, slightly firm bite. It shouldn’t be crunchy in the middle, but it also shouldn’t collapse the moment you pick it up with a fork.

Package directions can be a helpful starting point, but Chef Schroeder recommends tasting the pasta rather than relying entirely on the clock. “Package directions are nice and usually get you in the ballpark,” he says. “However, the best way to truly know when the pasta is ready is to taste them.”

Here’s the trick: If you’re planning to finish your spaghetti in a skillet with sauce, drain it when it’s just shy of your preferred texture. The noodles will continue cooking in the hot sauce, giving them time to absorb flavor without becoming mush.

Chef Schroeder notes that package cooking times can produce pasta that’s technically done but not ideal for that final step. Pulling it out early gives you more control over the finished texture.

Trick 3: Marry the Pasta and the Sauce With ‘Liquid Gold’

If there’s one pasta cooking secret worth remembering, it’s this: Never pour all of your pasta water down the drain before you’ve considered whether you’ll need it.

That cloudy cooking liquid might not look particularly exciting, but it’s one of the easiest ways to give homemade spaghetti a silky, restaurant-quality finish.

As spaghetti cooks, it releases starch into the water. When you reserve some of that liquid and add it to your sauce, the starch helps the water and fat combine into a more cohesive mixture. The result is a sauce that clings to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Chef Schroeder describes the process as a way to “thin and emulsify, or bring the sauce and pasta together into a cohesive dish.” To make it work, before draining your spaghetti, scoop out a cup of the starchy cooking water. Transfer the slightly undercooked pasta directly into your warm sauce. Toss the spaghetti with the sauce for at least a minute, adding splashes of pasta water as needed. Continue tossing until the noodles are tender and coated in a glossy sauce.

This is one of the most useful techniques to learn if you want to know how to cook pasta like an Italian. Chef Schroeder recommends allowing the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce for at least a minute, or longer if needed. The extra time lets the flavors come together while the starch helps create that luscious coating.

Just remember that a little pasta water goes a long way. Start with a splash, toss everything together and add more only if the sauce needs loosening. You want a smooth, cohesive finish, not watery spaghetti.

Related: The 9 Best Italian Groceries To Buy at Whole Foods (And 3 To Skip)

The Best Brands of Spaghetti to Buy at the Grocery Store

Perfect technique matters, but the pasta you choose can also influence your final dish. While you don’t need to splurge on specialty noodles for every meal, it’s worth paying attention to quality when you’re shopping for spaghetti.

Chef Schroeder says De Cecco is one of his go-to boxed pasta brands. “I find the quality nice, and it works with a variety of sauces,” he says.

That’s a useful option to keep on your grocery list, especially if you want a dependable pantry staple for everything from a simple tomato sauce to a garlicky olive oil preparation.

Another option to look for is bronze die-cut pasta. During production, the pasta dough passes through a bronze die that helps create a rougher, more textured surface than the smoother finish of many conventional noodles. That slightly coarse texture gives the sauce more surface area to cling to, helping the finished dish feel better coated.

As Chef Schroeder explains, bronze die-cut pasta typically creates “a surface that accepts sauce and allows it to adhere to the pasta even better.”

You may be wondering if bronze die-cut pasta is worth the typically higher cost. If you love making pasta at home and want to experiment with the difference, absolutely give it a try. It’s especially appealing for dishes where the sauce is the star, although the cooking technique still matters more than the label alone.

For everyday spaghetti dinners, though, there’s no need to overthink your grocery run. A good-quality boxed spaghetti, properly salted water and a sauce finished with a splash of pasta water can deliver a seriously satisfying meal.

Simple 3-Ingredient Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Recipe

Want to put these techniques to work for World Pasta Day? Spaghetti aglio e olio is a classic Italian dish made with spaghetti, garlic and olive oil. It’s simple enough for a busy weeknight, yet flavorful enough to feel like something you’d order at your favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant.

Technically, traditional versions often include a few additional finishing ingredients, such as parsley and red pepper flakes. However, the beauty of this dish is that its core ingredients do most of the heavy lifting.

Chef Schroeder’s biggest piece of advice for making it successfully is to be patient with the garlic. “Most people try to rush the garlic in the process of making spaghetti aglio e olio,” he says. “The garlic needs to be slow cooked 10 to 15 minutes and not allowed to burn or to color.”

That’s an important distinction. Garlic can go from fragrant and mellow to unpleasantly bitter in a hurry, so keep the heat low and give it time.

To make it, you’ll need 8 ounces of spaghetti, 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Optional finishing ingredients include chopped fresh parsley, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, and cook until it’s just shy of al dente, following the package directions as a guide. Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water before draining.

While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook slowly for about 10 to 15 minutes, keeping the heat low enough to prevent browning or burning. The garlic should become fragrant and tender.

Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet, and toss to coat. Pour in a small splash of reserved pasta water, and continue tossing over low heat for at least a minute, adding more water as needed to help the oil and starchy liquid emulsify into a light coating.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. If desired, finish with chopped parsley, grated Parmesan, freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

For Chef Schroeder, the final step is about finding the right balance between the ingredients. “After that, it comes down to creating a balance between the oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes,” he explains. “Use a little bit of your pasta water to emulsify with the garlic oil.”

And there you have it—a simple, satisfying bowl of spaghetti that doesn’t require a complicated sauce or a long ingredient list.

Source:

• R.C. Schroeder Jr. CEC, AAC is a culinary arts and hospitality management instructor at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. Chef Schroeder is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Stout and the Culinary Institute of America. He has spent his entire career in the restaurant and hospitality industry, serving in many capacities. He has spent the majority of that time in restaurants, hotels and country clubs. At Fox Valley Technical College, Chef Schroeder teaches Culinary Foundations, Culinary Applications, Short Order, Asian Cuisine, Latin American Cuisine, Culinary Competition, European Cuisine and Advanced Garde Manger.  

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This story was originally published by Parade on Oct 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.