tips to a perfect pasta

from philippine star

• when cooking pasta, start with at least one gallon of water for every pound of pasta.
• depending on the pasta, add one tbsp of oil to keep the pasta from sticking, although most italians frown on this practice.
• in general, do not salt the pasta water.
• cook no more than a kilo of pasta at a time.
• the water must be boiling rapidly during the cooking. if it stops boiling, cover it until the boil returns.
• stir as you add the pasta. continue to do so occasionally to keep it from sticking.
• the real question is "when is it done?" pasta should be tasted to know when it is done. fish a strand out and bite it. it should be firm yet tender, with just a tiny chalky white center. al dente - not too soft, not too hard, just right!