When it comes to Italian food， the very first that pops into your mind must be Pasta， the seemingly easiest food to cook in Italy or even the world at large. You boil some water， throw in the pasta， set the timer for the minutes indicated on the package， and add a little oil to prevent it from sticking and finally ladle a lot of sauce on top. Then its done！ Simple， right？ And yet， in fact， its common to see pasta soggy and overcooked. The best way to cook pasta still abound， while methods that Italians consider common knowledge might be news to many. Its an art to make something out of nothing. Likewise， Pasta can be made the most delicious art out of simple noodles if you get the following secrets.

说到意大利菜，你的第一反应想必是意大利面，这似乎是意大利甚至全世界看似最易烹饪的食物。煮点开水，把意大利面扔进去，照着包装上的指示定好时间，然后加点油防止面粘到一起，最后在面上涂上调味酱。大功告成！很简单，对吧？然而，意大利面常常煮的时间过长，变得又烂又腻。尽管煮意大利面的最佳方法有很多，但是很多人却仍然认为那些意大利人所知的煮面常识很新鲜。化腐朽为神奇是门艺术。同样的，如果你知道了下面的秘密，你也能把最普通的面烹饪成为最美味的艺术哦！

Salt the cooking water

Many dont see the point in salting the cooking water， thinking that just salting the pasta after cooking achieves the same effect. But this is Italians consensus. If you dont salt the cooking water-and not barely with a light sprinkle-your pasta will be flavorless. How much？ Its a matter of taste， but in general， about 2 to 3 table spoons of coarse salt per 4-6 quarts of water.

在煮面的水中加盐

很多人不理解为什么要在煮面的水里加盐，他们认为把面煮好了之后加盐效果一样。但煮之前在水中放盐是意大利人的共识。如果你没有在水里放盐——甚至几乎是撒几颗——你的意大利面便会索然无味。那得放多少呢？这得取决于你的口味了，但一般每四到六夸脱的水里放两到三勺粗盐足矣。

Do Not add oil to the cooking water

Out of your expectation， its just a waste of oil to prevent pasta from sticking together by doing so and whats worse， the oil will prevent the sauce from sticking to the pasta. Actually all you need to do is making sure that there is plenty of water and give it a good stir after pasta is thrown into the boiling water.

别在水里加油

出入意料的是，防止粘在一起而加油只是浪费油罢了，更糟糕的是，因为有油，调味酱不能粘到意大利面上去。实际上你只要确定水足够并且在把意面放到沸水里后好好地搅拌一下就行了。

Pasta is all about Pasta

Many pasta cooks in the U.S. are quite heavy-handed when saucing it， drowning the noodles under several cups of sauce. In Italy， though， pasta is all about the pasta. Sauces are often applied so lightly that theres just a hint of coating on each noodle.

意面就是意面

很多美国的意面厨师放调味酱时下手很重，把面泡在几杯调味酱下面。然而，在意大利，意大利面就是意大利面。调味酱只会放一点点，在面上盖薄薄的一层。

Retain some water

You should retain some of that pasta cooking water， which will be quite useful to thin sauces and help them adhere perfectly to your noodles. The easiest way to do this is to place a bowl under your colander so that some of it will automatically retain in the bowl as you drain the pasta through the colander. You will not invariably need the water and if you do， you will probably need a touch， never the less， its better to have it on hand in case you do.

留点水

煮完意大利面的水可以稀释调味酱，让调味酱均匀地涂在面上，所以你得留点水。最简单的方法是在漏勺下放一个碗，这样你在过滤面汤的时候有些汤就会通过漏勺自动留在碗里。你不会总是需要水，就算需要的話，也只是一点点，但是万一要用呢？有总比没有好呀！