The Drain

When the pasta is done, it must be drained immediately. Every second the pasta remains in the hot water it will continue to cook.
• Be ready. Have your colander in the sink. As soon as the pasta is firm to the bite, tip it from the pot into the colander and give the colander two or three sharp shakes.
• Don't overdrain. Draining pasta properly is important. Pasta should never be overdrained. It should remain slippery so that it can be properly coated with the sauce. How well drained the pasta should be depends on the type of pasta and its shape.
• Long pasta strands or ribbons should be left still lightly dripping with water.
• Short pasta tubes or shapes should be drained more thoroughly as their hollows and holes will hold more water.
• Fresh egg pasta needs the least thorough draining. It should remain very slippery with water after draining as it will tend to absorb more of the sauce than a plain dried pasta.

Before you drain
When the recipe specifies, we suggest that you remove about half a cup of the pasta water from the pot and set it aside just before draining. Use the reserved water to adjust the consistency of the finished dish when it is needed. If the pasta is overdrained, if the sauce is too thick, or if the sauced pasta is too dry, add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Using th pasta water is always preferred to adding hot water from the tap as the cooking water contains the pasta starch and salt. This adds both body and seasoning as well as moisture to the finished pasta dish.