Does it stick to the wall?

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I was making pasta for dinner the other night and I was wondering -- Does anyone really throw the spaghetti noodle against the wall to test for doneness? Has anyone actually done this? I'm pretty sure it's supposed to stick to the wall if it is done. Rather than waste a noodle, I taste it to see if it is "al dente," or "to the tooth."

Pasta is one of those universal foods that can be found in many different cuisines. We Americans often associate it with Italian food, which isn't too far off, but Italians eat a variety of foods. Of course, they also offer a variety of pastas with each one requiring a different sauce or topping. It can get confusing, but unless Marcella Hazan or Mario Batali are coming over for dinner, I don't think anyone is going to care if you serve fettucini noodles with your red meat sauce.

But many Asian cuisines use noodles, too. We must not forget soba, udon, or rice noodles.

Here are some tips for pasta.

To Rinse or Not to Rinse.
The rule here is to only rinse pasta when you will be using it in a cold dish (like macaroni salad). If you are making spaghetti and the noodles are done before the sauce, toss the hot pasta in a tablespoon of olive oil. This prevents the noodles from sticking together.

Do I add oil to the boiling water?
No. Nope. Don't do it. You are just wasting perfectly good olive oil.

How salty should the water be?
According to Mario Batali, the water should be quite salty. I'd say about a teaspoon per quart of water.

When do I add the salt to the water?
Add it when it comes to a complete boil. Salt lowers the boiling point of water. If you add it to cold water and then boil it, it will only boil at 200ºF or so. So, add it when the water is at a rolling boil, at 212ºF.

How do I prevent it from sticking together while it cooks?
When I cook spaghetti or other long noodles, I be sure to stir them around in the boiling water with a pair of tongs. You can use a spoon or spatula but I find tongs work the best because you can pick up the pasta as you are stirring it.

Happy eating!