Humph.
Truth or myth: Pasta should always be cooked al dente or firm to the tooth.
The source of this myth seems to be transcontinental confusion. The American way of serving fully cooked pasta with sauce dolloped on top is different from the Italian way of serving pasta and sauce combined. In Italian recipes, the pasta is cooked twice: first in boiling water, and then again with seasonings or sauce, so leaving it slightly undercooked — al dente — in the first stage makes sense. You can always add more sauce or cooking water to finish cooking the pasta, but you can’t go back if it’s overcooked.
But the tenderness of your pasta is really up to you; even in Italy, there’s room for personal preference. Some people like a little resistance, and some pasta shapes are nice with a little bit of chew (hello, bucatini). Others want pasta to give way immediately. Remember that pasta will always cook a little more after it’s drained, so stop before it gets so soft that it will fall apart by the time it gets to the table. And it’s always a good idea to cook pasta to al dente when you’re going to bake it in a casserole.
Verdict: False. Cook to your preference.
I lived in Italy for more than 20 years. The only time pasta is not served al dente is when it's added to a soup. And even then, preferably it isn't mushy. Italians say that when cooking it, it's done as soon as, when tasting, you can "rompere l'ossa". That means "break the bone": it's done the instant the interior is no longer hard when you bite it. It has nothing to do with whether you cook your pasta in the sauce you serve it with. Back in the '80s, most Italians served sauce on top of the pasta, just as many Americans still do. They still cooked it al dente. And recipes always made sure to tell cooks to do that.
I had a friend--both a gourmet and a gourmand--who ordered his pasta "molto al dente". It was one of his few defects as a diner. It was just too crunchy.
And then we have these previously discussed myths:
The myths that generated the most conflict were oldies: that pasta should be rinsed after cooking (false: the starch helps gives pasta its special mouthfeel) and that you should always add olive oil to pasta cooking water (false: stirring is a better way to keep it from sticking, see below).
I do rinse it if I plan to use it in a cold salad. It brings the temperature down fast, and doesn't prevent the sauce from sticking to it, since most cold pasta dishes--or at least the ones I make--don't feature thick sauces.
The second is more interesting. For many years, I DID add oil to my pasta water. Not to prevent the pasta from sticking, but to keep it from boiling over. Italians do not do that, except maybe--only maybe--if they're cooking fresh pasta. However, if you're concerned about the water boiling over, there's an easy way to prevent that: put a wooden spoon across the top of the pot.
I would like to know why that works; obviously there's some scientific reason. The spoon does something. Remove it, and you'll see the water begin to build foam. Put it back, and the foam will subside.
Strange.
