Pasta & Rice

Pasta and rice are the cheapest way to put a proper meal on the table, and both are decided by how you handle starch and salt rather than by anything expensive in the sauce.

For pasta, salt the water until it tastes seasoned — this is the only chance the pasta itself gets. Pull it a minute before the packet says, then finish it in the pan with the sauce and a ladle of the cooking water. That cloudy water is the emulsifier, and it is what turns fat and cheese into a sauce that coats instead of sliding off. Never rinse it, and never dress cooked pasta in a bowl if a pan is available.

Rice depends on what you want from it. Rinse long-grain rice until the water runs clear if you want separate grains for a pilaf or a side. Do the opposite for risotto and paella, where that surface starch is the whole point and gets released by stirring and by adding stock gradually. Let any rice rest covered off the heat for ten minutes before you touch it.

Baked pasta and casseroles are the make-ahead end of this category. Undercook the pasta more than feels sensible, because it keeps drinking sauce in the oven.