15 Mistakes Most Beginners Make Cooking Pasta at Home 

My Italian family will tell you to always add salt to the pasta water....no question about it. Otherwise you will have bland pasta.

How to properly make pasta is basically a political topic.

This is the first video from this guy where I see everyone debating everything he did. Pasta is a sensitive subject

every time you say "noodle" instead of pasta, an Italian dies.

why didnt you add the last 3 noodles in that bag, driving me crazy

Mistake number 16: combining pasta and sauce in a pan so small that it doesnt allow you to toss the pasta and oat it with the sauce.

If your pasta falls apart when tossing it through your sauce, then it was definitely overcooked...

Came here to see if, as an italian, there was still something I had to learn. I learnt that US americans don't salt their water.

Literally no Italian ever will debate salting the water. You make it salty as the sea, no if ands or buts!

Hi! In the spirit of your commendable effort, allow me clarify a couple things from an Italian's prospective! 1- Italians NEVER use that amount of onion (unless they are going for a so called"cipollata"). 2- Less water is required, as to allow your starching agent to be effective. 3- The pasta water should taste "come il mare" (like the sea), hence way more salt in the pasta and WAY LESS in the sauce. 4- Italians hardly ever mix onion and garlic in one dish. 5- Oregano is hardly ever used for tomato sauces, unless you are going for a puttanesca sauce or for a marinara pizza topping. 6- Last but not least: Spadellare! The mantecatura (stirring) of the pasta at the very end needs to be quick and energetic or your pasta will end up breaking (as does in the last bits of your video). Thanks for going the extra mile to spread passion for the Italian cuisine!

“A few pinches of salt” My grandmother just turned in her Italian grave. You gotta use a lot of salt, it’s the only chance you get to actually season the pasta.

I'm just here reading the comments for helpful tips

There’s no option to put salt in water or not... You 100% should add the salt, and it should be as salty as sea water. In other words, way more than “a few pinches”.

7:20 - No debate in my mind! If you aren't adding salt to your pasta water, you aren't making pasta. Solid tips in this one Mike.

My 3 biggest deathly sins with pasta is: 1. Not putting enough salt in the water 2. Overcooking pasta 3. Putting oil on the pasta so it doesn't stick together. Now your sauce also won't stick on the pasta anymore either...

7:20 - Wait a minute.... it's a debate as to whether or not to salt your pasta water? That's your only chance to season the pasta itself. Who isn't doing this (other than people who don't know how to cook)?

Pasta water has to be heavily salted, also some of us, especially Italians, like our pasta with a little starch ring in the middle but that’s just preference :)

Pasta water should taste like sea water. You have to add a bunch of salt to get there. Pinch of salt ain't even close :>

Everything right, except for the "al dente" pasta. As a italian, I can say that the first one you showed, the "not yet done" one, was perfect 😂 Also, if when almost done, the tomato is still a little to watery, you can take out the pasta a copuple of minutes earlier, and finish cook it in the sauce :)

the title of this video is actually perfect, it is in deed 15 mistakes people do when cooking pasta. the editing is beautiful. also, i must say cooking is such a vast ocean and especially when it comes to pasta , it would be impossible to have everyone agreeing . even in italy we don t agree from one village to the next. even in same families you ll find some fights about how much this or how long that... good luck everyone, and enjoy your pasta, however you like them.

Adding a carrot or some sugar helps reduce the acidness of the sauce.

7:34 I've learned by an Italian that you should use a lot of salt. I mean really a lot. It should taste like salt water from the sea. Since I began doing that all my pasta has started getting a lot better.

Been trying to cook my whole life and have always and gave up every time because I was disappointed with the results. Thanks to this one dish breakdown series, I've finally been able to cook things that I enjoy eating, this is an amazing gift both for me personally and for my family 👍👍👍

The pasta is really over cooked

Your videos are not only well done, informative, and enjoyable.....but also very artistically put together....making them a true feast for both the eyes and tummy! Can't wait to try this pasta! Thank you for sharing.

Good stuff! The only thing I do differently is to move my pasta to my sauce about 2 minutes *before* it’s al dente (in other words, while the white layer can still be seen inside the pasta), letting it finish its cooking inside the sauce. If you wait until the pasta is cooked to perfection to then move it to the sauce and cook it for another couple of minutes, you’ll end up with overcooked pasta (which, I do realise, is what most people are used to - everyone talks about al dente, but 90% of people cook their pasta way past that point).

Yeah dude nearly there! tips from italy: don't mix garlic and onions..one or the other; tomato sauce is waay to watery; little less oil please :); cook the sauce at low fire and cover it with a spoon under the cover, then turn up the fire to reduce at the end; basil must be washed gently and dried with a cloth or kitchen paper; then...noodles? that is Rigatoni :) too little sauce for that pasta..which is overcooked btw lol..Ps--- never...EVER....EVER.... add water at the end...NEVER lol: I hope it helps!!! keep up the great work dude

Great video, but "noodles"!? No, it is rigatoni, spaghetti, linguini, etc. Never "noodles:.

Several tips for cooking pasta (not noodles) that I have learned over the years: 1) [SALTYING THE WATER] There is no debate; PUT SALT IN YOUR PASTA WATER ! You may salt the pasta from the outside, but you can taste the blandness inside. Bring the water to a boil, put the salt in it, let it dissolve for a second and then butta la pasta. The water has to be quite salty, else the salt won't get into the pasta. 2) [GARLIC/ONION] I do not understand the garlic+onion thing. Put either one or the other, not both. Some things call for onion, other call for garlic (the combo onion+carrot+celery is fairly common). If you want the garlic but you do not want it to be too invasive, just put the garlic in the oil (as a whole or in half), and take it out before it burns... you will get aromatized oil. Ah, take out the "germ" inside the garlic (l'anima), if you intend to eat it. 3) [SALTYING THE SAUCE] For the sauce, you put the salt in at the end. If you put the salt at the beginning, water evaporates and the sauce concentrates over time, so it will get saltier. The pasta water one puts at the end counts too. Put less salt if your cheese is very salty. 4) [DO NOT OVERCOOK YOUR PASTA] While you thicken your sauce with the pasta inside, the pasta keeps on cooking ! You have to take it before (one or two minutes) it is al dente if you intend to continue for several minutes (you have to continually taste to see if it is cooked right). If you are interested in doing other pasta dishes, I recommend you look up Alex's (French Guy Cooking) video about the "cacio e pepe". It is important to know how to make a "white" sauce, meaning with no tomato, it opens up a whole dimension of possibilities.

One tip I'd add is to add your pasta slowly to the sauce and mix it to see how the ratios are working. It's easy to make too much past and then just dump it all in the sauce and then end up with under-dressed pasta, so add it slowly until it's well coated and if you have extra pasta then save it for another dish. I'd say it's actually more likely than not you haven't made the exact right amount of either pasta or sauce to match together.

10:25 why would you leave like 3-4 in the package?! you are killing me!

Hey Mike. I'm a fan. I'm "the cook" among my circle of family and friends, but you've taught me a great deal and have exposed me to ingredients I've never seen (and honestly, probably wouldn't typically buy)…...but that is welcome, because I love learning something new every day. Thanks dude.

Tip 15: Clean the sauce pan out by throwing the pasta water in it. Boom. Quick cleaning.

Great video. This is basically all of the pasta lessons I learnt from BA over the years in one video, thanks!

I love how I know all about cooking pasta (and even making my own) but watching your videos. Is still good. This is a sign of great videos! Love your work!

You videos are perfect! Not too long, straight to the point. Very informational. Thank you always!

keep the head of the onion, that’s what holds the onion together while you’re slicing it

Best and simplest way to blanch spinach is to put it in a colander and pour over a kettle full of boiling water.

This video is super helpful. I appreciate the thought you put into the details. Thanks for helping me become a better cook!

You are an amazing inspiration to my home cooking game. I think one of the biggest reasons you are so successful is that you are not afraid to get your hands or kitchen dirty! (It's one of my drawbacks, I'm a neatnick.) I have been enjoying your videos so much over the past couple of weeks and am looking forward to making bread, which I haven't done since I was maybe 15 or so...

if your pasta is breaking up and not holding it's shape - it's overcooked dude.

I don't skimp on the olive oil because I'm worried about my health, I do it because good olive oil is expensive!!

I'm still wondering why you blanched the greens...? Throw it in at the very end and the residual heat softens them.

This video was amazing. AMAZING. Before, I was tossing some passata and spices on pasta, but this was incredible. Best pasta I’ve ever tasted.

I love these break down videos. Part 1 was actually my first video from the channel (RIP Brothers Green), and I’ve been upping my cooking game ever since. I’d love to see a one dish break down of Tacos or some other Mex/Texmex dish

I would like to see jollof rice, the great west African staple. I got the flavors, but I am having trouble getting the right consistency on my rice. I like the work you are doing and your explanations are very clear and understadable. Thank you!

Well done, Thank You

I followed these tips and my pasta is so much better! Had no idea something as simple as pasta and marinara sauce could be improved. Great content.

I find that if I cook the pasta all the way through, if I mix it in and cook it further it overcooks it. So I always take it 75% then cook it the remainder for a few mins when coating.

As a chef, if you want high restaurant quality sauce you have to strain out those tomatoe seeds. Nothing worse then biting into one and it releasing its bitter, oily taste. Plus it helps create a smoothness and richness to the sauce.

This was very helpful, thank you so much!

Thank you!

As a Senior Citizen trying to eat healthy but good tasting, I really appreciate your series. Some of the best pasta I ever had was in the 1970's in Milan, Italy. It was simply spaghetti with butter! Could you please tell us what wire spatula you are using? Thanks.

loved the editing! And great recipe as always :)

Definitely trying this recipe!

Done. 1-15. Moving on to next video. Keep em coming chef. Love it absolutely love it.

The first video I saw was with you and your brother and you guys were making eggs in a bunch of different ways. It was funny/informative but you can really see how much you've matured and come into a sort of rhythm with your videos, which is cool. I'm watching this as I'm eating mediocre pasta so I'll keep this in mind for next time. Thanks!

That was not nearly enough salt in the pasta water. "Until it tastes of the sea and no less."

Love your videos. Really well produced, easy to watch and helpful...keep it up

Keeping it simple is sometimes the best way! I’ve used this recipe so many times since watching!

Take it from an Italian, and I do not mean Italian-American, I mean Italian from Italy. That's too much oil. The pasta is going to taste greasy.

The easiest dishes scare me the most: pasta, rice, tea, water. It‘s all about the details....

Brilliant video. I learned so many new things by cooking this food.

LOVE your kitchen

For the salt: 10gr for every liter of water .. but bruh! Wtf !!! The garlic!!! This is the real problem! What's wrong with you Americans!🤦‍♂️ we put the whole clove just to get the flavour in the oil and put it out when is light gold, absolutely not golden brown! And btw onion or garlic choose one! Check Italia Squisita on Yt

My dad (an italian chef) always said "salty like the middle sea!" to describe how the pasta water should be ;) So go for more salt! Also, I don't know if you said that, but with cooked tomatoes you ALWAYS have to add some sugar to get rid of the bitterness.

thank you so much. I'm considered a great cook among friends, but this video was such a blessing & this turned out amazing. i added a package of bella mushrooms with the onions and sprinkled 1lb of meat in before i added the pasta. this is going to be part of my permanent collections. I really really appreciate this video.

Wow! I bought the right pasta and cooked it this way. Game changer! Thank you.

The Golden Equation in Italian cooking is: simple + fresh = delicious. No layers. And nine ingredients is at least 3 too many.

I just started cooking from a complete rookie level and your channel helps me so much! You explain it really intuitively and simple! Thanks :)

Love this video thanks

Thanks mate

Guys, in Italy "al dente" is when pasta is a little bit hard but it not sticks to your teeths (resulting annoying). Same is for risotto. Crunchy but not sticky.

I enjoyed watching your video, it was entertaining, you have great energy that comes across and you're kinda pleasant to the eye (blush). But, too many things are not right, many are brought up in the 1046 comments below. Keep it up! @ over 1.5 million subscribers you are doing something right.

fantastic presentation.

Loving this series. Thank you man. I be happy to learn whatever new vids you add. I think you're on track with hitting common dishes. Maybe with Christmas coming up you can give us something to work with there. Maybe something that we can bring to a family members house to contribute to the community food sharing. Food for thought atleast haha.

To make a simple, weekday, tomato sauce you don’t need so many onions and garlic, most of us in italy use one clove of garlic a little bit smashed and then we take it out at the end (somehow abroad you think we are just mad on garlic while we actually aren’t in most cases) Also you ALWAYS add rock salt to the water, otherwise it will always turn out bland. If you want to add greens broccoli or cime di rapa go extremely well with tomato sauce

Couple of things: you say use the best ingredients. So use the best ingredients. Don't use diced tomatoes in a can, use whole ones - you'll get less inferior stuff that way. Apparently the preferred type of tomatoes are San Marzano tomatoes, because they have some extra sweetness, but that's probably just a personal preference, other types will be good too. Then, the reduction of the tomato sauce. It was still way too soggy when you put the pasta in, and with the added pasta water you required a whole new cycle of reduction. The end result was therefore sloppy. Also, as mentioned by others: you used so much pasta water that the ratio of starch to water was way too low, so not as effective in your reduction. Next: don't add the garlic at the same time as the onions. The onions need time to soften and caramelize, but the garlic will burn. And you could see the garlic go brown and hard. That will result in a bitter flavour. Now I'm not such a stickler for either onions or garlic, so it's fine to use both, but use it right. If you really want to get down to the true Italian approach, you should have gone soffritto: onions, carrot, sellery. No garlic. Cook and reduce, then add the tomato sauce. But that's a different choice. You made some good points, but made some basic errors yourself when making this. No matter, learn and try again!

Best pasta ever, thank you very much

Wow great! I learned a lot. thx

"We have that things in the US where we are scared of fat" Hmmm.. then why most of american food is fried ?

Hey, would really love to hear your thoughts on extras like adding wine or sugar in the sauce or even milk. Or is it more for a ragout kind of thing?

Add a couple of pinches of sugar to the sauce to offset the bitterness of the tomatoes. Also, whisk in another Tbs or 2 of olive oil, and chop the basil.

Will give this a try!😄

Can people stop calling pasta ”noodles”

I like using good water for pasta and rice. To me it makes such a big difference. Water is the foundational ingredient for coffee, tea, rice, water, dough, and other things

The most delicious pasta I ever ate. ☺. Thanks so much for sharing. 😉

First recipe I'm going to try making, thank you!

Tip for the chef: use a deeper pot to cook the pasta sauce. Less risk dropping the noodles, less risk for mess.

Did you called the rigatoni noddle? 😂

Just made it, it was amazing, thanks for the recipe and the tips.

Nice video.. Thanks you

Protip: Never watch this before going to bed. (was about to fall asleep but as the episode progressed i just got more and more hungry)

Does anybody know what brand of pots and pans he is using?

I have been making sauce since way before you were born my SON is 53. I was taught by my Italian mother in law in the 60s....some great tips here eg the pasta water as a thickener that was new to ME....we can always learn something new it worked in the video so I will try it...THANKS!.

This is the best pasta video I've seen yet!!

Oh man, you're telling people how to not make mistakes, doing only mistakes. A kiss from Italy ahahahah

Maybe do a savory squash soup? I'm not fond of "pumpkin-type" spices that are more often found in desserts. For example, a potato-rosemary mix, or a spaghetti-garlic, etc. TY for sharing your love of great food 💓

I live for this Chanel. I went from a total noob to being the best chef in the house without ever using a recipe ! All thanks to you bro’s, showing us tips and tricks to cook with what you have !

Beautiful!