Instructions: The easiest way to communicate this is to give you a list of what is absolutely essential:

1 Always use a very large cooking pot.

2 Always make absolutely sure you have at least 2.25 litres of water to every 225g of pasta with 1 level tablespoon of salt added.

3 Make sure the water is up to a good fierce boil before the pasta goes in.

4 Add the pasta as quickly as possible and stir it around just once to separate it. If youre cooking long pasta like spaghetti push it against the base of the pan and as you feel it give keep pushing until it all collapses down into the water.

5 You dont need to put a lid on the pan: if its really boiling briskly it will come back to the boil in seconds and if you put a lid on is will boil over. 6 Put a timer on and give it 10 to 12 minutes for top quality pasta but because this timing varies according to the shape and quality of the pasta the only real way to tell is to taste it. So do this after 8 minutes then 9 and 10 and so on. This only applies when you cook a particular brand for the first time. After that you will always know how long it takes. Sometimes you can give it 1 minutes less boiling and then allow an extra minutes cooking whilst you combine it with the sauce.

7 Have a colander ready in the sink then as you are draining the water swirl it around the colander which will heat it ready for the hot pasta.

8 Dont drain it too thoroughly: its good to have a few drops of moisture still dinging as this prevents the pasta from becoming dry. Place the colander back over the saucepan to catch any drips.

9 Always serve it on deep warmed plates to keep the pasta as hot as possible as it goes to the table.

10 For spaghetti the very best way to serve it is to use pasta tongs and always lift it high to quickly separate each portion from the rest.

11 If the pasta is going to be cooked again in a baked dish like macaroni cheese for example give it half the usual cooking time to allow for the time in the oven. Pesto pronto! In italian this means soon and quickly. Always work quickly as pasta wont hang around if it cools it goes sticky and gluey so drain it quickly serve it quickly and eat it quickly.

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