# cooking fettuccine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104 "2007-09-22T15:42:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gatorman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@gatorman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorman)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/1 "2007-09-22T15:42:06Z")
How come everytime I cook fettuccine some of the pasta sticks to itself? I usually add a good amount of water, but I always find myself with this problem… I use semolina (barilla) pasta only… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/2 "2007-09-22T15:44:38Z")
[QUOTE=gatorman] How come everytime I cook fettuccine some of the pasta sticks to itself? I usually add a good amount of water, but I always find myself with this problem.. I use semolina (barilla) pasta only.. [/QUOTE] Add salt, or lemon juice to the boiling water, and make sure to stir early, vigorously, and often! At least that’s what works for me. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/3 "2007-09-22T18:39:09Z")
What Quadgop said. If you’re ending up with a clump of stuck-together fettuccine within an otherwise unstuck bunch-o-noodles, it definitely sounds like lack of stirring may be the culprit. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/4 "2007-09-22T19:07:13Z")
Not to ask the obvious but are you getting the water to a rolling boil before you put the pasta in? Pasta that heats with sub-boiling water tends to be nasty and sticky. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/5 "2007-09-22T20:09:29Z")
Also, are you using enough water? If you don’t have enough water, it cools down to much when you add the pasta and goes off the boil. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/6 "2007-09-22T20:26:57Z")
Use more water, some salt and make it a rolling boil. Overcooking will cause the pasta to get gummy, so lean towards ‘al dente’, leaving the pasta slightly firm. Old Schoolers believe olive oil, say a tbl spoon, will keep it from sticking, but I feel this helps upon straining it, not while it is in the pot. We cook with big lobster-pot-sized pots, even for 2-4 servings. Also, noodles are going to stick regardless of cooking technique after they are strained/drained. At this point, you need some type of sauce or gravy (red sauce with meat can be called gravy). The sauce can be good ol’ butter, or oil and garlic, a marinara, meat sauce, or even al fredo sauce, etc. Left alone, even the best pasta will stick to itself. Capish? ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/7 "2007-09-22T21:43:19Z")
[QUOTE=Philster] …Old Schoolers believe olive oil, say a tbl spoon, will keep it from sticking, but I feel this helps upon **straining it,** not while it is in the pot. … Capish? [/QUOTE] What **Philster** said. Emphasis mine. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/8 "2007-09-22T22:02:01Z")
Cooking pasta is an art. Moving to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/9 "2007-09-22T22:04:08Z")
I agree with all the others who say “use more water” and “make sure to bring it to a rolling boil.” What size pot are you using? When I cook a whole pound of pasta, I use a minimum of a 6 qt pot and fill it almost to the top with water. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2007, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/10 "2007-09-23T00:18:11Z")
[QUOTE=Philster] Old Schoolers believe olive oil, say a tbl spoon, will keep it from sticking, but I feel this helps upon straining it, not while it is in the pot. [/QUOTE] I am cooking vermicelli tonight, and will give that a try. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2007, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/11 "2007-09-23T00:50:50Z")
I always add a little olive oil to the water before I put the pasta in. I don’t know if that’s the reason, but I make pretty good pasta. Well, it doesn’t stick together at least. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2007, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/12 "2007-09-23T01:13:25Z")
Ditto others: 1. Rolling boil and 1. Toss with olive oil after straining Putting olive oil in the water is an old wives tale and does nothing… ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2007, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/13 "2007-09-23T01:56:17Z")
[QUOTE=gatorman] How come everytime I cook fettuccine some of the pasta sticks to itself? I usually add a good amount of water, but I always find myself with this problem.. I use semolina (barilla) pasta only.. [/QUOTE] Another thing I would add, is to add the pasta slowly into the water, about one serving at a time to keep the water boiling. I accidently put the whole package (1 lb) in at once the other night, and had sticky pasta galore. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2007, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-fettuccine/420104/14 "2007-09-23T04:00:48Z")
I will agree with those who say, “Use more water,” and I would add, “Use even more water.” > [@](#): > > As a rule of thumb, use at least 1 quart of water for every 4 ounces of [dried] pasta. > > –_The Pasta Bible_, by Teubner, Rizzi, & Leng > [@](#): > > The only trick to making great pasta is to cook it in 6 quarts of well-salted water for each pound of pasta; I add 2 tablespoons of sea salt to the water, and I don’t subscribe to the idea of adding oil or anything else. I cook the pasta about a minute short of the package instructions, quickly drain it, and then toss it immediately into the pan with the sauce and cook them together for just a minute or two. If at this point the dish seems a little dry, I splash a little of the pasta cooking water into the pan to loosen it a bit and continue the process. Then I add any cheese or herbs, remove the pan from the heat, add a little extra-virgin olive oil, and serve it. This is the only way I do it. > > –_Molto Italiano_, Mario Batali > [@](#): > > **The Basics of Pasta-Making** > > There are rules for pasta-making. … > > **Use enough water** – A gallon or, better still, five quarts per pound is about right; more than that is fine, but will take longer to come to a boil. … If you have problems with pasta sticking, it’s either because you don’t use enough water or you don’t stir. No matter what you learned in college, adding oil to the water will not cure the problem. … > > **Boil the water, and keep it boiling** – It’s okay to cover the pot after you add the pasta to bring the water back to a boil quickly. Just make sure to keep an eye on the pot and remove the cover before the water boils over onto the stove. Lower the heat if the water is boiling too furiously, but keep those bubbles rising. > > **Stir the pasta** – It will stick if you don’t. Add the pasta, stir, cover the pot if necessary, then uncover it no more than a minute later and stir again. If the water has not come back to a boil, re-cover, but make sure to stir at least every minute. When the water begins boiling again, remove the cover, and stir whenever you think of it, at least every minute or two. Generally, stir more frequently during the early part of the cooking than later on. If the water in the pot threatens to boil over, lower the heat a bit but maintain a steady boil. Use a larger pot next time. > > _How to Cook Everything_, Mark Bittman