How salty should my pasta water be? Does adding pasta water really make a difference? Our pasta guides answer all your burning pasta questions.

Explore Pasta Guides

All Pastas
Roman-style spaghetti alla carrettiera, with tomatoes, tuna, porcini mushrooms, and more, piled on a plate and sprinkled with fresh parsley
Essential Pantry Staples for Better Pasta
20200620-perfect-pasta-pot-pan-daniel-gritzer-9
The Perfect Pan for Pasta
Showering grated cheese down into a skillet full of spaghetti
The Best Way to Finely Grate Cheese for Pasta
20160211-pasta-alla-gricia-vicky-wasik-001.jpg
Gricia, Amatriciana, Carbonara: The Origins of Rome's Pasta Classics
20200405-vodka-sauce-daniel-gritzer-31-13
Does Vodka Sauce Really Need Vodka? | Ask The Food Lab
20150415-colored-pasta-vicky-wasik-19.jpg
How to Color Fresh Pasta
How Salty Should Pasta Water Be?
Sasha Marx from Serious Eats standing in a kitchen with a pile of different packages of pastas on the counter in front of him.
Please, No: The Pasta Shapes We Won't Eat
A stack of four cookbooks about pasta.
The Best Cookbooks for Making Fresh Pasta
20160209-amatriciana-pasta-vicky-wasik-013
Does Adding Pasta Water Really Make a Difference?
A bowl of ramen noodle soup; you can transform regular pasta into ramen noodles with baking soda.
Turn Your Pasta Into Ramen With Baking Soda
A New Way to Cook Pasta? | The Food Lab
20160219-pasta-aglio-olio-vicky-wasik-10.jpg
Can I Start Pasta In Cold Water? | Ask The Food Lab
two servings of pasta ai funghi in Jono Pandolfi ceramic bowls
The Best Pasta Bowls (Arguably, They Make Pasta Even Better)
Forget Boiling! Use Less Salt! Plus More Tips for Better, Easier Pasta
Get Smart About Your Pasta Shapes
20101014-pasta-mancini-1.jpg
Pasta Mancini: Does Vertical Integration Make For Better Pasta?
starchmadness_bracket_FINAL-1500px
Starch Madness Is Back and Better Than Ever
20200312-starch-madness-pasta-flatlay-featured-image
Our Favorite Pasta Shapes
StarchMadnessBracket
Introducing Starch Madness: The Pasta Shape Bracket We Need Right Now
20200410-cavatappi-vicky-wasik-sq-blue
Starch Madness: Cavatappi Crowned Champions
Site-Bracket-Round-5
Starch Madness: The Final Forks
20210215-pasta-Zozzona-sasha-marx-16
Pasta Alla Zozzona (Rigatoni With Sausage, Guanciale, and Egg Yolks) Recipe
20210226-cime-di-rapa-sasha-marx-16
Orecchiette con le Cime di Rapa (Apulian Orecchiette With Broccoli Rabe) Recipe
A white bowl of penne alla vodka sprinkled with cheese
Penne alla Vodka Recipe
20210208-Spaghetti-al-Tonno-sasha-marx-10
Pasta al Tonno (Pasta With Tomatoes and Tuna) Recipe
20200614-pork-shoulder-sugo-sasha-marx
Roast Pork Shoulder Ragù in Bianco With Pasta Recipe
gnudi in a bowl with chives and parmesan cheese on the side
Spinach and Feta Gnudi in Mushroom-Saffron Broth
A black ceramic bowl of cooked homemade fettucine noodles sprinkled with black pepper and parmesan cheese.
Homemade Fresh Pasta Recipe
20200225-four-ingredient-nduja-mac-and-cheese-vicky-wasik-8
Easy Stovetop 'Nduja Mac and Cheese Recipe
20210309-Cas-e-Ova-pasta-sasha-marx-11
Pasta Cacio e Uova (Neapolitan Pasta With Eggs and Cheese) Recipe
20150415-colored-pasta-vicky-wasik-19.jpg
8 Recipes That Start With Homemade Pasta
A bowl of rigatoni with greens and beans.
Pasta With Beans and Greens Recipe
A shallow white bowl filled with a mound of pasta con sarde topped with bread crumbs
Pasta Con le Sarde (Sicilian Pasta With Sardines) Recipe
20130104-235771-chicken-penne-vodka-sauce-edit.jpg
Chicken and Penne in Vodka Cream Sauce Recipe
20150415-colored-pasta-vicky-wasik-22.jpg
Beet-Colored Fresh Pasta Recipe
A casserole dish of baked ziti on a table. Next to the casserole is a stack of white plates. Some of the baked ziti has been scooped on the top plate.
The Food Lab's No-Boil Baked Ziti Recipe
20150225-egg-yolk-ravioli-primary-niki-achitoff-gray (1).jpg
Uovo in Raviolo (Runny Egg Yolk Ravioli) Recipe
20201013-butternut-squash-sage-brown-butter-pasta-vicky-wasik-1
Pasta With Butternut Squash and Sage Brown Butter Recipe
A bowl of pressure cooker ragù Bolognese
Pressure Cooker Ragù Bolognese Recipe
The cover of Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
Classic Cookbooks: Marcella Hazan's Homemade Tagliatelle with Bolognese Meat Sauce Recipe
Overhead shot of fettuccine alfredo plated
Roman-Style Fettuccine With Alfredo Sauce Recipe
20140922-baked-ziti-vicky-wasik-26.jpg
The Key to Great Baked Ziti: Drop the Ricotta (and Add Parmesan Cream Instead)
20170306-fast-pasta-recipes-roundup-01
27 Quick and Easy Pasta Recipes
20140919-fettucini-alfredo-recipe-17.jpg
Lighter Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
A bowl of homemade gluten-free fresh pasta with tomato sauce in an orange bowl.
Gluten-Free Fresh Pasta Recipe
Sloppy Jessica, or Mac-and-Cheese-Chili Pizza on a Bun Recipe
20160211-pasta-arrabiata-vicky-wasik-011.jpg
Penne With Hot-as-You-Dare Arrabbiata Sauce Recipe
20140206-mushroom-ragu-recipe-primary-2.jpg
Pasta With Rich and Hearty Mushroom Bolognese Recipe
Lamb bolognese tossed with fettucine noodles and sprinkled with freshly grated cheese on a white oval platter.
Lamb Bolognese from 'Family Table'
20150206-pasta-topping-olive-parm-miso-vegan-13.jpg
Zucchini and Roasted Tomatoes With Pasta and Dried Olive Flavor Shake Recipe
20120115-vegan-experience-day-1-3.jpg
Pasta With Braised Broccoli and Tomato Recipe
20210310-Vruoccoli-Arriminati-sasha-marx-13
Pasta chi Vruoccoli Arriminati (Sicilian Pasta With Cauliflower and Toasted Breadcrumbs) Recipe
20140610-penne-vegetable-sauce-vicky-wasik-1.jpg
18 Light and Summery Pasta Recipes
20180702-rigatoni-swordfish-vicky-wasik-14
Pasta With Swordfish, Tomato, and Eggplant (Rigatoni Con Pesce Spada) Recipe
tagliatelle with porcini and crème fraîche topped with grated cheese and fresh thyme
Pâtes aux Cêpes (Tagliatelle with Porcini Mushrooms and Crème Fraîche) Recipe
20150415-colored-pasta-vicky-wasik-18.jpg
Squid Ink Fresh Pasta Recipe
20120910-wakeandbake-cinnamon-raisin-noodle-kugel.JPG
Cinnamon Raisin Noodle Kugel Recipe