"Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness." - Auguste Escoffier

Add a small handful of grated Parmesan cheese to your boiling pasta water before adding the noodles.

It will dissolve into the water, and when you cook your pasta in it, it'll create a subtle, cheesy flavor throughout the noodles.

Thinner long pastas like spaghetti and angel hair work well with light sauces like marinara or pesto.

Thicker long pastas such as linguine or bucatini are great for sauces thickened with cheese or cream.

Flat noodles like tagliatelle and pappardelle go well with dairy-thickened sauces or lighter options like pesto.

Short tube-shaped pastas like penne and rigatoni pair well with ragus or thicker sauces.

Small pasta shapes are versatile and go well with most sauces.

Lastly, stuffed pastas like ravioli and tortellini shine when paired with lighter oil or butter-based sauces or simple marinara.

The method of throwing pasta against a wall to test if it is done is a myth.

As pasta cooks, it becomes starchier and stickier, so pasta that clings to the wall is actually overcooked.

Properly cooked pasta should be "al dente", meaning it still has some resistance when bitten into.

Instead of relying on the wall test, you can save time by looking for specific signs of al dente pasta.

When biting into a piece of pasta, it should have a light touch of white at the center, and still be somewhat firm but not crunchy.

Pay attention to the color and cooking time to achieve the perfect al dente texture.  Start checking the pasta about 2 minutes before the recommended cooking time on the package.