Pasta Cooking Guide
Exact cooking times for spaghetti, penne, linguine, fusilli and more. Learn how to cook pasta al dente. Free pasta cooking guide with timing reference table.
Spaghetti
DriedCook Time
8–12 min
Pasta
320g
Water
4L + 40g salt
Hold in boiling water and push gently — don't break. Al dente = slight bite in the centre.
Click any pasta to see details and update water calculation above.
How to use this tool
Set your portion count
Use the +/− buttons to set how many people you're cooking for. Water and pasta amounts update automatically (80g per person).
Select your pasta shape
Click any pasta in the table or use the category filter. The detail panel shows cooking time, water, and shape-specific tips.
Cook using the guide
The detail panel shows exact cooking time, water amount, salt, and pasta quantity for your portion size. Start tasting 1–2 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Tips
Never add oil to pasta water — it makes the surface slippery and prevents sauce adhering properly.
Save a cupful of pasta cooking water before draining — the starchy water is excellent for loosening sauces.
Pasta continues cooking after you drain it. Drain it 1 minute early if you're finishing it in a pan with sauce.
Do not rinse pasta after draining — you rinse away the surface starch that helps sauce cling to it.
About this pasta cooking guide tool
Pasta cooking time depends on the shape, thickness, and whether it is fresh or dried. Dried pasta generally takes 8–15 minutes in boiling salted water. Angel hair (2–4 minutes) and fresh pasta (2–5 minutes) are exceptions — they cook very quickly. Large shapes like rigatoni and orecchiette take 12–15 minutes. The packet time is a guide, not a rule — always taste to confirm al dente.
Water quantity and salt are more important than many cooks realise. Use at least 1 litre of water per 100g of pasta and bring it to a rolling boil before adding the pasta. Salt generously — 10g per litre (about 2 level teaspoons). Undersalted pasta water produces bland pasta regardless of how well-seasoned the sauce is.
Al dente — Italian for "to the tooth" — is the gold standard for pasta texture. It means pasta with a slight firmness in the centre, not raw or floury, but with noticeable resistance. Overcooked pasta becomes mushy and loses its ability to hold sauce. Start tasting 2 minutes before the packet time and drain the moment it reaches al dente.
Retaining a cup of pasta cooking water is one of the most useful habits in Italian cooking. The starchy, salty water loosens thick sauces, helps emulsify pan sauces, and allows you to adjust consistency after combining pasta and sauce. Many classic sauces — cacio e pepe, carbonara — use pasta water as a key ingredient.
Frequently asked questions
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