How to add long pasta: twist it in with tongs as it softens
As pasta hits boiling water and starts to soften, use tongs to gently twist it into the pot so it submerges evenly.
When adding thin pasta, put it into boiling water and as it begins to soften, turn it with tongs and gently twist it down into the pan. Bring the water back up to the boil after adding.
The short version
- Use tongs to guide long pasta into the pot as it softens
- Bring water back to the boil after adding pasta
What you need
- tongsUsed to twist/turn pasta into the pot.
How to do it
- 1
- 2
As it starts to soften, use tongs to turn and gently twist it into the pan so it submerges.
Work gently as it “melts” into the water.
Watch this step - 3
Bring the pot back up to the boil after adding the pasta.
Restoring the boil helps it cook properly.
Watch this step
Why it works
Guiding the softening strands helps them submerge without snapping and reduces clumping at the surface.
Put it to use
Learn next
Cook orzo directly in the pan by submerging it in stock until absorbed
Add orzo and stock to the pan, make sure the pasta is fully submerged, then simmer until the liquid is gone to cook it without a separate pot.
Cook pasta and sauce together in one pan to minimize washing up
Add pasta and sauce ingredients to the same pan so the dish finishes as the pasta cooks, reducing cleanup.
Avoid cross-contamination: use separate tongs for raw and cooked meat
Don’t reuse utensils that touched raw chicken; swap to a clean pair.
Use the “stick to the refrigerator” test as an alternate pasta doneness check
Throw a piece of pasta at the refrigerator; if it sticks, the video says it’s done.