Cooking pasta not to stick

I can honestly say I have never used olive oil but do add a very small amount of vegetable oil, I do not even measure, just pour from the bottle, probably 1/2 or one teaspoon will do it.

Also, add a good amount of salt to the water before it starts to boil.  The final thing is to drain in a colender/strainer and run very cold water over it in the strainer for at least a minute, it stops it from cooking more  and sticking together also.

Hope this helps.

Carolyn

I agree with Carolyn, you don't need to use olive oil. I use vegetable or canola. Just pour in a small amount (a TBS or so, depending on pot size) after water boils and before adding pasta. AFTER the pasta is cooked and drained, return to pan and sprinkle some olive oil over the pasta and toss. Some recipes say not to do this as the sauce will not stick to the pasta well, but I have never had a problem and it's the only way I do it. Also I have NEVER had my pasta stick together using this method.

Always keep the water at a boil and pasta won't stick

Use plenty of water also and be sure to salt the water.  A lot of pasta problems are because we use too little water when boiling pasta.  Use a very large pot.  After you drain the cooked pasta in a colandar, dump it back in the pan you cooked it in and add a tablespoon(don't measure) or so of butter and stir it all around.  That keeps mine from sticking together.  You can also add a ladle or two of the sauce with the butter and it will help.  Depends on the type of sauce and how you intend to serve the pasta.

   Sorry but...oil is not needed at all when cooking pasta, the trick is to cook it in an abundant amount of water. at least 1 gal. of water per 1/2 pound of pasta. That is where people run into trouble. Also, old chef's trick...cook slightly under Al Dente'. the only time I rince paste is if I'm going to be using it for a cold Pasta Salad (this stops the cooking process, so as not to become soggy/gummy). boiled pasta for hot dishes should be strained well, and used immedietly, your sauce will adhere much better without rinceing. Also, did you know that adding a tbs. of Kosher salt to the water, just at boiling point, is actually a chemical reaction that will raise the temp of the water, and keep it hot as the pasta is added.