Editing Pasta (section)

==Culinary uses==
{{See also|List of pasta dishes}}
[[File:Rotini Yellow Red Green.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Three different colors of [[fusilli]]]]

===Cooking===
Pasta, whether dry or fresh, is eaten after cooking it in hot water. For Italian pasta, which is unsalted, salt is added to the cooking water. This is not the case for Asian wheat noodles, such as [[udon]] and [[lo mein]], which are made from salty dough.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Moskin |first=Julia |date=2024-04-08 |title=Yes, You Can Wash Cast Iron: 5 Big Kitchen Myths, Debunked |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/08/dining/kitchen-myths.html |access-date=2024-04-21 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In Italy, pasta is often cooked to be [[al dente]], such that it is still firm to the bite. This is because it is then often cooked in the sauce for a short time, which makes it soften further.<ref name="Moskin-2024">{{Cite news |last=Moskin |first=Julia |date=2024-04-20 |title=No, Your Spaghetti Doesn't Have to Be al Dente: 5 Pasta Myths, Debunked |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/20/dining/how-to-cook-pasta-questions.html |access-date=2024-04-21 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

There are a number of [[urban myth]]s about how pasta should be cooked. In fact, it does not generally matter whether pasta is cooked at a lower or a higher temperature, although lower temperatures require more stirring to avoid sticking, and certain stuffed pasta, such as tortellini, break up in higher temperatures.<ref name="Moskin-2024" /> It also does not matter whether salt is added before or after bringing the water to a boil.<ref name="Moskin-2024" /> The amount of salt has no influence on cooking speed.<ref name="Moskin-2024" />

===Sauce===
Pasta is generally served with some type of sauce; the sauce and the type of pasta are usually matched based on consistency and ease of eating. Northern Italian cooking uses less tomato sauce, garlic and herbs, and [[béchamel sauce]] is more common.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aspenbusinessjournal.com/article/id/736/sid/16 |work=The Aspen Business Journal |title=Lidia Bastianich on the quintessential Italian meal |date=19 June 2011 |access-date=1 January 2012 |first1=Gail |last1=Montany |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130083057/http://www.aspenbusinessjournal.com/article/id/736/sid/16 |archive-date=30 January 2012 }}</ref> However, Italian cuisine is best identified by individual regions. Pasta dishes with lighter use of tomato are found in [[Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol|Trentino-Alto Adige]] and [[Emilia-Romagna]] regions of northern Italy.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Bastianich | first1=Lidia | author-link=Lidia Bastianich | first2= Manuali | last2=Tania | title=Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes | edition=1st}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last1=Bastianich | first1=Lidia | author-link=Lidia Bastianich | first2= Mariani | last2=John | title=How Italian Food Conquered the World | edition=1st}}</ref> In Bologna, the meat-based [[Bolognese sauce]] incorporates a small amount of tomato concentrate and a green sauce called [[pesto]] originates from Genoa. In [[central Italy]], there are sauces such as [[tomato sauce]], {{lang|it|[[amatriciana]]}}, {{lang|it|[[arrabbiata]]}}, and the egg-based [[carbonara]].

Tomato sauces are also present in [[Southern Italy|southern Italian]] cuisine, where they originated. In southern Italy more complex variations include pasta paired with fresh vegetables, olives, capers or seafood. Varieties include {{lang|it|[[puttanesca]]}}, {{lang|it|[[pasta alla Norma]]}} (tomatoes, eggplant and fresh or baked cheese), {{lang|it|[[pasta con le sarde]]}} (fresh sardines, pine nuts, fennel and olive oil), {{lang|it|[[Spaghetti aglio e olio|spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino]]}} ({{literally|spaghetti with garlic, [olive] oil and hot chili peppers}}), {{lang|it|[[pasta con i peperoni cruschi]]}} (crispy peppers and breadcrumbs).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.the-pasta-project.com/cavatelli-pasta-with-peperoni-cruschi/|title=Cavatelli pasta with peperoni cruschi (Senise peppers)|website=the-pasta-project.com|date=25 September 2017|access-date=18 August 2020}}</ref>

Pasta can be served also in [[broth]] ([[pastina]], or stuffed pasta, such as [[tortellini]], {{lang|it|[[Cappelletti (pasta)|cappelletti]]}} and {{lang|it|[[agnolini]]}}) or in vegetable soup, typically [[minestrone]] or bean soup ({{lang|it|[[pasta e fagioli]]}}).