Al dente
The pasta is cooked, but the centre still holds a little under the tooth.
What to do
- Start tasting a minute before the packet says.
- The centre may show a tiny lighter dot, with no raw flour taste.
- If it finishes in the pan with sauce, take it out a little firmer. The sauce cooks it the rest of the way.
A common slip. Waiting until it is soft in the colander, and the pasta sticks and sheds the sauce.