Ok So this was my 2nd attempt at cooking rigatoni pasta.first attempt it came out kinda gummy.Im used to cooking penne pasta.Ive not had any issues with cooking penne pasta.So why is it my Rigatoni comes out gummy tasting?When I notice it's a bit soft but still has a bite to it I turn the heat off and drain it.I then tried it again after it cooled down a bit.It was gummy.I tried dumping in some room temperature pasta sauce but it didn't help..

Any tips?

Please ping me

When we cook pasta, my husband insists on shaking it in the colander until all the steam goes away. It helps the pasta to cool quicker, so that the steam doesn't make the pasta cook itself some more. It also makes the pasta a bit sticky so the sauce sticks to it better. At least, that's how I understand it. XD

I hope that all makes sense, I'm a bit tired.

Well I know not to pour water over cooked pasta to cool it down.It loses something when u do it.Forgot what though..

The starch, I think. Pretty sure that's what makes the sauce stick.

The way you're wording it makes it sound like you're only cooking it until it's al dente and not liking it. BUT...

From my understanding and I've had varying degrees of success with it, if you put some salt in the water prior to adding the pasta but then you almost have to rinse it. (If you do it right, you won't taste the salt on the pasta at all and there's no need to rinse it.) You're not supposed to rinse it because you're rinsing off the starch which you kind of want for thicker sauces to be able to stick; if you're not adding an absurdly thick sauce, you can cheat a bit. XD

Also, cooking pasta until it's al dente then adding it into the sauce to finish cooking it another cheat. That way it'd absorb the sauce and not more water and go gummy.

(I cook a lot and a good bit of it involves pasta. sheepishly slinks off)

i never rinse pasta.I was just saying I know not to rinse it.It's been in the 90's here so im thinking heat may have had a hand in my gummy pasta.I do use salt when cooking pasta.I use about 2 pinches depending on how much im making.

the heat wouldn't have affected pasta in boiling water. it sounds like you're not cooking it long enough. generally it takes around ten minutes for pasta to cook, give or take depending on the noodle and the quantity. the key is to taste the noodles every so often (i just run cold water over a noodle or two to cool it) to ensure you've got the composition you want. you should also heat your sauce; room-temperature sauce generally cools the pasta to lukewarm, in my experience, and cooking it brings out the flavour (although home-made sauce is really the best). i also use a bit of olive oil when i'm boiling it to keep it from sticking together/to the pan. if you haven't already, make sure you're cooking on high, and don't put the pasta in until your water is bubbly.

the heat makes cooling time longer.

I now cook it to almost aldente then let the heat finish it and its fine.

Might I also suggest adding about a tablespoon of EVOO while boiling your noodles. Pour it in when your pour your noodles to cook.

I can't afford much.If I bought evoo I wouldn't be able to buy sauce.Im on a seriously tight budget.Been living off of pasta and pasta sauce for awhile now.Money is super tight.I only buy things with a long shelf life.Sadly all I can afford is cheap pasta and cheap sauce.