During my years developing recipes in the Bon Appetit kitchen, I often had to present 4 to 5 pasta recipes at a single testing. Here’s how I did it.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a generous tablespoon of kosher salt, then the pasta. If using long strands like linguine, stir until the pasta is softened enough to curl and be submerged in the water. Boil over for about 5 minutes, or until half-done. There will still be a white dot in the center of the noodle when you bite it.
Using tongs or a spider, transfer the pasta in batches to a large sieve. Let stand until ready to use, up to several hours (the pasta will soften to an ‘al dente’ texture). Turn off the heat and retain the pot of water.
Make the pasta sauce in a large deep skillet.
When ready to serve, rewarm the sauce. bring the water back to a rolling boil. Add a bit more salt and the pasta. Stir for ½ to 1 minute to rewarm. Taste to check the texture; it may need further cooking. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water to add by tablespoons for extra moisture. Drain pasta; add to the skillet of sauce.
