Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inbox
Gordon Ramsay is giving cooking novices around the world a helping hand with his YouTube series Cooking Basics with Gordon Ramsay.
The celebrity chef and restaurateur, who owns multiple award-winning eateries across the globe, is sharing his 100 essential cooking tips with his subscribers.
Pasta is a dish that is hugely popular with Brits, with most of us having our own methods of checking when the good stuff is ready to eat.
From tasting it at regular intervals to throwing it at a wall, Gordon has revealed how to make things much easier for pasta-lovers, and it only takes a matter of minutes.
The top chef, 54, revealed in his YouTube video how he ensures perfect al dente pasta every time, without any need for guess work.
Kicking off his YouTube video, the star says: "Pasta – a great budget basic to keep in the cupboard.
"It can be easily undercooked or overcooked. Here's how to do it properly."
Gordon starts by adding plenty of water to a large pan "to ensure the pasta's got sufficient room to cook evenly".
He then makes sure to season the water with plenty of salt, something we should all be familiar with.
Then, the chef adds a huge glug of olive oil to the pan – which will surely raise the eyebrows of any traditional Italian pasta chefs.
Gordon states the purpose of the oil is to stop the pasta from sticking together.
You should then wait until the water is at a "rolling boil" before you add in your pasta.
A rolling boil is when the water is bubbling and fast moving, this then gently rolls the pasta around in the pan.
Gordon uses angel hair spaghetti in his instructional video, and explains that for this kind of pasta you should always place one end in the pan first, "let it melt in", before gently twisting the pasta around so that it's all submerged in the boiling water.
The chef explains that due to his pasta being so thin, it'll only take three or four minutes to cook.
Different kinds of pasta will typically have its own recommended cooking time on the packaging, so it's important to stick to it.
"If you're not good at keeping time, set a timer", Gordon quips.
He then pulls out a single strand of the pasta, something that should be done with caution, taking extra care not to burn.
When you take it out, Gordon says: "You can actually feel it with your fingers, still nice and firm."
The top chef adds: "Al dente. Not a bite, not a strong bite but just really nice and firm inside. Definitely not crunchy."
He then drains the pasta before adding another large pinch of salt, some pepper, and a tablespoon of olive oil, mixing it through to stop it sticking together.
"There you go, beautiful pasta al dente, cooked perfectly", Gordon concludes.
The British chef sure knows his stuff, having been awarded an impressive 16 Michelin stars for his various restaurants.
However, it's thought that his method of adding oil to boiling water would "offend" Italian chefs.
Pasta and sauce makers Napolina previously listed the tip as one of Italians' biggest no-no's when cooking pasta.
For more juicy gossip on your favourite stars, sign up to our daily newsletter here
Source: Read Full Article