When it comes to comfort food, nothing hits the spot quite like pasta.

It’s delicious, it’s filling and it can also be paired with all sorts of wonderful flavours. But, it turns out, many of us may have been cooking it wrong for years.

According to culinary scientist chef, Jessica Gavin, you need to follow five simple steps to get “amazing pasta” every time. She said you should always add one key ingredient when you cook your pasta as it’s essential to boost taste.

In a candid TikTok video, Jessica said the first step is selecting your cooking pot. Personally, she prefers something “extra deep” if she’s cooking long strands of pasta, so that it fully emerges in the water.

This also ensures the pasta has plenty of room to move around and cook properly. Then, all you need to do is add some water to get going.

She said: “Make sure to bring the water to the boil. When you add the pasta when it’s just simmering, it’s going to take too long to cook and start to get mushy.

“Add salt to the water when it comes to a boil so that it seasons the pasta throughout. Give it a stir to dissolve the salt.

“After you add in the pasta noodles, make sure to give it a stir. As the pasta starts to cook, it’s going to release starches that are on the surface, making the noodles really sticky if you don’t give it a gentle stir.

“Make sure to check the pasta sooner than later. Different brands and types of pasta will have a different doneness time. It could be usually between eight to 10 minutes. If you’re using fresh pasta that contains more moisture it could take one to three minutes.”

The video has been viewed several times since it was posted, and people were quick to share their thoughts too. One person said: “Much needed.”

Another also wrote: “Thank you so much. This helped me so much.” A third replied: “I know some people put oil when cooking pasta but that’s a no, no.”

Why you should add salt to pasta water

If you add salt to pasta water, it will help to season it while it cooks. Experts usually suggest adding around one tablespoon of salt to four quarts (one gallon) of water for every pound of pasta.

In Italy this is considered standard practice, as it works to enhance the pasta’s flavour. Many people add it as the water comes to a boil.