HELP!!! I need to know how to...

i've always just thrown a touch of olive oil in when boiling it. that seems to do the job well enough for me.

Also, make sure your pasta is boiling in enough water. Give the noodles room to do their thing.

By the way, in my humble opinion, adding oil to the water tends to prevent your sauce of choice from adhering to the pasta later.

Thanks a million, y'all!

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The right answer. Use a bigger pot and more water and NEVER put oil in the water.

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Agreed for immediate service, but if you're cooking your pasta ahead of time, maybe not eating it for 30 mins or more, then add a touch of VEGETABLE oil AFTER draining your pasta. When I say a touch, i mean like 1/5 of a teaspoon.

My grandmother was Italian. She used to say that if your pasta stuck together, then your water temperature was too low. Always make sure that the water has been at a rolling boil for at least six minutes before adding your pasta. Here is another thing that I learned from her. Back in the day, her neighborhood grocery used to have a meat department with a butcher. Since she was a regular, they knew her quite well. She used to order lean ground round. The butcher would take a round steak out of the counter and then cut all of the fat off. He then would grind it. When she got home she would make her sauce from scratch. After she made her sauce and let it simmer she would then make her meatballs with onion, garlic, parsely etc. She would then turn the flame under the sauce to medium. She would roll her meatballs and drop them one by one in the boiling sauce. After all meatballs were addedthe fire was again turned down to low. She let the sauce simmer all day. Those meatballs would pick up the flavor of the sauce along with the seasonings she had in her meatballs. I never once saw her bake them. I've seen others of Italian heritage prepare theirs like this too. Boy, I wish I had her recipes. My grandmother was an excellent cook and her daughter, my mom, can't cook worth a damn.

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stop cooking it so long. If its turning gummy and sticking together then you're cooking it too damn long.

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This is the answer. If it is sticking/gummy, you are boiling it too long.

Al Dente is the only way for me. I like a texture to my food. I also never add oil while I am cooking, only after and if the sauce I am serving contains it. A scant of oil goes a long way.

On onther note: My dang yankee-in-laws like in very soft almost mushy. Mom in-law makes a great meat ball but always serve it with pasta so over cooked I feel like I am eating meat balls with oat meal.