Before you fill the pan
Scale the dry pasta in your recipe.
Cooking for a different number? Use the grams and portions from your packet or recipe. This calculator scales that amount; it does not recommend a dietary portion.
Enter dry pasta in grams, not cooked weight. Use a dot or comma for decimals, without a thousands separator. Recipe portions must be whole numbers.
Without the calculator: recipe grams × wanted portions ÷ original portions. For example, 300 g for 4 recipe portions becomes 150 g for 2.
Numbers stay in this page and are not saved or sent anywhere. Scaling the quantity does not change the packet’s cooking instructions or guarantee a suitable pan size.
Next: try one small skill from the free beginner practice plan →Working out the ingredient budget? Calculate your recipe cost per portion and whole-pack shopping spend using your own prices.
The short version
- Bring a generous pan of water to a full boil.
- Add salt once the water is boiling.
- Add the pasta and stir during the first minute.
- Set a timer for one minute less than the packet suggests.
- Taste one piece. Cook a little longer if the centre is too firm.
- Save a mug of starchy pasta water, then drain.
- Toss with sauce. Add pasta water a splash at a time until glossy.
Three common pasta mistakes
Not stirring at the start
The first minute is when pasta pieces are most likely to stick together. A good stir early is more useful than constant stirring later.
Trusting the packet more than the pasta
Packet time is a guide. Taste a piece near the end. You want it tender enough to eat, with no hard chalky centre.
Draining every drop of water
Keep a mug before you drain. It gives you a simple rescue if the sauce becomes thick or dry.
Practise it in Spoonie
Spoonie’s guided cooking mode keeps the current step, timer, warnings and rescue choices on screen while you make Garlic Tomato Pasta.
Start your free cooking path