this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2026
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I don't have this issue when making spaghetti, but I do have this issue when making a box of mac and cheese for my kid. I use way less water for the latter, but it's the amount of water they specify on the box.
The way I do it, the boil for both is usually not a rolling boil; the water has just started to bubble and steam. I started doing it this way years ago when someone told me that noodles typically cook (the starches gelatinize, I think) at a temperature just below boiling, so you don't actually need a full rolling boil to fully cook pasta.
I salt the pasta water for spaghetti, but not for the mac and cheese.
If I don't stir the mac and cheese regularly, it will aggressively stick together. The spaghetti will eventually stick together, but takes waaay longer. This never happens in practice because I manually stir every few minutes while I'm making the sauce.
Use plenty water. If they stick together with the advised amount, use more water. Doing that won't change the taste.
Regarding the boiling of water, it is not required. I believe pasta needs about 80°C to cook. If you have enough water and cover the pot with a lid you can turn off the fire and it will cook.
Add a tiny amount of oil or butter.