Keep your noodles moist after draining.
Keep your freshly cooked noodles in the pan for more than a few minutes after draining and they are sure to stick together. By letting them cool and sit, they consolidate with the absence of liquid. The trick is to apply a moisture source to keep them from sticking. One method uses a sauce as the source, another uses an oil. Choose any sauce you like including tomato or cheese-based sauces.
Instructions
With Sauce
1. Empty the noodles immediately into a heat-safe bowl -- a metal, glass or heavy-duty plastic -- or a pan.
2. Pour the sauce into the serving bowl on top of the noodles.
3. Toss the sauce and noodles together with a spoon until mixed thoroughly. Serve immediately for the freshest taste.
Without Sauce
4. Empty the noodles into a bowl or back into the cooking pot.
5. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil onto the noodles.
6. Toss the noodles with the olive oil until mixed thoroughly. Cover the bowl or pot. This will keep your pasta moist until ready to serve. If you're not going to serve for several hours, and you cooked the pasta too soon, go on to the next step.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. Spread the noodles in a single layer on top of the parchment paper. Keep the noodles on the parchment paper until ready to use.
Tags: parchment paper, after draining, Empty noodles, mixed thoroughly, noodles Toss, Sauce Empty, Sauce Empty noodles
