HELP!!! How do you cook pasta so it doesn't stick?

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A few "rules" for you.
1. Lots of Water I really mean lots of water
1a. Salt the water..lots of salt. It should taste like seawater.
2. Do not over cook the pasta.
2a. Slightly under cook the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce it will finish cooking in the sauce and absorb some of the sauce. You may need to add some of the pasta water to the sauce if the pasta absorbs too much and the sauce becomes too thick.
3 No need to add oil if you follow rule 1 and 2. Water and oil do not mix, the oil will pretty much stay on the surface of the water. It will cling to the pasta as you drain it but the oil will also prevent the sauce from clinging to the pasta and absorbing into the pasta....Show more

Fill a large stockpot with water. The more the better - pasta only sticks when cooked in too little water.
Add salt. Salt makes pasta taste better, and won't appreciably increase the sodium level of your recipes. Use 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. At that level, 2 ounces of uncooked pasta (1 cup cooked), the FDA serving size, absorbs about 20 mg of sodium which is about 1% of the recommended daily sodium intake. That's nothing.
Bring the water to a rolling boil. This means a boil you can't stop by stirring.
Measure the pasta you need. Pasta generally doubles in size when cooked, so 1 cup uncooked = 2 cups cooked. Refer to the recipe if necessary.
Slowly add the pasta to the boiling water. Ideally, the water shouldn't stop boiling, but if that happens, it's ok.
Stir and stir some more! Pasta will stick together if it isn't stirred during the crucial first moments of cooking. Don't add oil, because that will make the pasta slippery and the sauce won't stick to it when it's done.
Start timing when the water returns to a boil. Most pastas cook in 8-12 minutes. Check the package directions!
You can regulate the heat so the pasta/water mixture doesn't foam up and over the pot sides. Lower it the tiniest bit, and everything should be under control.
Really the only way to tell if the pasta is correctly cooked is to taste it. It should be 'al dente' - firm, yet tender, with a tiny core in the middle.
You can also cut into a piece you've fished out of the pot. There shouldn't be any solid white in the center of the pasta - just a shading to more opaque cream color.
Now drain the pasta into a colander placed into your kitchen sink. Lift the colander and shake off excess water.
Don't rinse if you're serving a hot dish. That removes the starch that helps hold the sauce. If you are making a cold salad, rinse so the salad isn't sticky. On the other hand, I never rinse my pasta for cold main dish salads, simply because I like how the hot pasta absorbs the dressing. It's up to you!
Use the pasta in the recipe. Toss it into simmering sauce, mix it with a cold sauce, add to salads or use in frittatas.
Tips:

By covering the pot when you bring water to a boil, you are lowering the air pressure directly over the water, making it easier to boil.
Never mix pasta types in one pot. They all have different cooking times.
Watch the cooking process carefully. Pasta can overcook very quickly.
If the pasta is to be used in a casserole, undercook it slightly. It will finish cooking to perfection while in the oven or skillet....Show more

The 3 main reason people's pasta stick are
(1) not using enough water. Water evaporates when boiling. If it doesn't cover all the pasta, it'll become starchy, gooey and stick together.
(2) not stiring the pasta while it's boiling. Stir it every few minutes.
(3) cooking ahead of time. Pasta's best when straight out of the water. If you must cook in advance, reheat it by steaming it, drizzling it with hot water and it's steaming. That'll preserve the al dente texture and separate them just by stirring. Don't microwave pasta, that's horrible....Show more

Follow timing on the box, each pasta is different according to size and density i.e. angel hair pasta takes about 5-6 mins where penne takes longer. Test your pasta about 3 to 2 mins before it is suppose to be done, bite into it. When you stain it, so not wait to add it to the sauce, hence the sticky. If you have to wait, save some of the pasta water or sprinkle with olive oil and toss. DO NOT rinse pasta, you are removing the natural starches, the sauce with not stick to it.

Do not forget to add salt to you water, like you're cooking with sea water....Show more

Only put in the pasta when the water starts boiling and add a bit of oil, that way it won't stick together. Also, cover the pot for the pasta to cook quicker. Check on it regularly not overcook it and for it not to become mushy :) Good Luck...Show more