Calculate exactly how much pasta to cook. Pick your pasta shape, number of servings, and meal type to get dry weight, water, and salt amounts.
Dry Pasta
400g (14.1 oz)
Cooked Weight
~880g
Water Needed
4.0L (16.9 cups)
Salt
4 tbsp
Dry Pasta
Water
Salt (tbsp)
Serves 4 main course portions
Visual representation of one serving of cooked pasta
One main course serving of spaghetti / linguine
The golden rule for perfectly cooked pasta
Dry Pasta
400g
14.1 oz
Water
4.0L
16.9 cups
Use approximately 1L of water per serving. Add 4 tbsp salt.
Typical cooking times by pasta shape
Al dente tip: For al dente pasta, cook 1-2 minutes less than package directions. Taste-test a piece before draining. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining to use in your sauce.
The key to great pasta is using plenty of well-salted water. The water should taste like the sea — about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per liter. Always bring the water to a full rolling boil before adding pasta, stir during the first minute to prevent sticking, and cook until al dente (firm to the bite). Reserve a cup of starchy pasta water before draining — it's the secret to a silky sauce.
For a main course, plan on about 100g (3.5 oz) of dry long pasta like spaghetti or 85g (3 oz) of short pasta like penne per person. For a side dish, use about 60% of those amounts. Children typically need half the adult portion.
Most pasta roughly doubles in weight when cooked. Long thin pasta like spaghetti expands about 2.2x, short pasta like penne about 2x, and orzo about 2.5x. So 100g of dry spaghetti becomes about 220g cooked.
Use about 1 liter (4 cups) of water per 100g of dry pasta. Enough water prevents sticking and maintains a rolling boil. Add about 1 tablespoon of salt per liter for properly seasoned pasta.
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