Pasta is available in dozens of shapes and sizes. It is a tremendously versatile food with high nutritional value. It is convenient, low cost and easy to prepare.

The rather bland taste of pasta makes it ideal when combined with other heartier tasting foods. The shape you choose to purchase depends on your intended use. The best pasta is made from durum wheat.

In preparing soups or salads most cooks select small pasta shapes like bows, shells, or elbow macaroni. When you are adding sauces to pasta the choice is likely to be spaghetti, linguine, or their cousins. Jumbo shells and manicotti are used as containers for stuffing. Typical choices for casseroles include egg noodles, lasagna and elbow macaroni.

When cooking pasta the uncooked measured amount is deceptive. Eight ounces of uncooked spaghetti yields four cups of cooked spaghetti. One cup of elbow macaroni yields almost three cups cooked. But with small egg noodles the uncooked amount will yield about the same amount when cooked. Always check the package directions.

Pasta is cooked by bringing to a boil two quarts of water (containing an optional one teaspoon of salt) for each 8 ounces of pasta to be cooked. You want to maintain the boil, and stir the pasta with a long wooden spoon until the full boil returns. Some cooks add a teaspoon of cooking oil to the water to keep the pasta from sticking together.

Follow the cooking times on the package to reach al dente. This is Italian for "firm to the bite", and means the pasta is tender on the outside, but still firm in the middle. The cooking time varies depending on the pasta size and type, so the package is your best guide.

Drain immediately in a strainer or colander. If you are preparing a cold pasta salad, rinse with cold water and drain again.