Five sauces, one method: finish in the pan with pasta water
You will cook five actual dinners: garlic and oil, cacio e pepe, lemon butter, arrabbiata, and creamy mushroom. The skill that ties them together is emulsion — starchy water + fat + heat off at the right moment — so the sauce clings instead of pooling.
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For 200 g pasta (two portions), boil at least 2.5 litres of water. Add 1 Tbsp kosher salt after it boils. The pasta itself should taste seasoned.
Start the sauce pan when the pasta goes in. Pull the pasta 1 minute before the package time. It finishes in the sauce and absorbs flavor instead of water.
Before you drain, scoop 250 ml of the cloudy water. Add it in splashes while tossing. Fat + starch + motion = a glossy coat. If you see oil sitting on top, you need more water and more tossing, often off the heat.
Cheese always goes off the flame or it seizes into stringy clumps.
Pro tip. If a sauce splits, take it off the heat, add a splash of water, and toss like you mean it. Do not add more oil.
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