The One Pasta Rule Alex Guarnaschelli Never Breaks

Alex Guarnaschelli is a jill-of-all-trades. She's an American chef, cookbook author, and well-loved television personality. She's most well-known on popular cooking shows like "Iron Chef" and "Chopped" and even appears on other shows as a competitor. ("Tournament of Champions," anyone?) Guarnaschelli knows the culinary industry like the back of her hand and what a good dish looks like, but if there's one type of cuisine for which she's most well-known, it's Italian dishes.

Italian dishes aren't light on butter, cheese, dairy or pasta. Like any other cuisine, Italian food requires techniques and tricks to master before diving into the more complex dishes. So when the Food Network asked Guarnaschelli via TikTok about essential cooking tips and tricks to abide by, she delivered. When asked about pasta in particular, she mentioned a kitchen rule never to cross: Never break pasta in half before putting it into a pan of boiling water, under any circumstance.

While I knew this was some sort of mortal sin in the culinary world, I still occasionally did it to fit spaghetti noodles in my pan; now that I know the real reason why, I'm rethinking my whole life. According to Guarnaschelli, there are several reasons why people shouldn't break pasta, and they all have to do with how the act will impact the dish.

She believes that breaking the pasta in half will affect the overall texture and appearance. It's also something Italians never do; since she's Italian, it must be a sworn-by rule. Think about when you order pasta at a restaurant. Unless there's a stray noodle, you'll always have to twirl the pasta first, because it's fully intact. This is also why you might need an extra utensil to get it into your mouth. For these reasons, just let the pasta be and cook it as it is.