Q: Recipes often say you should reserve some pasta cooking water to use in the sauce. Can't I just use regular water?

A: Not really. The cooking water has starch in it from the pasta. When you add it to sauce, the sauce thickens and clings better to the pasta. To reserve some, use a ladle or dunk a glass measuring cup in the pot before you strain the pasta. Mix it into your sauce a few tablespoons at a time until you're happy with the consistency.

-- Katie Barreira, senior test kitchen associate for Rachael Ray magazine.