How Lionfield Teaches You To Make Perfect Pasta Al Dente (Without Throwing It at the Wall)

Who Are Lionfield and What Is This Pasta Song?

Lionfield, the Italian duo of Matteo Salvatori and Emiliano Santoro, are known online as comedic "pasta protectors" who defend Italian food traditions. In their official video "How To Make Pasta Al Dente", they turn a how‑to guide into a full song, mixing serious cooking advice with playful warnings about what not to do.

The lyrics walk through the steps of cooking pasta al dente while poking fun at common mistakes, especially those made outside Italy. Beneath the comedy, though, they give a straightforward, practical method you can actually follow.

Choosing and Adding the Pasta

Lionfield start with the basics: getting the pasta into a properly boiling pot.

Key ideas from the song:

• Shape doesn’t matter for doneness

  "It doesn't matter which shape you got / Long or short, I really don't care"

  Any dry pasta shape can be cooked al dente as long as you watch the time and texture.

• But don’t break spaghetti

  "But if you pick spaghetti, don't you dare to break them in / We will call the police soon."

  This is a classic Italian pet peeve: breaking long pasta like spaghetti before cooking. Lionfield exaggerate with the "police" joke, but it underlines an authentic cultural preference—keep long pasta long.

• Use a boiling pot of water

  "Take your pasta and put it in a boiling pot"

  The water should already be at a full boil before you add the pasta, so it starts cooking evenly and doesn’t turn gummy.

What Not to Do: Olive Oil and Wall Tests

The video calls out two common myths in a pretty direct way.

• Don’t add olive oil to the water

  "Don't pour the olive oil in the water because it's a scam."

  The idea that oil in the water keeps pasta from sticking is widely repeated but misleading. Lionfield label it a "scam" in the lyrics. The actual sticking problem is better handled by:

  • using enough water
  • keeping the water at a strong boil
  • stirring the pasta in the first minutes

• Don’t throw pasta at the wall

  "Once I heard that some people from all over the world throw their spet on the wall and if they stick they think it's ready. God forgives them but I don't."

  The "throwing spaghetti at the wall" test is another myth. In the song, they treat it almost like a culinary sin. Sticking to a wall doesn’t reliably indicate al dente; it mostly means the surface is starchy.

Their alternative: read the box, then rely on tasting, not tricks.

Timing, Tasting, and the Box Instructions

A big focus of the song is that al dente is about timing and tasting.

• Check the clock, but don’t worship it

  "Check your clock and ste every now and then"
  "If you check the box you find the cooking time while it's soft and wrong."

  The package gives an approximate cooking time. Lionfield point out it’ll get soft if you follow it blindly. Their message: use it as a guideline, not a guarantee.

• Taste as you go

  "And when it's almost ready, take your food a spoon / Taste a piece or two / Please don't let it overcook."
  "The secret is to taste it over and over until it's almost ready."

  Their main rule: keep tasting. Pull out a piece, bite it, judge the texture yourself rather than trusting a wall or just the printed time.

• Stop before it goes too far

  "Otherwise, you're going to make it over."

  "Over" here is shorthand for overcooked: soft, mushy pasta that Italians generally want to avoid.

What “Al Dente” Means in Practice

The chorus repeats the core target:

"Pasta must be al dente / As long as you remember to take it out the water on time."

From the lyrics, the practical definition is:

• Slight bite, not crunchy and not mushy
  It should be cooked through but still have firmness when you bite it.

• No wall tests, no tricks
  You judge al dente by tasting, not sticking it to a wall or watching for gimmicks.

While the transcript doesn’t mention it explicitly, Lionfield’s broader pasta content often highlights that al dente preserves texture and avoids the soggy, overcooked results they frequently react to in their comedy shorts.

Simple Step‑By‑Step: Lionfield’s Al Dente Method

Summarizing the method described in the song:

1. Boil water in a large pot.
   Wait until it’s fully boiling.

2. Add the pasta.

   • Any shape is fine.
   • If it’s spaghetti, keep it whole—don’t break it.

3. Do not add olive oil to the water.
   They call this a scam and skip it entirely.

4. Check the suggested time on the box.
   Use it as a starting point for when to begin tasting.

5. Taste repeatedly near the end.

   • Use a spoon or fork to take out a piece.
   • Bite and check the texture.
   • Repeat "over and over until it's almost ready."

6. Remove from water on time.

   • As soon as it reaches that firm, not‑mushy bite, drain it.
   • Leaving it in the water is what ruins al dente.

Throughout the song, Lionfield return to the same condition: "take it out the water on time." That, for them, is the whole secret.

Summary: Comedy with Real Pasta Rules

In "How To Make Pasta Al Dente", Lionfield fold real Italian cooking advice into a humorous music video. The main points tied to the lyrics are:

• Use a boiling pot of water and any pasta shape you like.
• Don’t break spaghetti if you care about Italian sensibilities.
• Skip olive oil in the water—it won’t save your pasta.
• Ignore wall‑throwing tests; they’re not a real measure of doneness.
• Read the box for guidance, then rely on repeated tasting.
• Drain the pasta as soon as it reaches a firm, al dente bite.

Behind the jokes about calling the police and divine forgiveness, Lionfield present a straightforward, taste‑focused method: watch the clock, trust your palate, and rescue the pasta from the water at just the right moment.