George wrote:
>
> Sounds like you need to use more water. Not sure why you are breaking
> the noodles. Is it because you are using a small pot (which would also
> likely mean not enough water)?

Exactly! Beats me why pasta does this, but there's
a certain amount of water needed to cook it properly.
Below that amount, you get a lot of starch dissolving
out of the pasta. I learned this when I was a college
student and trying to make pasta using an immersion
heater in a Pyrex measuring cup. Fried pastas like
ramen can be made this way, but real pasta can't.

I went through a ton of immersion heaters as a college
student. I became an expert on everything you could
make with one. I should have written a cookbook on
the subject. Too late now, though. I've forgotten
too much. That's what happens when you turn 50.